Enhancing the Entry

HandyMan has slowly been making covers for each of the radiators in our house. He's been wanting to make the one for the front entry for a long time - we need somewhere handy to throw down some keys or shopping bags!

Using MDF and the Octoperf wood mesh screen that we used for all the other covers, HandyMan built the cover to suit the surroundings. I'm not sure if you noticed, but all the covers have been customized to fit in with the rooms... the one in Chloe's room is a shaker-style to go with the shaker closet doors. The one in the master bedroom is more decorative and has feet and fancy trim. And the one in the dining room has styling similar to the wainscotting.

For the entry, we embellished the design a bit and came up with not only a radiator cover, but also a place to store mail, keys, and little mittens and boots in the winter time. Our entry is small and severely lacking in storage. We have a tiny triangular-shaped front closet and keep our keys in a box on the window ledge so taking a bit of extra space and adding cubbies to the rad cover was one way to make the entry seem more functional and welcoming.


HandyMan trimmed out the cubbies to give them a more finished look. He's still deciding whether to build small pull out boxes to house keys and gloves, or if we can find some premade baskets or trays to fit. We might also drill little holes on the inside of the cubbies to allow hot air from the rad to circulate. It will be a special treat to pull out warm mittens on a cold winter's day!



The top has to be notched out to fit around the existing door trim but other than that, the cover is patched and ready for paint and install! Now if I can just resist the urge to dump stuff and allow things to pile up on the rad cover.