A few years back I read Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure. And one thing I took away from it was always have a landing strip in your home. I like to call it a landing zone…but to each his own. :) To have a successful landing zone you should have:

1. Hooks for jackets and bags.
2. A doormat. For keeping dirty shoes out of your main house.
3. A bowl. Or container for keeping your small items in, like your keys.
4. A flat surface. For keeping bills, letters, and to-do items.
5. A vase of flowers. Instead I have my bird. :)
6. Art or a mirror. Just for the fun of it.

I think I mostly succeeded in keeping to this list (with some minor improvisations.) And this is one of my most favorite places in my townhouse. And it’s quite likely the place I walk through the most…yet spend the least amount of time.

Awhile back I approached my friend Lee (of Beezlee Creations) to build some custom wall panelling in the landing zone above the stairs from my garage. Little did I know he would come back to me with SO MUCH MORE than what I asked for! He came up with a fantastic idea of wrapping the panelling to both walls, and adding a floating walnut shoe cabinet. Brilliant Lee…just brilliant. I loved his idea, and after a little back and forth, we finessed the design and he went to work. Check out his photos during the build process here. After he was finished, I added a few coat hooks slightly off-set for my belongings.

It’s by far a focal point to my first floor of my townhouse, and I love the way it turned out. :)

Grab my keys out of my toolbox…

…and a quick glance at the clock, and I’m out the door!