Before and After: A Mini $30 Entry Makeover with Big Results
Entries can be tricky places to design something that’s both beautiful and functional—doubly so when you’re working with not very much space. Christina Robinson’s entryway to her home was small and a bit awkward, and it hadn’t really ever worked for her family. The area had turned into a catch-all for the extra “stuff” they dropped by the door, and since it was a small area, the lack of organization weighed on Christina every time she passed by.
Christina had been thinking about a new design for the space for months, so when presented with a friend’s “2 days under $200” room makeover challenge, she decided it was time to get after it. Spoiler alert: She totally transformed her little entry with just $30!
Paint helped Christina create the feel of built-in organization with less money and time. “I came up with the idea to use paint in order to achieve a crisp, clean space that can serve our needs,” she says. “I love the look of board and batten but with a newborn it just wasn’t in the cards for us to create that in this moment. I call this my take on a faux board and batten type entryway.”
She started by taping off where her paint would end, then cut a piece of plywood to fit. After screwing that to the wall, she painted it and the area underneath and to the left of it white to create the illusion of a sleek, clean built-in. The front door got a little refresh, too, with a couple coats of black paint Christina had leftover from a different project.
After that, Christina used gold paint to glitz up some plain hooks (for a similar look, try this one from Rustoleum on these wall hooks). Once dry, she attached them to the plywood to use for coats and bags. Sliding in an on-hand bench and some already-owned baskets ups the functionality even more. Now, it’s a practical space that looks beautiful, to boot. “We leave and enter from this space daily and now that it works for us and is organized, it’s one less thing I have to worry about,” says Christina. “To have some sort of organization in our world of chaos with two kids feels great!”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.