Newsletters

Before and After: A $2,500 Entryway Redo Rescues “A Beige Cave Disaster from 1979”

Sarah Everett
Sarah EverettAssistant Editor of Home Projects at Apartment Therapy
I’m from Columbia, Missouri, a journalism town (okay, technically a college town with a big journalism school). It’s also home to one of my favorite things: True/False Film Fest, an international documentary festival. So I’ve been inspired by journalism/journalists/nonfiction storytelling for, I think, forever? I have an MA and BA in journalism from the University of Missouri and Belmont University, respectively. While in school, I worked for city magazines (and also started working part-time for AT!). I learned to love clever, voicey content that’s helpful, whether it’s recommending something to watch or read, helping you get involved in your community, or helping you decorate your home. As Assistant Editor of Home Projects, I cover DIY and design, and I organize the Before & After series. (If you’ve done a cool project, please send it to me!) Outside of work, I love doing the crossword, chatting with friends, drinking iced lattes, and going on little walks and sometimes longer runs. If there were a job that combined those things, I would do that. But for now, I'll do the next-best thing, where I pretty much do chat with friends, read, drink lattes, and go on little walks — with lots of writing, editing, and looking at cool homes mixed in.
Follow
published Aug 4, 2023
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
About this before & after
Home Type

House

Project Type

Entryway

Cost

$2,500

Style

Farmhouse

Traditional

Skill Level

DIY

Rental Friendly

No

See More Images
Credit: Kandra Sobel
1 / 5
The entryway started dim and dated.

Often, the hardest part of a home renovation is having patience. It can take a long time for furniture to ship, to land on a paint color, or even just to get started on a project. After all, lots of changes take lots of time and lots of money. For Kandra and Mark Sobel’s (@half.finished.home) entryway, “the hardest part was being patient,” Kandra says. 

Kandra and Mark are renovating their 1979 home room by room, and it took them five years to get to the entryway — but it was in dire need. “It was a beige cave disaster from 1979, complete with avocado green and brown tiles,” Kandra explains. She adds that it needed more storage to corral all of their family’s gear for cold Michigan winters. 

See More Images
Credit: Kandra Sobel
See More Images
Credit: Kandra Sobel

With $2,500 and two IKEA PAXes, Kandra and Mark made a storage-packed stunner. “The entire space is DIY — courtesy of my talented husband,” Kandra says. “The IKEA unit was surprisingly affordable and worth every penny. I saved money on the rest of the space by using a secondhand mirror, art, bench, and reusing an old light fixture we had on hand.”

Kandra and Mark added the two PAXes in the corner, Mark added a base and soffit to give them a floor-to-ceiling look, and he added crown molding and beadboard around the unit — and the remainder of the space.

See More Images
Credit: Kandra Sobel

“Our ceiling was so off-level that my husband installed the crown and ended up pulling it off and redoing it,” Kandra says. “At the time I was annoyed with his perfectionism, but it really does look beautiful now — wonky ceilings and all.” 

And the space functions better, too. Kandra says one entire PAX unit holds shoes — perfect for their family, she says — and the other holds winter and summer gear and has hooks for backpacks and coats. “Filling up the entire IKEA unit was surprisingly easy,” she says. “I don’t know how we functioned without all of this storage before!”

See More Images
Credit: Kandra Sobel

For finishing touches, they painted the entire space in Benjamin Moore’s Bruton White, added brass knobs and handles to the old (now painted) doors, and wood knobs on the IKEA built-in.

Kandra’s only regret regarding the entryway? “I wish we had done it sooner!” she says. “I breathe a massive sigh of relief every time I open the door and come home to an organized, beautiful space.” 

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

Filed in:
Before & After
Entryway
IKEA