This Once-Dim Hallway Now Feels Bright, Calm, and Finished — All for $650
The One Room Challenge is an eight-week room makeover program that happens in the spring and the fall, and DIYer Crystal Woods (@woodcollaborative) hit such a stride with her One Room Challenge project that she ended up finishing in just two weeks. It took “a couple Saturdays and painting in the evening after work,” she explains on Instagram.
Her mission? Upgrade the long hallway that led to her daughters’ bedrooms. “The last update to this space was in 2020, when I did an ombré paint [job] on the walls using leftover paint from past projects,” Crystal explains. “It was a free glow-up that I always knew was temporary until I had the time and money to do more.”
In April, she added molding, paint, and accessories to give this pass-through “the attention it deserved,” she says.
Adding box molding was a first-time DIY.
Crystal started by removing the art (which she made herself), cleaning the walls, and filling any imperfections. “This was my first time doing box molding,” Crystal says, adding that Google is definitely your friend when it comes to first-time DIYs. “I looked up the best way to calculate size and spacing for the boxes. From there, it was all 45-degree cuts and a pretty simple installation.”
She installed the molding using a level and brad nailer. “Once the trim was up, everything was caulked then painted,” she says, and she used Benjamin Moore’s White Dove on the walls.
“I love the impact of the molding,” Crystal says. “It makes the space seem more high-end and doesn’t need artwork. “It’s already a work of art!”
The light fixture was found at a major discount.
After the walls were finished, Crystal’s dad helped her swap out her old light fixtures for capiz shell stunners that she scored for $29 each, and she says similar styles retail for anywhere from $200 to $800.
Crystal’s best advice? “Shop around!” she says. “I’m always on the hunt for a good deal!” Her 3×12 runner was about $175, her paint cost $75, and the project total came to about $650. For more budget-friendly hallway spruce-ups, check out this $200 makeover and this $330 transformation.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
This project was completed for the Spring 2025 One Room Challenge, in partnership with Apartment Therapy. See even more of the One Room Challenge before and afters here.