Best Christmas gift ever is Danni (our furniture-maker) delivering our hall furniture 2 days before Christmas. It was perfect timing for the Christmas Eve dinner we were hosting! Danni arrived on the afternoon of December 23, but had to return the morning of the 24th because “assembly” took longer than expected. Read on and you will see why!
A mudroom is where boots and outerwear are shed, shopping bags get dropped, and keys and coins are tossed. Coats, hats, schoolbags, umbrellas and often shoes are left out in the open, creating visual chaos – and making it hard to find what you need to deal with or wear.
– STORE IT! Where to put all the things you need to keep
We have a long hallway and if we are not careful, there can be a lot of wasted space. So I decided we needed to maximize it by creating a modular 7-piece design, that provides storage for so many things:
- Shoe cabinets – one for TD and two for me
- Shelves for jacket & shawls
- Drawer for sunglasses
- Sports equipment storage: tennis rackets, etc
- Luggage storage
Though it looks built in, and like it’s one piece, the long console is 2 pieces. It makes it easier for us to pack it up and transport when we move posts, and it is flexible because the entrance of our future home will probably not be the same dimensions. This is one of the things that we had to put a lot of thought into – hence the usual 3 hour meetings with Danni when planning and designing our furniture.
I used this book (section on ENTRANCE CUES Entries, Foyers, Mudrooms) to help me with storage ideas for the hallway and modified it to suit our needs.
Danni has finally arrived with my hallway furniture! YAY!!!
SHOE CABINETS
Since our shoes are not the same size, it would be more space efficient to have separate shoe cabinets
Mine is a modular 2-piece shoe cabinet which can be used side by side or stacked one on top of another. The dividers are glass, allowing the light to filter down. Oh and it’s designed specifically for my shoe size. Sooo cool!
If you notice, there are different distances between the partition, some very short and some farther apart. This is to maximize the space so there are shelves for boots and high heels, some 2-3 inch heels, a couple for sneakers, then some for flats. Basically my furniture maker Danni, measured my different shoes, classified them and then we counted, so we knew how many shelves of each height, we should have.
HIDDEN STORAGE
My husband’s shoe cabinet was measured to fit his rubber shoes. The top has a hidden storage, which we use as a charging station. This way, when we are charging our gadgets, we can close it, and keep visual clutter at bay. I also store our guest book here, some pens, and other items that I need before heading out. I love that it’s hidden, but super accessible.
We can charge our phones before leaving, and our guest can use it as well. It’s super useful! Seriously don’t know why having a charging station by one’s entrance is not more popular!
BENCH + SOCK STORAGE
Then we needed a bench to sit on when we put on our shoes – with a drawer for our socks. Makes sense doesn’t it? Danni also provided the cushion with white removable/washable cover.
Underneath this bench are 2 rows of floating shoe racks for guest or shoes that we use often. It looks like this but made with wood instead of steel. This allows us to store more shoes in a less visible location (I dislike seeing so many shoes all out in the open in entrances of homes) and with the shoes “floating” it also allows the maid to easily sweep the floor underneath. Neat!
Most of the people we know here in Jakarta take off their shoes before entering the home. This is not something my husband and I are used to in the Philippines, but I find it is very practical because Jakarta is so much more dusty so bringing in less dirt into the home would definitely help with keeping the house cleaner. And since we only have one all around maid, I’d like to help in any way I can to lessen the work load.
LUGGAGE STORAGE
We have massive luggage that’s very hard to hide and would be a waste of closet space if stored it in the bedroom. Here it would be out-of-the-way but easily accessible when needed.
It doesn’t look that massive but it’s 1/3 the length of our Super-console! It fits our 3 large luggage, our hand-carry trolleys and some backpacks! Weeee! Finally freed up some closet space in the bedrooms!
DRAWERS AND SHELVES
I needed to ask myself “what are the last items that I need when you leave the house?” And voila! That’s how I came up with my list of what I needed entrance hall storage for.
On top are small drawers for sunglasses, and sports/travel accessories (goggles, locks, etc), below is a large compartment for our sports equipment like our tennis bag and yoga mat. I love being able to grab sunglasses before leaving the flat.
Then there are also shelves for shawls, jackets and sweaters, which I would always forget before, and have to go back into the room for. Not any more! The shelves for the shawls/sweaters is adjustable and removable depending on how many shelves we need.
ELECTRICAL
Some electrical components that made installation a little more complicated. Since there is only ONE electrical socket in the entire length of the hallway it was a bit of a challenge. I needed light for our shoe cabinet + the charging station + sockets at the end of the console for my standing lamp. Danni made it happen because he is just SO amazing and creative. For example the light switches for the shoe cabinet is only in one cabinet so it’s easy to reach.
But what happens when I want to place my 2 shoe cabinets side by side instead of on top one another? Danni has provided provisions for this as well. Awesome right? And he will definitely be there to help us out when it’s time to move.
Danni also ensured that the electric sockets are universal. Another thing with DiploLife is that plugs and electric sockets shapes are constantly changing because different countries have different standards! (Which is why I end up having a collecting universal socket extension cords)
DECORATIVE YET FUNCTIONAL MIRROR
Danni also installed our console mirror for free as a bonus to us. We found this amazing UMBRA mirror at Ace Harware Gandaria. It was the only piece so I am so happy I got it! Not only does the mirror make the narrow hallway space feel bigger, but it is also like a piece of decorative art! Mirrors don’t have to be boring. I love that this one gives a bit of depth to our hallway.
BESPOKE UMBRELLA HOLDER
An entrance is not complete without an umbrella holder. I had this one made in silver gold finish (they call it Kolony Vase Large in Silver Prada) at GALERI POT (contact details below) for about Rp 240,000 (or 24 USD est.) if I recall correctly. It’s actually perfect for regular sized umbrellas – except mine on top is one of those super-sized umbrellas.
DECOR
The pot at the end of the console below (Stupa Vase Medium in Silver Prada) is also from GALERI POT for Rp 180,000 (or about 18 USD). I bought 3 long bunches of “grass” at Rp 25,000 each (2.50 USD est.) from VINOTI LIVING. (Thanks to LM for the design inspiration!)
The standing lamp plugged into the end of the console is from IKEA Kuala Lumpur.
See more improvements to the Hallway:
- Expat-friendly, moving-friendly bespoke full-length mirror + coat hooks
- Hidden charging station in the hallway
Furniture by DANNI ROESTAM
+62 818 863326 • danni.roestam@gmail.com
Check out other furniture Danni made for me here!
GALERI POT (JC’s Pottery)
Jl. Kemang Timur No. 58 R, Jakarta 12 730, Indonesia • + 62-21-718 0209 • shop@jcspottery.com
www.jcspottery.com
VINOTI LIVING
Plaza Senayan Level 3 No. 351A, Jl. Asia Afrika, Jakarta 10270
(62 21) 572 5168 / 573 0918 • vl-ps@vinoti-living.co.id
Kemang Club Villas Jl. Kemang Selatan 1
(62 21) 7179 1727 / 718 3574 • vl-kmg@vinoti-living.co.id
*DISCLOSURE: Some links are amazon affiliate links, but as always all opinions are my own.
I love the thinking behind the furniture — and it looks great! I must forward your blog to my expat friends in Jakarta. =)
Thank you OC Mom in Manila! How sweet that you think it’s worthy of passing on to friends! =) It totally shows how OC I am doesn’t it? It’s just that it takes us so long to save up for these things so I might as well do them WELL. =P Solid teak is an investment after all!
SO NICE!!! 🙂 Will ask for your advice when the time comes that we need ideas for customized furniture. Hehe.
Thanks Ela! Anytime sweety! All you gotta do is ask! =D See you in Jakarta soon!!!
Omg! You think of everything Diplowife! This will definitely be my reference when I move out and change status! You also seemed to enjoy the entire design process immensely. I guess that’s why so many great ideas came out. Keep ’em coming!
PS Might be going to Bali this year! Meet up?
To be honest it was both enjoyable and stressful. Stressful because I really want to think of everything since we have limited funds so must not waste it. It’s so important to me to be thorough because of this. So I read a lot of books and spend so much time researching… and it’s a loooong process before I am happy with my design. =P But in the end all the hard work is worth it when I see the finished product!
When when?? Drop by Jakarta k???
Amazing stuff! The only thing I kinda disagree with is the charging station. If it were for my own use, I wouldn’t charge my phone in the hallway, but rather near where I stay the most – like either in front of the TV or in the bedroom. Although, this may work well for the visitors. Otherwise, great stuff and nice workmanship!
Thanks Hots! We do have charging stations on both sides of our bed as well, but when I charge there I end up forgetting when I am running out. Now when I realize that my phone is low batt before I leave, I charge it by the entry way so I don’t forget it. Oh and TD (The Diplomat) and I now make it a habit to plug in our phone when we arrive home so it is charging while we are freshening up/having dinner/watching TV/etc. It’s a wonderful additional convenience!
What a great post! Your hallway is perfect for the new addition! What a great use of your space!! You have great ideas for so many things in the hall way and I can tell you put a lot of thoughts into it!! The IKEA lamp goes very well with your decor! Our hallway is very small compared to yours, so we cannot fit much. This is all we have and we could afford which required almost no money. 😛 (http://chuzailiving.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/after-☆-front-foyer/)
Your husband being a diplomat, I imagine you have a couple of more years left in Jakarta and you’ll have to move to another post. Do you plan on finding a flat or house that will accommodate your hallway furniture or do you plan on selling it here? Or did you design it in such way that you can use it in other room in your house? Since it’s made with teak wood, I imagine it’s heavy. Our weight limit for each move doesn’t allow us to include much furniture unfortunately, so I don’t see ourselves shopping much of furniture here, but I do have a few items I would love to make! We’ll see…
Hi Kaho, Thank you for your sweet comment!
These pieces are an investment for us so we plan to bring them. Everything is modular and can be used in many different ways. The entire thing is actually 5 separate pieces that we can reassemble in different ways when we move posts!
We save up months at a time (half a year) for every big order of furni, because we have a container when we move to the next post. Wood is so much cheaper here than other places =)
Good for you!! So you had everything planned for your move. It looks beautiful and I’m sure you figure out a new way to place then in your new house. Bravo! I think you have interior designer in you. 🙂
Oooh!!! Your pad looks like a very cool hotel room! 🙂
The umbrella holder…I like! I want one! Haha!
Aw thanks sweety! It’s so hard to have storage for everything in a small condo so I really try my best to have storage solutions that looks sleek and neat so for you to say that it looks like a hotel room, I guess that means I am somehow succeeding. Yay! =D I had the umbrella holder custom-made and it’s so funny because the color is called “Prada Silver” Lol!
Wow! This is awesome. It seems very organized and I can see that you planned it well. Lucky you to have such a big hallway with lots of storage.
Thanks for your your comments and the links 🙂
Hugs, Nina
Thanks for Nina! That’s so nice to hear from such a stylish person such as you! =D Maybe it’s the pack rat in me, or that we are slowly collecting stuff for future Diplo entertaining but I need more storage! Can you believe?! =P
i love your house. i have moved in with my partner not long time ago. And i also have the dilemma of putting together our house. thanks to you coz it gave me so much idea that i can apply to my house. =D
Thanks for the wonderful compliment Dianne! I am glad that you found my posts helpful! It’s what I always wish for when I write my posts. =)
yuhaa..love love your entryway..
btw…now almost 2,6 years old ( i mean the hallway furniture)…just wondering is that still in good condition? i mean the fitting.
Because i’m planning make furniture at danni ..
Hi Antonia, my hallway is still in very good condition! If there are any problems Danni is always there to fix it for free. Wood is a natural material that has a tendency to crack especially with changes in the humidity i.e. hot Jakarta days + using AC at night. There was one summer that was especially terrible 2 years back and I had guest couch surfing so the AC was on full blast at night and one of my console doors cracked. Danni figures that the source of the wood probably exposed it to rain before he bought it so he changed the entire door. My hallway furniture still looks like new. Danni has great customer service so I recommend him highly. Hope this helps! =)