Dontcha wish your hallway was hot like mine?

Now that I have three kids in school, I've found myself many days drowning in papers--papers to keep, papers to sign, papers to trash, papers to wait until the kids aren't looking and trash, papers to show googiedaddy when he gets home, papers to fill out...all times 3. Three kids throwing things at me that require my attention. Also: three school bags, three lunch boxes, three schedules that include library books to return, and always the papers. ahhh! the papers!



(source)

So I decided I needed to get a handle on it all. The back hallway would become command central--a spot for each kid's schoolbag, a slot for them to put their papers requiring my attention, a place to jot reminders, etc.


(The back hallway could use some attention anyway.)


Ok, deep breaths here. I'm about to reveal something horrible. This is what I started with:





Talk about airing dirty laundry. That is literally dirty laundry. Right there, in all its dirty glory. And now I've posted it on the interweb for all eternity, for all the world to see. (sorry, Mom)


Here's the deal: this opening was the original front door of the house. 5 years ago we expanded--this hallway now leads from the kitchen to the laundry room, back entrance to the family room, and the googieparent's room. It's prime location but small space. No windows, and unfortunately it's got some other issues, namely: no trim, holes in the sheetrock from bathroom work on the other side of the wall, some rather ugly "high-hat" or "pot" lights because we were in that phase when we built. Those things I can do nothing about, so for the purposes of this makeover, we're just going to pretend they don't exist, 'kay? 'Kay.


First, I emptied the space. Ah, better already :0)
I decided to use the paint colors from the kitchen for a few reasons:

1. I had them on hand. (cheep cheep said the birdie)
2. The hallway is most visible from the kitchen
3. the rooms coming off the hallway are painted pink, green, blue, and orange. The pale yellow and off white of the kitchen seemed the most neutral choice so as to prevent color overload and subsequent blindness.


I gathered all the appropriate supplies:



Paint brush and paint stirring "stick". (umm, that really shouldn't be in quotes. It really is a stick. Not a "stick". I hate inappropriate use of quotation marks. grrrr)




Paint can opener/dog nail clippers
Like Alton Brown, I have no uni-taskers. Everything is a multitasker in the googie house.


Paint applied:



(don't forget, we agreed to ignore those gaping holes and lack of baseboard, right?)


I wanted some hanging wall files for the kids' papers. The ugly plastic ones you can buy at office supply stores are...well, ugly. I found some cute fabric ones at both Walmart and Target, but they were $15 each. So I decided to make my own.





(if you're good I may post a tutorial on these!)


(actually just if you want me to I will. i'm easy like that)
Tutorial done: How to make your own hanging wall filey pocket thingers!


Then I got busy with the chalkboard paint. A rectangle for each kid, and one on the opposite wall for balance. Some cheap cork tiles, and I moved all my family pics to the back wall.


Final hallway result????
TA-DA:













I handpainted a scripture in French on the wall with the pictures.

(Edit: The scripture is Ephesians 3:14&15, which, for those of you who aren't Bible readers {or are too lazy to get up from the computer and look it up} reads in English: "On account of this I bend my knees to the Father, to whom every family in heaven and on earth owes it's name.")





How much insanely better is that?? Huh? HUH????


Can a hallway be your most favorite room in the house?


Oh, what's that? You want to see a close up of some of those super-fly family photos??? Okay, I'll indulge you...




Top: googiemomma's parents' wedding day, 1975
you love that bowtie, dontcha???

Bottom: googiemomma, her brothers, parents & dog, 1996
red hair anyone?

i'm adding this post to:

Linking up here: