My (No-Cost) Entryway Table Decor

Hi all! I have (quite unexpectedly) found myself in the middle of a January heat wave here in Iowa, and that has brought about inspiration to purge all things winter, clean, and organize. Now depending on where you are from, you might not think 50 degrees is a heat wave, but to an Iowan this kind of weather calls for opening windows and doing some spring cleaning!

Now if you follow me on Instagram, you know that recently I tackled the large entryway table to my home and cleared all Christmas decor and started fresh. This table has always been challenging to decorate, partially because it is so large and also due to the rest of my entryway being so bare, making it the focal point for all visitors.

Also, being that I was in a cleaning and purging mood, I didn’t want to have to leave and purchase any decor items and interrupt my motivation so I decided to style the table with only items I had on hand. If you have been following along for a bit you might remember that I took this same ‘no-cost’ approach to my front porch this holiday season and that blog post received the highest traffic of any that I have written, so I know you all enjoy my re-purposing and budget friendly take on decorating! If you missed that post, I will link it here.

OK, let’s get to it!

I tackled this large table in sections, pictured below is the right hand side of the table.

Here we have a vintage birdcage that we used as a card holder at our wedding, as well as an old spool (from a friend’s basement clean out), a tray of pine combs, and some twine. Easy!

Up above the birdcage, and on both sides of the table, I have these copper lanterns I purchased years ago at Hobby Lobby, and they are both hanging on iron hooks that were in an old carriage house that we tore down after it sustained wind damage beyond repair. These hooks held the bridles and other equipment for the horses that resided in the barn. You can see an up close picture below.

Next up, the left side of the table!

This end has quite a collection of miscellaneous items! I have absolutely no idea where the basket is from, I have had it for so many years. I filled it with a metal canister I previously picked up at a thrift store, a distressed mason jar that I made, some wood slices and a wooden sign that I had laying around.

Now for the finishing touches and final picture!

Here is the finished table! In the middle I added some additional wooden signs, a small bit of greenery, an old re-purposed shutter and a metal ‘hello’ sign (it’s an entryway after all!).

This metal sign I picked up at JDH Iron Designs down in Waco, Texas when I was there almost two years ago to see the Magnolia Market. If you followed along on the HGTV show Fixer Upper, you might remember that Jimmy Don and JDH Iron Designs made all of the metal signs that were featured in the market and in the finished homes. My sign is even autographed by Jimmy Don! If you ever make it down to Waco I highly recommend visiting his shop. (Not a sponsored post, I just really like his work!)

The actual sawhorse table was built by Adam and APS Construction, I think it might have been the very first piece of furniture he made.

Well, I’m off to take advantage of this warm weather and tackle a few more things outdoors before it returns to January around here! I hope this post has provided you some inspiration for decorating your own home and I will see you guys soon!

Hello January!

Hello! We made it through the holiday season at my house, and I don’t know about you but I’m ready for all of the clutter to be packed up. I still have some simple flocked trees that I am decorating with, but all of the holiday decor is back in storage. Christmas is my favorite time of year, but by the end of the season I always feel overwhelmed with glitter, gift wrap, and general disorder.

With all of that in mind, I thought I would share my simple table design for the remainder of winter. Iowa has had some chilly temperatures but no real snow since November, so everything outdoors is gloomy and brown.

My initial thoughts when I was digging through my decor and putting this together was that I needed something simple and with a hint of color. As you can see, I chose mostly neutral colors and added a pop of greenery to remind us that spring will be here (hopefully) soon.

I have several of these book sets all over my house, each telling a different ‘story’. I am working on setting up a web page where these can be ordered but for now if you would like a set just contact me. I put this tray together and then set it on top of a simple beige and green table runner that I had in my spring decor collection. I was in the mood for simple, and kept it at that.

I hope you are all staying warm this January, wherever you are located! As always, you can catch us on Instagram or Pinterest for daily decorating ideas and I will be back soon with some fun DIY projects to keep you busy during these long winter months! Cheers!