DIY Drop Zone From Empty Closet
Good morning sunshine! I’m so excited to share today’s post because we just finished my DIY drop zone in our entryway. I’ve been dreaming about doing this from the first day we saw the house back in May and I’m just so excited to finally see this come to life. My dad and I worked on it all day yesterday and it was such a fun project. And it totally transformed this space–now it feels like a real foyer/entryway! Here’s how it looked before:
And here’s how it looks now:
Quite a change, right?! I can’t get over how much better this little corner looks now. It was lifeless before and now it’s one of the cutest spots in the whole house. Plus it’s functional too!
So doing this DIY drop zone was actually super easy. We started by removing all of the closet hardware and then building a simple base around the closet where the bench seat would go. My dad is a total pro at this stuff, so I mostly watched him work! But you can see the base he screwed to the wall. We made the front board the natural oak to match the bench.
Once that was completed, we put the bench into place. My closet was fairly deep, so we had to use two separate pieces of refinished 1×12 oak to make it work. But you can barely tell that it isn’t one solid piece! Once those were in place he nailed everything down nice and tight. Next we did shiplap on the back, which was super simple. (We bought the shiplap at Home Depot!) We also changed out the light fixture for this black lantern.
I love how this DIY drop zone turned out so much! And it’s so cool to see something I’ve had in my mind for months finally come to fruition. This is such a cute spot now and thankfully we have a mud room, so we have space for all our big coats in there. Plus I gotta give big props to my sweet dad, he nailed this project. And it was so great to spend that time with him while we worked on this drop zone. I can’t wait to get more projects done!
Thanks for stopping by the blog today. I hope this post gives you an idea or two for your own home! xo
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The Comments
Shaylan
Love this! Such a simple DIY but such a HUGE transformation! Thank you for sharing and inspiring me!
Sarah
> Shaylanyes!! Such a big transformation!
Valerie Janzen
That looks AMAZING!! Can you come do my house now?! 😆 I love following along with your new home DIY! 🤍
Sarah
> Valerie Janzenhaha wish I could!!
Ruth
This turned out so pretty!! Absolutely love the change. You are putting your unique stamp on the house and changing it for the better.
Sarah
> RuthThank you so much Ruth!!
Julia Andrews
This turned out so nice! You are so creative! Now I’m wondering where you will be putting all your winter coats, etc. that usually go in a coat closet. Or do you have a mud room?
Sarah
> Julia AndrewsWe have a mudroom!
Denise M Johnson
Looks great, live the way it turned out. Very creative. 😎👍
Sarah
> Denise M Johnsonthanks Denise!!
Debby
> SarahYes it looks great! Love your floors too. Would you mind sharing what it is. Real wood?
You have great taste in decor!
Ramona Wampler
WOW! Blown away at how something so simple could make so much difference! We built our house 20+ years ago and now that we are older there are so many things I wish I had done differently! I love the look of a foyer or mud room where you have a place to put the things like coats, purse, book bag, shoes, etc. But our house is small and has neither. I do however have a coat closet next to the front door!!!! I would love to do something like this. The only problem is, where do I put all the junk that is crammed in there? LOL!
Melissa
Love the drop zone! Even that much more special that you got to do the project with your dad. Love the lantern also!
Candy
Good. Owning Sarah
What an amazing job! Love this idea and it looks so great and opened. You have given me a great inspiration to do this in my home, thank you.
Vicki
This looks awesome! I do have a couple of questions, was the door a pocket door, or a regular door that you removed? Also, I’m curious why you did the bench before the ship lap? I figured you had a good reason! Thanks for sharing! The black light fixture looks great, love the contrast with the white!
Kristine
DIY Drop Zone delight!!
I’d say you and your Dad make a great team…what a transformation from dull to darling! You inspire me…so do those baskets on the shelves. Where to buy?
Jessica Allen
You have such a great eye!!! This is beautiful…..so much better than just a boring closet door.
Kristine
Oops…disregard my ask about the baskets…Target find. Thanks
Out of stock at the moment.
Vicki
> KristineThe Container Store also has nice baskets similar to this in light and dark browns, and different size options, sometimes on sale. I have them and they are really nice!
Gina
So cute but you are lucky you have a place for coats. I’ve been wanting to do this with my entry closet but would still have to hang several coats, boots etc
Sarah
> Ginayes! I’m not sure I would have done it without having a mudroom.
Mona Hall
Awesome idea! You have an amazing talent and I just love how you put your ideas together! I have this exact same problem and now that I have thinking over for some time. Thanks to your amazing idea, I may soon have the foyer I have been wanting. Thank you and God Bless
Sarah
> Mona Hallyay!! Glad it gave you an idea for your home, Mona!
Dianna
Love it.
Carol
Love it. I would never have thought to create such a cozy spot out of a closet. It’s really nice you have your father to help you make your ideas happen.
Sarah
> CarolRight?! Such a huge difference without too much work!
Christina
Looks great! Where did you get the bench wood?
Sarah
> ChristinaWe got that from Home Depot!
Toni
So beautiful, Sarah! Can I ask a random question? I love how you use Shiplap and was wondering what product you use and where you get it. Oh, and if you paint it. I’m going to try it for the first time and want it on my ceiling in the bedroom. I’ll take any advice you can send my way! 😉
Thanks,
Toni
Sarah
> ToniWe bought it from Home Depot! They carry real shiplap now and it’s already primed white. It’s super easy!!
Kayleen Wierson
Sarah, this is absolutely adorable. I love this little space that you have created. It’s so cheerful and bright and welcoming. Awesome job.
-Kayleen
Sarah
> Kayleen WiersonThank you Kayleen!! So happy we could make this project come to life.
Nancy
This looks AWESOME! Can’t wait to see what you do with the whole house!
Sarah
> NancyThanks so much Nancy!
Sally Brown
I love it. Looks like you
Sarah
> Sally Brownthank you Sally!
Maggie DiSanto
Looks beautiful as always Sarah!! But now where do you hide all the winter coats etc??? You would not want to see my hall closet!!
Sarah
> Maggie DiSantoWe have a mudroom so we can put all the coats in there!
Susan
So cute! Who doesn’t love projects with Dad. I think dads love helping! Awesome transformation.
Sarah
> SusanI agree Susan! He loves to help.
Rhonda
Great job. Your dad is a treasure to have.
What a nice neat place as a drop zone.
I certainly would love one of those.
Luck girl.
Sarah
> RhondaYes he certainly is a treasure!!
Bernadette Anderson
Great idea. Kudos to your Dad for his great skills! 🌝
Sarah
> Bernadette Andersonyes!! He’s so talented!
Dot
All I can say is WOW! You have a vision in mind and like magic it appears! Looking forward to seeing more!
Sarah
> Dotah thank you Dot, I appreciate that!
Suzee B
Awesome! What a great idea …. like it’s always been there! I just love the idea and the result!
Anna lancaster
Looks great and cozy .love the light fixture too. I Enjoy your blog.
BRANDI JEWELL
This is so lovely!! I wish you’d come and decorate my house! Your house looks so clean, peaceful, and warm. Great job!!
Heidi Mortensen
Where did you get the rug? The one you show in “Shop..” is a different color. Thanks so much!!
Sarah
> Heidi MortensenIt’s from Target and it’s the Hearth and Hand line. I couldn’t find the exact link for it, I’m sorry.,
Candie
Sarah do you have a link for the round rug you have there now?! Attempting this this weekend. 🤞
Sarah
> CandieIt’s from Target! It’s usually always sold out, but here is the link if you want to save it: https://rstyle.me/+X8ege0v2cvxNS1i9BWeHeA