The Weekender-Inspired Entryway

13 Materials
It all started with this stock kitchen cabinet and a little inspiration from Lowe's new web series, The Weekender.


Have you seen it?


Monica Mangin of East Coast Creative is the host, and she walks you through a brilliant collection of DIY home improvement projects that are completed over a weekend. What I like most about the show is that the projects don’t require a ton of time or money, but still enhance the style, comfort and function of your home.


Still don’t believe me? Well, let me share my Weekender-inspired project with you.


This is what our entryway looks like on most days. Sometimes it’s worse. Occasionally it’s a little neater.


There are shoes scattered all over the floor, behind the door and down the hall. Toys, too. Backpacks and jackets end up here. And should the weather necessitate, hats, mittens, umbrellas and rain boots get huddled together in a wet pile in the corner.


It’s the first thing we see when we come home.
It’s the first thing people see when they visit.
It’s a mess.


Enter stage left, Lowe's The Weekender and this bench and wood plank wall are just the kinds of upgrades that make our builder-grade home more uniquely our own.


So without further ado, please check out the project details below!


MUDROOM BENCH


There is a bit of a story behind this bench. It has a happy ending as you can see from the pictures, but it took a little longer than a weekend to achieve my desired look and feel. To start, we used this tutorial by Lowe’s as a guideline and modified it to fit our own style and function.


Here are some of the changes we made in case you’d like to DIY a similar bench of your own:


STAND-ALONE vs. BUILT-IN: Because we wouldn’t be bringing the baseboards around to meet, the base pieces are all the same size (1×6).


BEVELED vs. RAW WOOD EDGES: We cut the base pieces at 45-degree angles so they would meet without raw edges. This step provided a smoother, cleaner finish for staining. The base pieces were glued and nailed together.


*Note: In the picture above, you’ll see we started building the base with the 1×4 boards per the tutorial. We later decided on a stand-alone bench and so we swapped them out for 1×6 boards instead.


OAK vs. MDF/PINE: My plan was to stain the bench, so we used oak boards for the top and base and covered the cabinet’s sides with oak plywood. By using the same type of wood, we hoped the stain would absorb similarly and provide a seamless finish.


For the sides, we cut pieces a little larger than the cabinet, glued them on and pressed them down with weight. After they were dry, we cut them flush with the cabinet using a router.


We also cut the top a little longer, giving it a 3/4″ lip on three sides.


STAIN vs. PAINT: This is where the story takes a turn... I chose a dark wood stain thinking it would provide warmth and contrast. It was a gorgeous piece of furniture when it was finished, however it also turned out to be too dark and severe against the white shiplap. DIY disappointment.


In the end, I went even darker on the stain on top, but sanded the rest down to paint white.


I’d like to add a shelf for additional storage, but it currently does a great job holding the shoes we wear most often. And all I have to do is shut the cabinet doors to hide the clutter!


FAUX SHIPLAP WALL


I have jumped on the Fixer Upper wall plank bandwagon and I absolutely adore it! It’s fresh and fun with beautifully clean lines. It adds texture and dimension to the entryway without being overpowering. Needless to say, I am extending it to the rest of my entry walls and will happily provide you with a full tutorial {stay tuned!}.


My shiplap was made with 1/2″ birch/blondewood plywood that the customer service representative at Lowe’s helpfully cut into 6″ boards. I love my power tools, but I was grateful for this service as I’m not a big fan of the table saw. Plus, I was able to fit all the boards and my kiddos into the car with ease.


Once home, I cut the boards to fit my wall with a miter saw. My little buddy helped to mark the boards for super straight cuts.


My sister kindly marked the studs in my wall. Together, we installed the boards with 3 1/2″ brads using a pneumatic nailer. It was a breeze! We used 2 stacked nickels for a 1/8″ spacer and capped the top with a shelf made from a board adhered to a 3" chair rail. The planks and shelf are painted in Valspar’s Dove White.


These black and white striped hooks from Anthropologie were a splurge, but I just couldn’t resist. Oh, you pretty little things!


The walls are painted with the Valspar equivalent of Benjamin Moore’s Palladium Blue. Did you know that Lowe’s will match any color? Not just paint samples, but fabrics or flooring, too! I learned that on my latest visit to my neighborhood store. {I also learned I was not the first to request Palladium Blue as it was already in the system.} A quart of paint later and my entry was transformed from drab to fab!


If this entryway project doesn’t get you excited to DIY, then check out all 10 episodes of The Weekender. I promise you’ll be inspired, and Lowe’s can help with all the project details.


So what are you getting into this weekend?! — v.
This post was written in partnership with Lowe's Home Improvement. Project materials and compensation were generously provided by Lowe's. All ideas and opinions are my own.


Please click the link below to visit the blog for a complete list of resources and more DIY tutorials. Please join the newsletter to receive a little creative inspiration directly to your inbox. Thanks! -- v.
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3 of 18 questions
  • Claire Claire on May 16, 2019

    How do you get Lowe’s to sponsor your project and get compensated for it too ? Is there somewhere to apply for that?


  • Jeanne Thiede Jeanne Thiede on Jun 16, 2019

    Just wonder what white shiplap looks like with pine stained trim

  • Patsy Short Hosey Patsy Short Hosey on Mar 09, 2020

    Thanks for sharing. Think I will try it. Love it.

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  • Kelly Kelly on Apr 02, 2021

    What a great idea! Your daughter and pup are sitting so pretty for the pic haha!

  • Brad Brad 2 days ago

    That’s a brand new cabinet and purchased at Lowes. I just bought that exact same one yesterday for an apartment

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