Sharing all the details of how to make a beautiful foyer & entryway built in table with a shelf & gorgeous white board & batten wall to save precious floor space & look AMAZING in a small front farmhouse entrance for less than $100!
Step by Step Instructions & Pictures Included!
Table of Contents
DIY Foyer & Entryway Built In Table
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Ever since we have moved into our old farmhouse I have struggled with how to organize & decorate our farmhouse foyer & entryway.
I have had 5 different pieces of furniture (no joke) in our foyer in the last 2 years, that’s a lot of moving furniture!
Jason doesn’t love my furniture arranging exercises as much as I do.
He would like to know where he can put his keys when he comes home from work… the nerve of this man! 🙂
Farmhouse Foyer/ Entryway Before
Here is our foyer looked a few weeks ago with my black secretary I had bought for our 1st house.
Although I love the look of it in the foyer I couldn’t open the drawers all the way.
I store craft supplies in here too & it isn’t the most convenient place to store glue & glitter.
It also blocked a heating & air conditioning vent which is usually not a good idea when you live in a very old drafty house!
Part of the reason I have spent so much time arranging, organizing, and decorating our foyer/ entryway is because it’s the first room anyone sees (us included) when they walk into our farmhouse.
It’s that first impression much like curb appeal that is important!
I want our entryway to feel clean & welcoming when walking in & having it cluttered with the wrong furniture didn’t help.
We had recently figured out solutions for our shoes (DIY closet shoe cubby) & our coats & bags (old door turned coat rack) but we still needed something for our keys & mail.
I also wanted a pretty spot to decorate seasonally!
Supplies & Tools Needed to Make a DIY Entryway Built In Table & Board & Batten Walls
Overall the entryway built in table is 46″ tall and 30.5″ wide at the widest spot (molding included) and 13.5″ deep (including molding). The legs are 37″ tall not counting the 5.5″ base molding and 12″ deep at the top. We also added a small shelf under the table top for my mail basket. That shelf is 4.5″ tall and 12″ wide.
- Pine Wood 1 by 4’s
- Finish Nailer & Finish Nails
- 16″ wide pine edge glued panels
- Jigsaw
- Screwdriver & Screws
- Trim Molding 1 by 1.5″ (pics below)
- 3/4″ cap molding (pics below)
- 3/8″ bead molding
- small crown molding
- Chalk
- Primer & White Paint
Step by Step Instructions for How to Build a DIY Entryway Built In Table
Step ONE – Add 1 by 4’s to a Blank Wall
We started by adding pine wood (stain grade) 1 by 4s to the wall to give it a board & batten look.
He used his finish Pin Nailer to attach the boards to the wall studs.
Step TWO – Create the Curve for the Sides of the Entryway Built in Table
Jason had purchased 16″ wide pine edge glued panels to create the legs & top.
We traced the outline with a pencil on the pine panels & cut them out using a jigsaw.
We gave the curves of the legs a good sanding to knock down any ridges & rough spots.
Initially Jason just attached these to the vertical boards running on either side with finish nails.
Step THREE – Create the Top of the Entryway Built In Table
Next we added the top to the legs.
We cut the top to be 1″ wider on either side & 1″ deeper than the legs & attached it with some finish nails.
To really secure the table to the wall Jason used a horizontal board that butted up to the top of the table & screwed this to the vertical studs in the wall.
Once that board was secure Jason was able to screw up into that board through the bottom of the table so you wouldn’t see the screws.
The kids could now hang on the table & it wouldn’t budge!
Step FOUR – Add Molding to the DIY Entryway Built In Table
To trim out the table top we added a 1 x 1.5 trim underneath the top & around the legs.
We faced the table with a nice poplar 3/4″ cap molding & added a base shoe molding upside down underneath the cap molding.
Here’s some closeups of the molding we used.
The first is the molding for inside the board & batten wainscoting, the second is what we used for the face of the table
& the third is the shoe molding we put on top of the 1 x 1.5 butting up against the cap.
It cost us a little less than $100 for the supplies. We did already have the paint & some of the trim used on the table.
We used 3/8″ bead molding for inside the board and batten wall (this molding was only $2 each for an 8 ft section) & we also added small crown molding to trim out the top of the shelf to give it a more finished look.
Jason added the rest of the trim to the board & batten wall & added a shelf for my mail basket & I got to painting!
Step FIVE – Prime & Paint the Entryway Built In Table & Board & batten Walls White
Farmhouse Foyer & Entryway Built In Table with Shelf
And here is our finished entryway built in table!
I love the simplicity of our DIY entryway built in table & that it saves so much floor small in our small farmhouse entrance.
Just big enough for what we need, a basket for keys (for Jason) and a basket for mail and a little space left over to decorate.
We also have plenty of room for my Longaberger umbrella basket & our families collection of Hunter wellies AKA Tucker’s “everyday” boots by the door.
What do you guys think, with or without boots?
You know what Jason’s favorite part of this DIY project is…. I can’t move this piece of furniture.
Ha, that must be why he likes built ins so much because I can’t move them.
He also has a perfect place to put his keys!
I still have a few things I would love to change in our foyer like a beefier newel post & a dutch door but those things will definitely have to wait.
I hope this inspires you & answers all your questions about how to build a DIY entryway built in table & board & batten walls!
by Tara Lehman
Don’t forget to Pin & Save our DIY Entryway Built in Table or You Can Always Follow Along on Pinterest!
Since writing this post our entryway/ foyer table I shared a guest post with Remodelaholic where they drew up a FREE building plan of our table!!!
To check that out go here or see the plans to build your own DIY entryway built in table HERE
DIY Secretary Turned Dresser and Desk
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It looks perfect!!! Like it’s always been there, so clean and clutter free, love it.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting Lois:)
I love the boots!
Thanks Susan!
I love it! It adds so much character! The boots look cute – especially for Fall and Spring!
Caitlin, thank you so much!
Tara,
I love your foyer so much! Overtime I see it I am so jealous! I would love to have an entry way like yours, at this point I’d love to have an entry way period! You always do such a beautiful job! Thank you for sharing!
I appreciate that so much Cat, thank you!
Oh my goodness!!! This is so well done! It really makes your entryway so open and fresh! Lovely! I really enjoy your work and I would be so happy if you would share this at my Making broken Beautiful party this week! I would be honored if you would help to make this party grow :0)
Smiles!
Terry
http://thecuratorscollection.wordpress.com
Terry, thank you so much for the invite and your sweet comments about our entryway table. I will be by to check out your party right now:). Take care, Tara
You did a great job on this! Looks great!!! If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to join us over at the #HomeMattersParty and link this up. The doors are OPEN until Monday end of the day.
http://www.thejohnsonsplusdog.com/2015/09/17/home-matters-linky-party-55/
Hi Chelsea, thank you so much for commenting on our entryway table and for the invite I will definitely be over link up to your party:). Have a great week, take care, Tara
Your space looks great and the boots are adorable. I can totally relate to your struggle with finding the right piece of furniture. I figure the days I spend moving furniture around that it counts as my workout for the day. 😉
I think we need to start a whole exercise program around moving furniture Suzy:). Thanks so much for taking the time to check out our entryway table. Have a great week, take care, Tara
Can you give me specifics on the size wood, the trype of trim you used, etc. Do you have the dimensions of the built-in too>? I really want to copy your amazing project!
Hi Ray! Thanks so much for the stopping by to see our entryway table! I am working on adding the measurements and more specifics to the post and I will add that information later tonight. If you have any more questions or I don’t answer all your questions please let me know and I would be happy to add them. Take care, Tara
I added the specifics to the post but here they are to make sure you have them:)
Specifics
(all the wood was bought at our local Lowes but you can find all of it at Home Depot or any other lumber store). It cost us a little less than $100 for the supplies. We did already have the paint and some crown molding.
Overall the table is 46″ tall and 30.5″ wide at the widest spot (molding included) and 13.5″ deep (including molding). The legs are 37″ tall not counting the 5.5″ base molding and 12″ deep at the top. We also added a small shelf under the table top for my mail basket. That shelf is 4.5″ tall and 12″ wide.
We used all pine wood to make our entryway table. We bought stain grade pine wood panels (although you could use 1 X12s) for the legs and the top and the shelf. We used 3/8″ bead molding for inside the board and batten wall (this molding was only $2 each for an 8 ft section) and we also added small crown molding for the around the top of the shelf to give it a more finished look.
Thank you so much for your question if you have any more let me know!
Could you tell me how you adhered the table to the wall???I have a half table…but it won’t stay attached to the wall! Thanks
Hi CJ thanks so much for stopping by! We screwed the entryway table in to the sides of the board and batten wall boards (the board and batten is screwed into our wall studs). We also added a 1 by board under my mail shelf which is also nailed into our wall studs and attached the table to that. I don’t know what your table looks like but I think if you don’t mind screwing your table to the wall ( in a discreet spot) or screwing a board to your wall studs and then attaching that board your table won’t go anywhere:). Take care, Tara
You guys did such a great job it is beautiful and really works in the entry way. Now I want one! LOL! Great job. Thanks so much for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Michelle, thank you so much for stopping by to see our entryway table and thank you for hosting the Home Matters Party! Have a wonderful rest of your week and take care, Tara
Loving the progress! It all looks great!
Thank you for stopping by to check out my entryway table. Have a wonderful rest of your week and take care, Tara
That looks sooooooo good!!
Thank you very much for stopping by to see my entryway table Martina!
Hello Tara! Just popping by to say thank you so much for joining in on my Making Broken Beautiful party last week! I hope you will come again!
Smiles!
Terry
Hi Terry! Thank you so much for hosting your party! I will definitely be back when I have more furniture posts to share:). I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Take care, Tara
Tara, that is soooo good! It looks so clean and beautiful. Just perfect for the spot!
Karen thank you so much!!!
Awww I love what you said about your husbands favorite part of the project lol I am Soo uncontrollably guilty of moving things around a hundred times I honestly don’t think I’ll ever be completely satisfied with where something is lol it’s just that it’ll stay there longer but eventually it finds a new home.. n then back to it’s original state, then moved again 😂
Ha I totally agree about not being completely satisfied about moving things around Erica! Thanks so much for stopping by to see my DIY entryway built in table!