built-ins become shoe storage

we have these old, wonderful built-ins flanking the entrance to the front room. however, we don't really have anything to put in them -- curse the age of the digital book!!
   i absolutely don't want to get rid of them though because (a) they're charming and (b) they serve as quasi-separation between the entry area and the front room.

since we needed a place near the front door to put our shoes -- so we wouldn't be clonking all through the house on the wooden floors -- the built-ins were called into service as our shoe storage.

it's a bit unsightly though, to have a jumble of shoes displayed. i mean, if i had row upon row of loubs, there would be no problem. it would become an art installation.

via sfgate

i have my fair share of heels -- which i can finally wear again since we no longer live in the city and have to walk everywhere!! -- but i also need plenty of flats in my arsenal for chasing after lil' archer. and a whole lot of sneakers for whenever i can make time to run again. 

   run for real, not run after lil' archer.

      sigh.

now that i'm looking at this...i wonder if i can get fish to add another shelf...so my shoes aren't so cramped...
   hmm.............

whoops -- got a little off track!

okay. we needed to cover the jumble of shoes so we bought a cheap suspension rod and i "made" a panel from fabric i already had.

   which just happens to match the wall color PERFECTLY.

      

SO. MUCH. BETTER.

i say i "made" a panel because it consisted of me cutting out a giant square, then hemming the four sides. easy-peasy, even for me -- i would label myself a novice sewer.
   wait...is sewer both a waste drainage system AND one who sews?
      i am a novice one who sews.

i wondered how it would look if i (( read: fish )) hung the rod higher:

 hmmm...............

i also have been pondering painting that bathroom door

in the background black, a la our garage door:

 hmmm................

okay, back to the covered shoes!

besides matching the wall color perfectly, this fabric is also great because it echoes ((echos?)) the polka dot pattern in the dining-room-turned-workspace, which is open to the front room.

   i, uh, didn't take a picture of that though...and i'm too lazy to do it now...so you'll just have to trust me. it looks great.

here's the view i usually post:

much improved, right?

* mari