Entryway Makeover with Mirror

Our entryway is technically our butlers pantry. Our kitchen is around the corner so it’s kind of weird to use it as an extension of the kitchen when it’s 10 steps from the front door. For that very reason it had to be beautiful, make a statement. The before just wasn’t saying anything. An entryway makeover with a mirror was necessary.

The Before

About five months after we moved into our home my husband added this shiplap wall. Oddly at the time I did not want it painted. I loved the look of the primed boards and didn’t even want to fill in the nail holes. We planned to add a beautiful console and decor but never got around to it. We ordered a mirror from Wayfair, hung it a little too high, and kept it moving.

The space became a catch all area. Keys, water bottles random decor, tools and more! Trust me, there was more. The gray walls and whiteish shiplap boards didn’t offer much character to the space and the clutter was something we had to rush and clean before company. After Pinterest scrolls and a few sketches my ideal entryway makeover was underway…again.

The Process

Before starting, the area was completely cleared. The black console, that was never intended to go there, was emptied and stored in the garage. My poor fiddle leaf tree that was finally starting to grow new leaves was moved to our office. Disclaimer, I’m a new plant mom so this is a learning process…we’re getting there.

I removed the mirror and cleaned the walls. Since I already had a mirror and it was in amazing condition, I decided to keep it and focus on the shiplap color. I would love to take the credit of walking into the hardware store and choosing this color after much consideration but that’s not how it happened. I saw Retreat by Sherwin Williams as a newly released paint and completely fell in love. That’s where I started.

After prepping the area, I gave the already primed boards two coats of paint. Next, I worked on the frame for the floating console.

I wanted it to fill the width of the wall and be 20 inches in depth. I built it using 2 x 4’s and pocket holes.

The frame was secured to the wall using 3 1/3 inch screws. I drilled directly through the shiplap into studs of the wall. We covered the frame with 1/2 birch plywood. I mitered the plywood top, front and bottom pieces at 45 degrees so they would join seamlessly. To attach the plywood to the frame I used 2 1/2 inch brad nails. The few seams and nail holes were filled with wood filler and sanded down using 120 grit sand paper.

Next, I applied an oil based prestain then an oil based stain (Fruitwood).