A Colorful Makeover Transforms This Tiny, “Too Serious” Entryway

published Jul 29, 2024
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If you’re short on square footage, you might have to squeeze in a spot to work in your living room, bedroom, or, yes, even your entryway. DIYer Ana Perez (@el_taller_45) stylishly shows off how that last one is done with this redo. Creating her work-from-home-meets-welcome-home spot was an approximately $55 DIY project.

Credit: Ana Perez

This DIYer has some great wall mural advice.

Before, the walls were a plain white shade and lacked personality. Perez thought the colors and decor made the furniture look “too serious.” Instead, she wanted the space to feel fresh and full of life, so she opted to paint the walls with a unique square pattern using chalk paint and acrylic paint that she had left over from previous home projects.

 “The first thing I did was paint the squares on a sheet of paper and put it on the wall with some tape to see if it worked … the size and color of the squares,” she says. 

Starting with the more inconspicuous areas of the wall, she made sure to take a step back and double-check the sizing and placement of the squares to ensure everything was in line (but without looking too uniform!). 

To give the squares a perfectly imperfect look, Perez watered down her paints, which gave a watercolor effect and texture to some of the squares. The majority of the squares are a neutral earth tone, with the odd square painted in a brighter shade to add a pop of color. 

“The hardest part was that it was a ton of work,” she says. “It was three complete days.”

Credit: Ana Perez

A couple of decor swaps make the workspace feel fresh.

Ana kept the original dark wood desk, but switched out the chair for a funky blue cow-patterned office chair, which adds to the playful vibe of the area. (Nothing was purchased — she simply moved around existing objects in her home.)

Quirky finishing touches bring the space to life, including a ceramic Dalmatian sculpture (Wildlife Wonders stocks a similar style), a circular hanging shelf, and a neon pink table lamp, creating a much more whimsical space to greet her than she had before. 

“The end result makes us happy every day when we get home — it makes us feel LOVE for our home!” Ana says. Ana actually shared the project in the Apartment Therapist Forum and got tons of love there, too. (Sign up for The Forum here if you haven’t yet!)