DIY: Foyer Wall Organizer

We all have that one weird thing in our home: a doorbell speaker that belongs in Victorian England, built ins, intercom systems…old houses have weird stuff character! My nightmare: the telephone box. Today, we are going to take the stance of, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” I have found that by working with your home’s character, you preserve what makes it so special and create something one of a kind!

It was popular in the 1960’s to have a telephone box built right into your home. It is now 2015. But after hearing the desperate pleas of my dear husband, it was decided, the box was staying and I had to figure out how to make it work. After months of debating and finally running across this gem of a tutorial, I created a cohesive look that incorporated the telephone box! Let me show you how easy and fun it was to create these foyer wall organizers.

Before:

What You’ll Need

I’ll give you the list to make exactly what I made, but there’s a million ways you can go with this. Log on to Pinterest to get inspired and then go for it! You can add cork boards, magnetic paint, mail organizers, clothes pins, mason jars, hooks…I could go on and on. The hardest part of the whole job is narrowing down what you want!

• Cabinet Door
• Chalkboard paint
• Foam brush
• Hooks, or hardware for hanging keys
• Old (or new) hinges
• Spray Paint (optional)
• Clipboard Clips
• Magazine Organizer
• Hanging hardware
• Wood screws
• Screwdriver

Apply Chalkboard Paint

First, wipe down the cabinet doors to remove any dust.

Apply your first coat of chalkboard paint to the center panel. Let dry. Repeat until you are happy with the coverage. I used two coats.

While those are drying, if you’d like, go ahead and spray paint your hinges. Mine were originally a brassy color, which doesn’t go with my home, I achieved this look by spray painting them black and (while it’s still wet) misting over it with a brown spray paint. I would suggest something like Rust-oleum or something that is specifically for metal. If your hinges are a nice color, feel free to skip this step.

Once everything is dry, go ahead and mount your hanging hardware to the back of your cabinet doors. Doing this first will make your life a lot easier! Note: pre-drill any holes to prevent the wood from cracking. Place the doors on a carpeted surface when drilling to avoid scratches.

Now the fun part! Lay out your door(s) and place all of your paraphernalia. I ended up returning a lot of stuff, since I decided that in this case, less is more! I went with a simple key hook and mail organizer.

Once you’ve set everything in its place, walk away for a few minutes and come back to it. If you’re sure you love it, start drilling away! Again, I suggest pre-drilling your holes.

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Tips for adding rustic nails:

As you can see, rather than using key hooks, I used a rustic looking nail to hang our keys. If you’re doing the same, here’s a few tips! 

1. If you want the nails to have a slight upward angle, start by drilling straight into the frame. Once your bit is in the door, pull it out and then give it a slight angle. Continue to pre-drill.

2. Once you’ve pre-drilled on an angle, place the nail in the hole. Cover with a rag or towel before lightly tapping into place with a hammer. This will prevent the finish from coming off.

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That’s it! Hang that puppy up and share your pictures with me on Facebook! I love to see your projects! If you have tips or tricks to share, please leave them in the comments below.

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1 year update:

It’s been a year and here it is now! I love it just as much as I did when I installed it. This is probably one of the most functional and well-used pieces in our home. And having a little spot for cute quotes is always a fun break from the day-to-day!