SFGate

anthip Can you not use the shelving as shoe storage? Are they deep enough? You could keep your shoes in the cupboard and then guests can put theirs on the shelves. You could have wicker baskets on the shelves for slippers and other bits and bobs (shoe polish etc etc). You could label the baskets so people know where to find stuff.

You could have a box seat built in to go the length of the wall that's left. Leave a space between the seat and shelving for your umbrella stand. Put cushions on the box seat and then use that for storing more of your shoes (wellies, etc. that don't get used all the time and are too big for the cupboard).

ARD Builders L.L.P. If you opt to remove the bookshelf you can do a hall tree bench which you can put a mirror in. It will give your guests somewhere to take off there shoes and even store them.

gracepaisley Anthip, the shelves are only 9 3/4 inches deep. My shoes wlll fit, but my husband's shoes stick out. I also can't stand the idea of baskets scratching into the white paint and making it look terrible. I think the bookshelf will have to go. ARD, a hall tree might sounds functional, but not sure if it's my stule. Thanks to both of you for your feedback. I'll post pics as developments occur. Still open to ideas.

smldesigns I can't tell if you have a front closet. If so, I would rip it out and put a narrow console table there with a mirror over it and a couple of candlestick lamps. Then add a dish or basket for keys, etc.

House of Holland - TX I'm with you - I'd get rid of the bookcase. Just feels really awkward to me. Maybe find a great console with storage for further into the space and put an awesome mirror over it to make the hallway feel bigger. What part of the country are you in and what direction are you planning with your design style?

Elyn's Library You might consider cloth baskets like these for the shelves - http://www.amazon.com/Winsome-Capri-Foldable-Fabric-Baskets/dp/B001E95R0Y/ref=pd_sim_hg_8

and if you are worried about scratching the shelves you could go someplace like TAP Plastics and have pieces of clear acrylic cut to fit and would be great as shelf liners. You'd be nicely surprised at how inexpensive they can be.
http://www.tapplastics.com/

A long bench with a boot tray underneath could handle boots and larger shoes.
http://www.amazon.com/Extra-Weave-USA-Basketweave-Antique/dp/B0051T8R2I/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_4

Hang a mirror over the bench.

Add coat hooks one or both sides of the bench/mirror.

gracepaisley smldesigns, yes, we have a small cedar-lined closet with a bi-fold door just across from the window next to the front door. I like the idea of a console table with a mirror above it. Maybe I can find a style I like to break up the normalcy of the beadboard wall entry. It was very hard for me to move into a suburban Orange County home, though I love the quietude. I was considering an antique wooden or lacquer apothecary chest to place keys and other items. Thanks, Elyn's Library, but the bookcase is going to go. I just don't want baskets or a bookcase to be the focal point when my guests enter my home. If it can be removed out in one piece, maybe I'll donate to my local Habitat for Humanity store. I will put a few coat hooks in the closet. It took me too long to hang up guests' coats on New Year's Day! Deuxieme 'Eclat, the hallway entry leads into a large room, which combines the dining room and living room. I've moved in my 1961 Danish modern dining table and plan to do the living room in mid-century furniture, as well, but with an eclectic splash of global influences and maybe some muted splashes of color. I'll post pics separately for chandelier and lighting ideas. Thanks everyone!

Lori_Tartaglia Volpatti How about something like this?

kathleen MK While awkwardly placed I have a hard time justifying tearing out build in bookcases. A designer once suggested living somewhere a while before making big changes. I know we changed our mind about the functional quirks in our old house.
Would the book case be less awkward if the door opened swinging the opposite direction? just a crazy thought.

gracepaisley I remember all the design flaws and other elements that struck me when I first saw this house, and the bookcase was one of the minor ones, actually. If we utilize it for its function, it will start to look junky fast, knowing my husband and me. I think it's best to get rid of it. I may donate it or use it in the garage alongside the old kitchen cabinets.

carbary Your bookcase does seem awkward, but it could be a great art display space. a bench next to it with a large piece of art over it might help.

smldesigns As long as you have a closet, I would do a long narrow console or sideboard or dresser that is not too deep and center it on the wall so you still have room to walk by.

apple_pie_order I love bookcases, but this one is in the wrong place. It is also not built-in in the sense of having been built with the baseboard molding running around the bottom. I agree that moving it elsewhere or donating it would be the best choice in this circumstance. Since the homeowner is just moving in, it would be easy to look around for a better location for the bookcase. The crown molding trim can be removed for a simple trim compatible with a Danish modern or mid-century sensibility. If it does not remove in one piece, well, then, problem solved.

A bench with cubby storage underneath would allow shoe changes and shoe storage. Closed doors on the cubbies are possible. Avoid white paint for shoe storage, it will get beat up in nothing flat. Natural wood and darker color oil based paint are more practical.

It may be better to remove the beadboard entirely rather than spend days trying to match it.

Elyn's Library Since it looks like the bead board continues around the corner, trying to match the section once the bookcase is removed could be difficult.

Just for this entry area, you might consider removing the top half of the bead board, and installing a chair rail with simple finished drywall above, as part of whatever bench and/or shoe storage remodel/configuration you decide. Simply use drywall to patch the bookcase "hole." Then bead board you removed from the top half of the wall could be used to fill in the wall space where the bookcase was creating a matching stretch of bead board in the entry. You might have to purchase a new piece of baseboard to run that total length.

Just a thought - don't know how that might fit with your style.

On the other hand, to keep it really simple, you might consider removing all the bead board in the entry and having a simple, finished drywall surface.

gracepaisley I'm so happy and feel much lighter now that the bookcase has been removed! But, now we need to decide whether to put in drywall or beadboard. Hubby thinks we should put in beadboard and mirror the moulding on the right side to make the entry look symmetrical. I don't think it needs to be symmetrical, as the moulding on the right isn't much my style. Another issue is the post sticking out. The post and the wall adjacent on the right side are part of the old exterior of the house, as the entry had been extended forward, making the house slightly larger. I thought of putting in drywall from the edge of the beadboarding/existing moulding to the front wall and drywall up the gap.

I plan to purchase furniture, as opposed to adding more built-in items. Open to more ideas, please!

gracepaisley Please click on individual photos to see the tops and bottoms of each photo.

gracepaisley It's almost finished!