This “Traditional” Entryway Took a Turn for the Colorful and Maximalist in a $1,350 Makeover
Entryways can set the tone for an entire home, and Oreoluwa Oderanti’s (@inspiredorehomedecor) home, which she shares with her family of five, is colorful and joy-filled. The problem? Her entryway certainly didn’t live up to the description.
It was left in great condition by the previous owners, but it was “neutral and traditional,” Oreoluwa (Ore) describes, and she belongs to a “family who loves colors.” Here’s how she color-fied it and optimized it for her family to come in and out during the Spring 2025 One Room Challenge.
The tile floors got a budget-friendly tile paint job.
She gave the tan tile floors a makeover for $69, and she estimates that if she had chosen brand-new tile and had it professionally installed in the 32-square-foot space, it would have cost around $250 or $350.
For her DIY paint job, she used paint, added gray streaks to make it look like marble, then sealed it with a reflective acrylic glaze “which shimmers when you get close to it,” Ore describes.
She also painted the doors in the hallway gold (Sherwin-Williams’ Auric).
The pink cabinet is hand-built.
The pink cabinet is Sherwin-Williams’ Dynamo, and Ore made it herself out of 3/4-inch-thick plywood. “I used a circular saw on my own for the first time,” she says, and she added legs from Amazon to complete the piece.
And the cabinet has been a great catchall for the entire Oderanti family. “When my kids got back from school they mostly just put their backpacks on the floor in the foyer,” Ore says of the “before.” And the cabinet (plus hooks overhead) bring a little more order to the entrance.
There are two wallpapers in the entryway.
Adding vibrant wallpapers to the hallway also made the space feel like a better fit for the family. Oreoluwa picked two peel-and-stick options (a speckled multicolor one and a large gold graphic pattern), and it was her first time adding wallpaper to the ceiling.
Her kids helped her hold panels of wallpaper as she installed it, and she says she loves the way the two patterns look together.
Lighting upgrades complete the project.
In addition to the circular saw and wallpaper on the ceiling, doing some light electrical work was also a DIY “first” for Ore. She upgraded her light switches (harder than she thought) and the overhead pendant light (easier than she thought). “I truly appreciated my husband … turning off and on the main switch as I uninstalled and re-installed the light to make sure I didn’t electrocute myself,” she says.
And now, she’s confident she won’t need to hire an electrician for future lighting upgrades! “I was so proud of myself for being able to achieve that feat,” she says.
And she’s proud of how the whole makeover came together and says it’s “inviting, elegant, and eclectic.”
This project was completed for the Fall 2022 One Room Challenge, in partnership with Apartment Therapy. See even more of the One Room Challenge before and afters here.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.