The 5 Best Entryway Before and Afters We Saw in 2019

Entryways are an oft-overlooked area—but as the first place you see when you arrive at night and the last place you look at before you leave for the day, they’re an essential part of making a home feel welcoming. This year, we saw a handful of entryway transformations that blew our minds. Here’s a look at the best five.  

Kari Hillman found her entryway a bit “blah.” The beige-colored space by her front door had all the staples—a creative sign, a friendly house plant, and a circular mirror—but it was missing the “it” factor she craved. Challenging herself to up her entryway game without spending any money (yep, not a dime!) she dug around her storage for existing materials and found a piece of stained wood, the remnants of a can of black paint, and a few decorative hooks she’d bought a couple years back but never found a use for. She put them all together and created a bold accent wall with utilitarian hooks for hanging guests’ jackets. The result is an inspiring testament to what’s possible with a bit of innovation and a few items left around the house. 

As a busy mother, Christina Robinson doesn’t have much time on her hands to renovate her house. But when she noticed her entryway had become cluttered—treated as little more than a place for her family to drop their stuff on their way in the house—she knew she had to step up. With just $30 and only two days to finish the project, she transformed her entryway from chaotic to cozy. She got rid of the bulky shelving that dominated the space in the area and swapped it out for minimalist alternatives: a sleek set of gold hooks, a simple bench, and two stylish containers to hold bits and bobs underneath it. Her entryway is now home to a cozy nook for sitting, hanging coats, and taking off shoes. 

When she approached her entryway redo, Andrea Latham was going for “bold” and “jaw-dropping.” She often hosted friends and family for get-togethers at her house and wanted to wow visitors from the moment they stepped inside. So, she looked up—to the ceiling, specifically, where she plotted out a geographic floral mural to frame a mobile hanging lighting fixture. Then, using a burgundy and gold color scheme, she decorated the interior of her front door and the wall beside it, hanging pictures and staging plants and baskets around a park-style bench.

This one comes from the AT team! Tasked with spending no more than the price of a meal out, Michael turned this entryway from boring to beautiful—and functional!—with just a few accessories. With just $32, he bought a hanging mirror, a teal dish, a clear vase, and a bouquet of flowers. Check out the video to see how he did. 

Blogger Jenna Schreck’s entryway redo is more than a tale of renovation—it’s a tale of empowerment after a challenging breakup. When her ex moved out, she took time to redefine her sense of style by turning an otherwise underutilized entryway into a creative office space. Schreck stuck to a primarily white color palette in order to keep the small space feeling large and bright (dark colors could’ve easily made it feel cramped). She installed cabinets and shelving to store books and office supplies, added gold accents in the form of lamps, picture frames, and supply holders, and threw in a few plants to give the area life. She made the space completely her own, creating a space that’s functional and aesthetically pleasing out of one that was once neither of those things.