Our new entrance hallway

When I moved in with Victor at the beginning of November last year, one of the first corners of the apartment I wanted to change was the entrance into our apartment. The original piece of furniture - a black shelving unit from Ikea - was displaying everything but the kitchen sink (our shoes, bags, all kinds of paraphernalia) and heightened my stress levels every time I looked at it or walked past.

One of the most important items for me when designing a space, is storage! A designated place to store away knick knacks and hide everything that you don’t want on show. We needed the storage as there’s nowhere else to put all of our shoes, so a cupboard with doors was paramount, plus this would be the first piece you see when you walk into our home, so I wanted it to be special and offer a surface that I could put a lamp on, style flowers on and hang a mirror above - for that last minute check before walking out the door (and it makes the corner feel bigger of course).

I was looking for a very specific size and I didn’t want it to be mid 20th century, too dark in colour (as the corner isn’t bathed in light), or too house in the countryside, so I spent a few months searching on Selency (my go-to site for all things vintage for the home) - besides our new (vintage) bedside tables, it was the piece I’ve spent the longest looking for. I finally found this beautiful buffet (sideboard) with carved out panels on the doors, in a blond wood and it’s exactly what I had in mind and I couldn’t be happier with it! (It even looks great with our wooden floors). It’s proof that it’s worth holding out for something you love and that you know you will cherish for a long time and why I will always choose to buy a pre-loved, vintage or antique piece as they are just so unique and special. Plus it’s better for the environment. I can totally see this fitting in our future countryside home too as it isn’t any one specific era.

After snapping up this key piece, I also swapped out the old light (an over-sized lightbulb) for a beautiful vintage fixture by the Swedish glassware brand, Orrefors, which instantly adds charm (and gives off a nice glow) - I like to think of light fixtures as jewelry pieces for the home, and this one is just that! It elevates the corner perfectly. And finally I replaced the mirror that was there and added quite a plain (in Venetian terms) Venetian mirror with curves (also sourced on Selency) and I love how the corner has turned out. Oh and in case you’re wondering, the lamp is the Torso Table Lamp, 57 by Krøyer-Sætter-Lassen. Now all that’s left is to paint the walls! I hope you love the corner as much as I do.