the space between

upcycle, repurpose and reinvent your space

and this room is called … {painted wood floors?}

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Ok, we’ve got a little debate going on in this house and we need your help.

This is serious business people.*

*this is not one bit serious

What would you call this … area?entry before

It’s not really a room. It’s right inside the front door but it’s not really a foyer.

Joel wants to call it a mudroom.

I think that’s stupid.

I want to call it the entry.

He thinks that’s stupid.**

**he doesn’t really care, but is sticking with his mudroom idea to piss me off be funny

entry before

So, I ask, what would you call it?

And, more importantly … ***

***this really is important to me

What would you do with the floors?

They are wider wood planks than we have in the rest of the living and dining combo room. They are nailed in and not a traditional tongue and groove floor board, so it would be great to camouflage or cover up the nails somehow. And we’re thinking about taking out the sections of wall on either side of the doorway. You know how we like a seamless doorway from room to room.

But that will leave us with more evidence of imperfection in the form of ‘there used to be a wall here’ boards.

Right now these boards are the same height as the rest of the wood floor so I don’t really want to put anything on top of them, like tile or anything. And it’d be nice to not pull them up. Even if we replaced them with tongue and groove flooring it still wouldn’t match the aged, weathered wood that is in the living room, right next to it.

I’d much prefer an ’embracing the imperfections’ look than a ‘pretending it all goes together’ look. You know?

So I was thinking about painting them. I’ve seen some great painted wood floors …

Maybe stripes?
(Apartment Therapy)

(Coastal Living)

Or a stencil or pattern?

(source)

 (Tedious Tinkering)

Or just a solid color?

(The Corson Cottage)

 (Effortless Style)

Clearly I didn’t find any inspiration pictures for other small rooms. This entry is about 5 square feet, so anything we would do would need to be a much smaller scale.
do we want painted hardwood floors

But I’m just brainstorming here so let me know if you have any ideas. And help me win weigh in on the ‘what should we call this room’ debate. And more to come on the rest of the living room / dining room floor situation soon. Let’s just say I am a little more than excited at the thought of actually moving furniture in here next week. Imagine that … actually living in our living room. I. Can’t. Wait!

And we did successfully relocate the two switches we needed to complete the enlarging of the kitchen doorway. This one is totally thanks to Joel, he’s the resident electrician. And we have so many little electrical upgrades like that in the works. And we’re anticipating some major details on that front to come with the kitchen upgrade so stay tuned if the thought of power gets you electric. (Bad pun intended)

And to get caught up on the other updates we’ve made so far in the Key West conch house renovation (like stripping wood slat walls, yardscaping our tiny garden and enlarging our attic access) go right here.

Update:  See what we ended up doing here. Spoiler alert, it’s not paint.

… you can also find us here …

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Comments

  1. I vote for “entry” and painting the floors would look cool, but may not be a long term solution due to all of the traffic. I would opt for tile if you wanted to pull up the boards.. Good luck!

  2. Sorry Joel its an entry 🙂 and paint it, will look great!

  4. Definitely stripes and it is an entry, Joel.

  5. I’m thinking “entry” or, if you want to be highfalutin’ how about ‘vestibule’? LOL

    As for the floor? I immediately saw a barnwood finish (the one you get with vinegar & coffee grounds?) with a gorgeous, bright white, lightly distressed painted stencil right in the middle. Maybe a monogram? Oooh, or a really stylized compass?

    Joel? It’s an ENTRY honey. Mudrooms come in from the garage or backyard; you know, where you might get, um, MUDDY 😉 LOL

    • hahahaha, this is the best comment!! And, yes, I want to be highfalutin’ and we now officially have a vestibule! And your idea of a monogram or compass is seriously brilliant! Seriously!

      • yes I agree….vestibule & monogram!

  6. I love painted wood floors, especially if the wood isn’t in the best condition. And I would call it the muntry. You know, to compromise? 😛

  7. This is an entry. A mud room is not the front entry room but a side or back room. I like the idea of a painted floor or the one above with the coffee stain and a stencil in the middle would be great. I would have a chair or a bench in this entry and some of your great coastal art and maybe a place for umbrellas and more. I know whatever you do will be great.

    • Yes!!! I totally agree with it all, I love the idea of an old milk can for umbrellas, now I just need an old milk can. And for sure a chair or bench. Thank you so much for the input!

  8. LOL, I love this discussion, it’s always fun when husbands are wrong 😉

    The space could also be called an antechamber or and entrance hall if you want to get even more highfalutin. But Julie is right and it’s a true blue vestibule: a separate entry space that serves as a passage between the outer door and the interior of the building versus leading directly into the main interior as an entryway does.

    Foyer is a term more generally used for businesses and apartments. A space like this adds a sense of formality to the structure and an energy efficient barrier to the outdoor weather. (I copied this info long ago because a home we sold had the same space and I’m just kind of weird)

    I also agree with painting the floors, have some fun with the area, make it all about personality!

  10. An entry way! I would paint them, I like the stripes idea and you can incorporate the color of the floors next to it(once they are complete) and use other accent colors to bring out the beauty of the old floors! I am sure once the walls are down you will have to stare at the area for awhile and an idea will come to you! Whatever you do it will be beautiful!

  12. Hi Karah. It’s definitely an entry! A mudroom is typically situated at the rear of the home, near the kitchen, and is oftentimes combined with the laundry. Mudrooms were traditionally English and situated handily near the kitchen so the ‘servants’ of the landed gentry could have easier access to clean the muddied boots following a shoot (hunt), and the gentry didn’t have to trail mud through the home. If you Pinterest ‘entry’ you’ll find some amazing storage ideas. Of course, in today’s world, there’s nothing wrong with storing your shoes, coats, etc in the front entry anymore, so go for it!!

    Where the floor is concerned, I’d definitely paint it! I once saw an entryway floor (on a blog) that had been painted black and it was spectacular! Not that black is my fave color, but you get my drift. I’d hammer those nails in and cover them with some nail filler (putty) to match the color of choice for your floor. Just remember not to place a mirror opposite the door (or bed or window)! It’s considered to be bad chi in feng shui. The reason it is not recommended to have a mirror facing the main door is because the mirror pushes away all the good feng shui energy that is about to enter the house. The house absorbs its energy (chi) through the front door, much like a human mouth absorbing nutrients, and the Chinese consider the front door to be “the mouth of the house”. Works for them.

    Just thought I’d throw that in! ;-)))

    Good luck. Cheers Hx

  13. ooooh i vote yes! love painted floors! love the artwork you created, too- for some reason i get a few of your posts at a time. so sorry i am so late to comment!

  15. I was going to say ‘entry’, but like the ‘vestibule’ better! lol I LOVE the idea of the coffee/vinegar stain with the monogram or compass stencil!!! I like the look of the paint, but I would think in a high traffic area, it wouldn’t hold up well.

  16. I vote vestibule, paint/stencil w/compass or stripes. Antiqued looking so as to age gracefully. I cannot wait to see what you choose!

  17. If you enter the house through it, then it’s hard to rebut the term “entry”. But hey, my office was the dining room, and our now dining room was the florida room, so it really doesn’t matter that much what you call it, its how you use it {and even more fun} how you decorate it 🙂 Love the idea of removing the small side wall sections leaving the full wall you face when entering … see, it is an entry. That focal wall would be a lovely art gallery of your travel photos and journeys throughout the world. With that concept in mind how about a floor stencil of a compass and / or maybe your quote “all that wander are not lost”. Great idea from Julie W. to stain the floor with the vinegar “aging” solution, and that would be a great background for a painted stencil. Can’t wait to see what you do. Robin

  18. I think the floors would be great painted!..especially living in a great “coastal area”…I love the look of just plain painted floors or stripes like the Coastal Living image…what ever you decide, I am sure they will look phenomenal !

  19. first thing that came to mind for me was “vestibule”. Is that crazy? I personally like the enclosed space, don’t think I’d remove walls, especially if it’s going to cause floor problems. I like painted floors, but I also don’t think you need to be worried about the wood being a different size board if you want to keep the wood tone. But some continuity in stain or color would probably make sense…although with the separation, you could probably do anything you want. Have fun!

  21. Entry is the winner!!! I would do stripes I think 🙂 Love to the furry babies!!

  22. I vote “entry”; I think painting the floor is terrific. You could do a painted floor rug that is whimsical as well as decorative.

  24. If it was me, I’d punch and fill the holes. Keeping the timber and adding a nice entry rug. If this is the room where you greet guest, then it’s an entry. A nice coat rack and a side table would be nice. If it’s the room you come and go from all the time then it could be a mud room. How about the Mud Entry…or better still a Sandy entry. Embrace the beach life style! A timber floor, a rug, somewhere for shoes, a beach bag, and a surf board on the corner, even if you never use it LOL I’d also keep the walls, so you have somewhere to lean the surf board (big grin)
    Have fun with it.

  25. I would paint the whole thing white and then paint a large rug over that. If the edges where the walls come down look really gross you can have fringe painted at the ends of the rug to mask the flaws. Your rug pattern could be stripes or whatever you like but if it was a pattern you wouldn’t have to fret about getting it around the edges against the wall. I don’t think I would use a real rug – you might just have to be washing it all the time. Put the rug on the porch.

    Yes it is an entry!

  26. I had a little ‘room’ between the front door and the main living space door that was no bigger than 3 x 4. I called it a vestibule. I think a stenciled floor would look awesome!

  27. I think I like Erin’s combo name 😉 I vote for stenciled floors and make little 1/2 walls to open it up, but still keep it divided.

  28. Hi Karah! I think with the walls, it could be a mudroom/stopping point. Without, for sure an entry!! Much more seamless flow into the rest of the home. If you need storage, why not do some diy built-ins on the wall coming in since you’ve got the little wall section to the right you could build into? And I think the floors would look darling painted either way! Once you pop a rug down, won’t see they much anyhow 🙂

  29. Perhaps you could call it a breezeway??? And I loooooove the idea of a painted floor. I would personally go bold and bright, in such a small space you can totally get away with it!

    • mmmmm, breezeway, that’s an option!! And we are tossing around the painting it options now, we’re thinking a compass would be fun, and a little nautical, too!!

    • Nope. But I know exactly what we’re going to do … I can’t wait until we get permit approval. 🙂

  31. I’d call it a mudroom or an entryway. I LOVE, LOVE painted floors, but have never been brave enough to paint hardwood floors. That being said, I can live through you vicariously, can’t I? I’d say paint them, especially because the floors are different there than the rest of the house. Plus, it’s a small area, and you can try out creative things there so easily vs. tackling (tackle-ing?) a big room.

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