The Formula for Perfect Entryway Decor, My New Go-To for Cleaning Wood Furniture, & Amazon Prime Deals You Don’t Want to Miss!

How is summer treating you guys?! It’s definitely been a change from past summers for our family – my oldest daughter has a job she needs to be here for and my youngest daughter is in a theater camp every weekday so we’ve been staying put instead of doing all of the traveling that we usually do! It’s actually been really nice to stick around home for once because the summer weather in Connecticut is absolutely beautiful (people here complain about it being hot but I’ve lived in the south and they don’t know what hot is – it’s just balmy here 🙂 ). And it’s been nice to catch up on all of the things I ignored during our it-sucked-the-life-out-of-me kitchen remodel (reveal pics are coming soon… promise!).

Today I’ve gathered together an eclectic bunch of tidbits for my “View It, Do It, You It!” post, starting with a gorgeous entryway that you can recreate in your own home using my simple formula (“View It”). I’m also sharing an amazing wood cleaner and conditioner (you know it’s good when I’m excited about something as boring as wood cleaner – lol!) that will have you shining up every piece of wood furniture in your home  (“Do It”), and then I’m wrapping things up with my favorites from Amazon Prime’s big annual sale (Prime Day!!) that is on NOW (“You It”). Let’s get to it…    (post includes some affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here})

Entry ways can be a little tricky to decorate because you want to make an instant impression but most of us don’t have a whole lot of space to work with. This Pottery Barn image stopped me in my tracks when I was flipping through my Pottery Barn catalogue over the weekend:

Scroll and Click/Tap to Shop This Look:

I love everything about it and think you can break down the design into a simple formula that you could use for recreating this look in your own home using some of these pieces and/or ones that you may already have! To get the look use:

1. A console or dresser that’s not overly deep (it depends on the space you’re working with but typically no more than 20″ and no less than 14″ is ideal)

2. A mirror above it that’s between 2/3 to 3/4 the width of the console – I prefer something non-rectangular (like round or octagonal) if it’s over a typical rectangular shaped console. I have and love {this mirror} in our foyer. If you have the room, flank it with a pair of art prints on each side!

3. A tray corralling two to three decorative accents, including one with some height and at least one that’s shorter. A vase with faux flowers/greenery and coral as used here are perfect! Place a lamp on the opposite end.

4. A book (or 2-3 books stacked) + a decorative box (great for holding car keys as you come in the door) with a long and low accessory in front such as the calligraphy brush used in this entry.

5. If you have an open console table, you can place some accessories below (closed woven bins for shoes, poufs, etc.) or leave this area open for a more simple, clean-lined look.

6. An umbrella stand or other tall accessory (if you have the room) on one side of the console – it adds some interest by keeping things from looking too perfectly balanced!

And of course the gorgeous wainscotting and that pretty blue and white wallpaper don’t hurt either! I’ve got other home projects that are taking priority right now but prettying up our entry is on the list and this gorgeous example is making me itch to get going on it!

 

During our recent kitchen renovation, our home office became our eating and cooking headquarters. We ate meals at our office desk (which is actually a table so it worked out well) and plunked our kitchen table at the other side of the room with our microwave, hot plate, paper plates and silverware. It wasn’t the least bit glamorous but it worked! Over the past several weeks I’ve been slowly getting that space back into shape and this past weekend I dusted every square inch of it (the dust from our remodel is seriously unbelievable) and put it back into commission!

Scroll and Click/Tap to Shop This Space – all other home office sources are linked {here}:

My home office console definitely needed a little TLC and I tried a new product called Howard Feed-N-Wax (available {here}) that a friend of mine recommended for polishing furniture – I wasn’t expecting anything much (it’s just furniture polish right?!) but this stuff really amazed me!

It polished my piece beautifully without the overly shiny finish and residue that other polishes leave behind but what really blew me away was that it totally made the minor surface scratches and even some water spots from a vase completely disappear. I wish I had taken “before” photos but I didn’t know if would make such a difference (you can see some pretty impressive ones from other reviewers {here} though – just scroll down to the reviews)!

So put polishing your wood furniture on your to-do list for next weekend, order a bottle of this stuff, and go to town on it – you won’t be disappointed! And on an unrelated note, did you notice the “new” desk in our office? I ended up getting a new table for the kitchen, putting our old kitchen table in the office, and getting rid of the old office table – I’m liking the switch-up! 🙂

 

Amazon Prime Day started just a few hours ago and runs through tomorrow! It’s THE best day to shop on Amazon because they have deals that even beat the ones they offer on Black Friday. What if you don’t have Amazon Prime? One option is to go ahead and sign up (you can do that here: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial) and try it out free for 30 days. That lets you in on the Prime Day sales and if you end up deciding that Amazon Prime is not for you, you can cancel it within 30 days at no cost or penalty.

So what are the best deals? It depends on what you’re looking for – there are actually thousands of them in ALL categories including home. So while you might think this is just a day for your dad, husband, boyfriend, etc. to get excited about because they can land an awesome deal on a new, huge TV there are plenty of things for YOU to get excited about too! The deals all roll out at different times starting today and going through tomorrow the 17th so pay attention to the sale start times because some things will sell out quickly. These are my current favorite finds (just updated midday Tuesday to add new deals and delete the sold out ones!) – you can find them all by clicking {HERE}

And did you hear that Target is having a huge sale day to compete with Amazon Prime Day?! That means more deals for us! You can check out all of the Target deals {HERE}. There are some great ones!! For example, all of these home decor pieces that I personally own and love are 30% off! You can buy them online and then pick up in store at your convenience or have them shipped!

I’ll be posting the best Amazon Prime deals and Target deals as I find them on my new Driven by Decor Deals Facebook page that you can join {here} if you want to stay in the know! 

Happy shopping! If you end up finding a great deal that you think the rest of us would love too, don’t keep it to yourself! Let us all know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by everyone!