Transforming a Durham Condo Entryway
This project began with a serendipitous meeting at a local craft market. What started as a casual conversation about a simple shoe rack quickly expanded as we discussed the broader challenges of the client’s downtown Durham condo. Their foyer lacked an orderly way to store everyday items, leaving no dedicated place to hang a coat or umbrella. Furthermore, the adjacent home office lacked a door, creating a noisy environment that offered little privacy.
Foyer prior to project
Rather than addressing these issues piecemeal, we decided to treat the entire foyer as a single system. We set out to create three unique, integrated pieces — a pivot door, a shoe console, and a coat rack — designed to establish a cohesive, calming atmosphere the moment they stepped inside.
The Pivot Door
Designing the office door presented a unique spatial challenge: the doorway was unusually wide, and a traditional swinging door would have overwhelmed the condo’s footprint. We opted for a pivot door to functionally shrink the swing radius while allowing it to open in either direction. To elevate the mechanics, we paired the door with premium FritsJurgens System FX pivot hinges, resulting in a smooth, vault-like action that is incredibly satisfying to use. We finished it with solid bronze grips from Rocky Mountain Hardware, ensuring that the simple act of opening the door feels substantial and memorable.
The material selection is where the door truly came to life. To bring a touch of the outdoors into the urban space, we used a piece of live-edge walnut for the hinge stile. We paired this with Cotswold textured glass — a pattern reminiscent of tree bark — to beautifully complement the organic nature of the wood.
The Shoe Console
With the door design locked in, we explored ways to organize shoes and everyday carry items within a compact footprint. This became the most collaborative phase of the project, with the client and I trading ideas until we landed on an elegant cabinet-on-stand design. The piece features hidden storage above and ample room for shoes below.
I chose to leave the dovetailed joinery proudly exposed, drawing inspiration from maker Mike Pekovich, who perfectly captures this philosophy:
“The ornamentation in my work comes mostly from the joinery itself, the strength and beauty of the piece entwined... And where you can see two pieces connecting, you can typically feel it as well.”
To tie the foyer system together, I carried the door’s material palette directly into the console. The same air-dried walnut forms the base, matching textured glass fills the cabinet face, and hand-turned pulls visually connect the light cherry upper cabinet to the dark walnut stand.
The Coat Rack
With one precious piece of live-edge walnut remaining, we allowed the wood to entirely dictate the design of the coat rack. Its simple, organic form is derived directly from the natural wane of the lumber.
Together, these three pieces completely transformed the space, turning a purely functional transit area into a grounded, organized, and deeply welcoming entryway.
See the full gallery in the portfolio.
