A $600 Project Transforms a Blank Wall into a Character-Filled Entryway (Out of Thin Air!)
Some home entryways are clearly defined. Maybe the flooring style is different near the front door; maybe there’s an alcove with built-in shelving or a pendant light overhead. In other homes, you walk straight into the living room or dining room or kitchen, and it can take a little bit of DIY savvy to create a drop zone or clear, defined entrance.
Homeowner and DIYers Amanda Oleri (@amandaoleri and Jason Staebler (@goodbuddyproductioncompany) faced that issue in their Nashville home, where the entryway was technically just the back wall of the living room. “There was nothing special about the entryway before,” she says. “It was just a blank wall with a regular-sized doorway between the living room and kitchen.”
As Amanda and Jason renovated every room in their home, “making the entryway extra special was definitely on the list.”
An enlarged archway creates one long entryway hallway.
Although Amanda says she and Jason are “kind of over” open floor plan concepts, they loved the idea of opening up and arching the passageway between their kitchen and living room to create a better flow.
To reach a middle ground, instead of completely opening up their house’s floor plan, they enlarged the opening between the two rooms, creating one long entryway hallway of sorts, with cool laundry room closet doors and a console table at the very end.
“This allows us to have designated spaces while still keeping things feeling open and spacious,” Amanda says. And all of the arches create cohesion in the house.
A DIY mirror adds instant brightness — and function.
Amanda and Jason’s first step for this $600 total project was adding a large arched mirror to the entryway. Jason salvaged the large mirror from another home demo he was working on, and he added an arched frame (painted Behr’s Silky White, the same color as the walls) and mounted the whole thing atop the baseboards in the house.
“The full-length mirror is both functional and fun, perfect for checking outfits before heading out,” Amanda says. “It’s one of our favorite features!”
Amanda and Jason also added a petite entryway table from Urban Outfitters. (If you don’t have DIY skills or time but are still looking to create a space for that perfect ‘fit check on your way out the door, check out this $50 entryway mirror and this entryway furniture.)
To see the rest of this arch-filled East Nashville home, check out the living room makeover, the kitchen makeover, and the full house tour.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.