Before and After: This Maximalist Entryway Uses ALL of the Patterns

Written by

Alison GoldmanSpecial Projects Director
Alison GoldmanSpecial Projects Director
Alison Goldman is an editor, writer, and TV binge-watcher based in Chicago. She's held editorial positions at Boston.com, WomensHealthMag.com, and Glamour magazine. She's also worked as a full-time freelance journalist, crafting lifestyle and culture content with an emphasis on…read more
updated Jan 6, 2020
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Credit: Angela Todd

Interior designer Angela Todd loves the architecture and vintage details of older homes. The entryway of her own 1916 Foursquare, which she shares with her partner in Portland, Oregon, boasts woodwork, windows, and a front door with original wood and stain. The details are more than 100 years old!

But when Angela first moved in, the entryway was painted a not-so-complementary yellow. She decided to “personalize the space and create something memorable—while still keeping the original old house features in place,” she says. So during a One Room Challenge, she went full maximalism, blending jewel tones with both floral and animal prints.

Credit: Blackstone Edge

One Room Challenges last six weeks, and Angela filled that time period with every kind of renovation work: She hired a wallpaper installer to skim coat the plastered walls and then put up the orchid and hummingbird wallpaper that inspired the room’s design. A finish carpenter helped her remove old paint from the sides of the millwork, do stain and paint touchups on the stairs, and install a picture rail that serves as a transition between the walls and ceiling. An electrician installed the boho gold and blue chandelier, a local company bound the stair runner, and an upholster made the bench seat.

Credit: Blackstone Edge

Angela spent a little under $15,000 on the whole space, including the cost of accessories and plants. Almost 40 percent of her budget went to the statement-making wallpaper—$4,300 for the wallpaper itself, and $1,500 for the wall prep and installation. The pattern was expensive but so worth it, she says. (We agree!)

Credit: Blackstone Edge

Overall, Angela prioritized making design choices that “keep intact what cannot be replaced,” like the original woodwork. “I think we get too focused on the color du jour in home design,” she says. “Warm wood with a mahogany stain isn’t fashionable for most people at the moment. But my woodwork has a raised grain patina that takes 100 years to create. A simple truth is that any element can be made fresh and beautiful simply by what surrounds it.”