Before and After: A Bold $150 Redo Gives This Gray Entryway a Whole Lot More Wow
Neutral walls are nice, but sometimes a light backdrop can call attention to clutter. When Anne-Claire moved into her house, she quickly painted her white entryway in a warm light gray with a white stenciled pattern. But she found that the light color scheme had some drawbacks: “The entryway is completely open to the living area, and you’re facing it when you sit in the living room,” Anne-Claire says. “The fact that it was painted a light color was making it even more visible. It quickly looked messy and was not an enjoyable view from the living room.”
Anne-Claire wasn’t wild about her home’s front door, either, but since it was in great condition she couldn’t justify the cost of replacing it. After mulling the idea of adding a separation wall to close off the entry, Anne-Claire decided the best fix was a can of paint.
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“I decided that the best solution would be to paint everything a bold dark teal color, including the front and closet doors,” Anne-Claire says. “It would simplify the vision of the space and almost make it disappear.” To get the look, she used Glidden’s Totally Teal on the walls, front door, and closet doors.
For a hit of contrast, Anne-Claire painted the dresser that was already there in a vibrant mustard yellow (Behr’s Yellow Groove) before adding new knobs from Amazon. “I love the contrast of the dresser against the dark teal. It feels so cheery and elegant at the same time,” Anne-Claire says. She also swapped out the old Moroccan-style mirror for a bamboo one she already had, painting it a slightly darker shade of teal to help blend into the wall.
A new rug and a new overhead light, both from World Market, were the finishing touches for the space. Total cost? Just $150 for some seriously high-impact results. “I love how the doors now completely blend in the space and finally disappear,” Anne-Claire says. “The view from the living room is so much better. No more mess… just a serene space.”
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