Our house has been in desperate need of an entryway makeover since we first moved in. It was dark, dirty, and dingy for way too many years. Of course, even just having an entryway to come into during the winter has been a huge perk.

I also have always loved that this little space has one of our home’s signature original diamond windows. It adds a lot of sunlight and character to this small space.

This fall I finally focused in on giving this space a new life. I was SO excited to get rid of that muddy color on the walls. Of course, it wasn’t as easy as a new coat of paint (wouldn’t that be nice!).

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Fixing the Plaster

The plaster walls weren’t as bad in this room as some of the others, but there were still a few big cracks I had to fix before I got going. Once those were done I moved onto skim coating the walls. This room’s walls were heavily textured. I didn’t necessarily hate the texture, but once I patched the cracks I knew it would be a struggle to get any new texture to match the old perfectly, so I opted to smooth out all of the walls instead.

It took a few coats to get the walls nice and smooth, but once they were I sanded them down, and finally was able to paint! I knew I wanted to go with a bright, fresh white to give it some life after being so dark and cavernous for so long, but once I finished I knew it was a little too much. It felt just a little too steril, so at the last minute I decided to try something new and added color blocking to the bottom half of the walls, and I loved it! The great this is, it’s only paint, so if I eventually get tired of it, I can just as easily swap it out – the hard work of fixing the walls is already done!

Painting the Radiator

Frank pulled the radiator out for me, and I was more than happy to give it a fresh coat of paint. In photos it looks like it was an unpainted radiator (which I would have loved!), but in reality it had several coats of faux-bronze paint that was quite a mess. I used the same paint we’ve been using on all of our radiators, which has held up really well – Rust-oleum Hammered Spray Paint.

A New Light

Picking out a light for the entryway was one of the most fun parts! I wanted to find something that had enough character and style to match our old house, but was still fun, pretty, and didn’t feel too heavy. You can see some of my original picks here, but then I came across this one and just fell in love – it was perfect!

Entryway Makeover Before and After

All in all, the Entryway Makeover was one of my favorite little projects from 2020. Even for such a small space, it took some work, but I love love love walking in our front door and coming into this little space now!

Furniture Sources
Ikea Norraker Bench Target Studio McGee Rug Wood Peg Coat HooksPillow Cover
Home Goods Faux Sheepskin Throw (similar)
Pendant Light

Paint Colors
Sherwin Williams Alabaster White
Valspar Everlasting

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