I Asked AI to Give My Boring Entryway a Glamorous Makeover, and I Actually Took Its Advice

I’ve always felt that, no matter its size, a home’s entryway should set the tone for the rest of your home. My own narrow entryway always had potential, but it was left relatively untouched and was pretty underwhelming. The tall, vaulted ceilings made so much room for drama, but sparse furnishings and dim lighting just left the space looking sad. Rather than a warm welcome, my entryway was feeling like a wan apology for the rest of the house. 

My dream of one day giving this sad, forgotten space a makeover just always seemed to land at the very bottom of my to-do list. For some reason, I was really struggling to visualize my ideal entryway — the end goal. But this summer, I finally decided enough was enough: One way or another, this entryway was going to get its long-awaited style refresh. And if I didn’t have the time or the imagination to get it started, then I’d enlist the help of someone (or something) who did. Enter: ChatGPT. That’s right: I asked AI to help decorate my home, and here’s everything I learned in the process.

To start, I sat and stared at the blank walls for what felt like forever, trying to imagine how I could describe my ideal design to a computer. I knew I wanted wallpaper. I knew the vaulted ceiling was practically begging for a chandelier, and the walls of the dark hallway definitely called for sconces. The goal was a laid-back kind of elegance — a space that felt welcoming and comforting, but with just a splash of drama too. I decided that the furniture and the mirror could all stay; they were vintage pieces I’d collected over the years, and each were beautiful in their own right. They just didn’t feel styled yet.

I didn’t really have any idea of what these visions would look like all together until I asked AI to show me. So I snapped a quick candid pic of the space, uploaded it to ChatGPT, and started by asking it to add wallpaper and a dramatic chandelier. The result stunned me — it even added wainscoting! This was definitely a big improvement, but it wasn’t quite right yet. I asked it to try again, this time with a bit more glamour; but the second rendering was a bit too modern. Finally, I realized it might be easier to work backwards here. Instead of just asking it to generate “a chandelier,” giving the program the link to a specific piece that I already liked might set it on the right track.

My first stop for all things home decor is usually Perigold. And sure enough, after a bit of searching, I was certain I’d found the one: Visual Comfort’s Chapman & Myers Paris Flea Market Chandelier. The classic vintage European style of the piece spoke to me instantly. I needed a tall, dramatic fixture that would still make a statement on such high ceilings, and this one stepped right in as the top contender. To complement such a grand chandelier, I also incorporated these Chapman & Myers Sussex Small Framed Sconces to place on either side of my mirror. 

And last but certainly not least, the wallpaper! I eventually settled on the Giles Deacon Lakeland Paradis Wallpaper by Sanderson, a classic floral pattern that would go well with our marble floors and the glamorous light fixtures — plus, it was much more “me” than the geometric style the AI had chosen. I’ve never actually dared to use wallpaper in my home before, but I was ready to bring the drama and finally experiment with patterns for this project. So back to ChatGPT I went, and with links in hand, I asked it to generate one more mock-up. Finally, we struck gold.

It was perfect — almost too perfect. As we began to actually start work on this transformation, the novelty of instant gratification wore off, and I started to worry that I shouldn’t have trusted the AI rendering so much. Would this design look anywhere near as good as ChatGPT made it seem, or was it too good to be true? Would the sizes — not to scale — end up being preposterous in the space? Would it be a disaster? There was nothing left to do but dive in and find out. 

In just a few days, and with some IRL help from the pros, the transformation was finally complete. And I’m not the only one obsessed with the outcome — my whole family is suddenly in awe of our new entryway. My husband can’t pass through without exclaiming, “That’s some good-looking wallpaper!” Meanwhile, my daughter says that it looks like the chandelier was made for the space; it’s just so perfect. Even the dog was eager to take up residence (and take a nap) in style.

Finally, our entryway is actually a source of pride for us. It totally changes the dynamic when greeting visitors at the door. We admire it from all angles throughout the day, marveling at the impact just a few simple changes can have on a space that once felt so hopelessly lackluster. My first foray into using AI as a design tool has certainly left me eager to try it again. But which room should I tackle next?