The console: hide and seek
The entryway console table: It’s where we place our keys, bills, glasses, kids’ homework. “You want to walk in and have it be the first calm spot you see,” says interior designer Molly Luetkemeyer, founder of M. Design Interiors in Los Angeles and a veteran of TLC’s series “Clean Sweep.” How to make it functional, organized and attractive as well? “It’s all about trying to hide things away but with easy access to them,” she says. “You have to have a system.”
The table: People devote so much time and energy to little-used living rooms, Luetkemeyer says, yet entryways are “the most trafficked part of the house.” The console is an opportunity to make a statement. Luetkemeyer found an old oak table for her entryway, shown here, and lacquered it a mandarin orange hue. Shiny brass drawer-pulls add elegance and whimsy. Drawers or cabinets are imperative, she says, because they allow for organized storage.
Organization: “The goal is to have the area function the best way for you,” Luetkemeyer says. She suggests categorizing each drawer in the console. One can be divided into spaces for glasses and keys. Other drawers can hold a notebook, pad, pens, maybe parking passes. Most important: a designated place for mail. “I have a rule that I have to go through my mail every night before I go to bed,” she says. “I can stage it there in my drawer.” For interior cabinet shelves, baskets are a great accessory because they can be categorized by color.
The tabletop: Because this area sees a lot of activity, Luetkemeyer advises decorating with only one or two pieces that aren’t obtrusive or delicate. “I like it to be calm and attractive,” she says. The console is a good place to put that silver tray Grandma gave you, or perhaps a lacquered Jonathan Adler bento box -- whatever makes you feel good. “Every single person can go through their house and say, here’s that bowl I never knew what to do with,” she says. “That way you can see it, every day.” Here, Luetkemeyer chose porcelain birds from an antique store, an abalone shell dipped in resin and a gold-leafed wood mirror with a giraffe-skin pattern from Casa Victoria on Sunset Boulevard.
Space: A mirror above the table opens up the space visually in entryways, which tend to be small. Luetkemeyer adds with a laugh: “You’re not a narcissist if just want to know that you look OK before you leave the house.” A small room is the place to try funky wallpaper, she says. Given the luxury of space, the designer likes a staging area where you can put your bag, put on lipstick or stack magazines.
Closet alternatives: A coat rack or series of hooks can be nice alternatives to a coat closet, she says. Funky hardware from salvage yards, EBay or Liz’s Antiques on La Brea Avenue can spruce up the wall. Mismatched items are a fun way to accessorize the area. Luetkemeyer just warns that coats should be hung so they never touch the floor, and they shouldn’t linger longer than is seasonally appropriate. “You’ve got to be ruthless about it,” she says. “Otherwise, it’s going to make you crazy.”
Parting tip: How to tell if you’ve created a functional console? “If you’ve set it up right,” Luetkemeyer says, “you reach in, you grab what you need, you look in the mirror, and you get going.”
Lisa Boone can be reached at lisa.boone@latimes.com.
