Making the most of the tiny foyer

We have an eeny weensie tiny wall to work with in our foyer. Since we have an entrance from the garage into the kitchen, we mainly store things like shoes and coats in that area but when guests come to the front door there is nothing to welcome them. Today I totally got a steal on a storage ottoman at Target. I thought for sure it would work well against the wall with a mirror above it but it was awkward and not at all what I expected. Then I had the light bulb moment. These little white side tables shown below! I bought them years ago at West Elm on clearance and while they went pretty well with my furniture at the time, they were totally overpowered by the new couch. Not knowing what to do with them, I forced them in time out on either side of the TV until further notice. The little cubbies have been storing stray DVDs and diapers until today, when I finally called on them.
And here they stand, proudly fulfilling a much greater purpose! They need a decent paint job and maybe something to put underneath so they are perfectly flush but even as is... it isn't half bad. Erik might be a little upset I used his beer jug to stick some branches in to give the display some length but he'll have to deal. It can always be washed!


But what will become of the $15 storage ottoman, you ask? It too found a purpose. Where there was once a lonely wall with just a picture...

Now has a little otto for a friend. The random throw pillow happens to match perfectly and cozies it up a bit! Whew, all in a days work. I will note that I excel at DIY shopping.