Our Entryway Makeover // Home Update

Hey, guys! Wow, it is the last day in February! This is crazy to me. Time flies when you’re having fun…and extremely busy! Today’s post is all about our entryway renovation and makeover. I think you you all will be truly shocked at how far we have come! Just like I stated in my last renovation post found here, we bought a home that was more of a fixer upper because it gave us the space we needed to grow. I couldn’t imagine growing roots in a home then ripping them out again due to lack of space. We took a small sacrifice in having everything new and up-to-date to get the space and location we desired. Some days I really regret that decision! When the nights get long and it seems the updating is never ending (it really never stops), I always think “Why didn’t we just buy new?!” After each transformation, though, I am reminded just how rewarding it is to see the fruit of your labor.

These pictures were taken about a month into moving into our home. Can you tell I was anxious about getting that hideous wallpaper off?! The previous owners used the most horrid and thick wallpaper known to mankind and it took forever and a day to get it off! Okay, I am probably exaggerating but it was definitely not fun. The old flooring was stone tile that was laid on top of the old flooring which was a nightmare to remove. Here is my two cents...never take the lazy way out. Always do things the right way if you are going to do something! If the flooring wasn’t placed on top of old linoleum flooring, it probably wouldn’t have taken us weeks to remove it (and by us I mean Brody, my Dad, and our good friend Tyrel!).

Oh, and oak. I HATE oak…

After our new flooring was installed and the walls were painted, We started nailing in our new trim and it already looked completely different! We have high ceilings on our main level so tall, thick trim was a no brainer for me. More expensive, but worth it! I sanded all the wood surrounding our front door and the door itself in preparation to paint. If you ever want a killer arm and shoulder workout, sand! I knew I wanted a dark contrast since everything around it would be white and light and I am so happy with it.

BAM! Crazy difference, huh?? I used Behr paint in the color Shadow Mountain for the front door and changed out all the old hinges from rusty gold to brushed nickel. We even changed out the old insulation on the door. The previous owners had thin side curtains covering the windows but I thought it was outdated. We decided to add privacy film on the windows instead and we think it turned out great. All the light still comes in but you can’t see anything looking in from the outside! The film we used is this one here from Home Depot.

I purchased the bench last year from Target knowing I had this vision for the entryway. The initial pillow is from an Etsy shop that I adore called I Dream in Gold Shop. You can find the listing for the custom pillow cover here.

The black iron home lantern is from Hearth & Hand by Magnolia found at Target. I am obsessed with that line! Some pieces are too farmhouse for me, but I love this one so much. We have black accents on our main floor so this piece works out perfectly. You can find it here.

The picture frames were a steal from Home Goods (heaven on earth) and I was lucky enough to find four matching ones!

Similar bench styles and pictures frames are linked below

I love filling our home with our memories 

We switched out the plain oak door with gold hardware to this two panel door. We used black hardware and I love it! Black accents are definitely not common, but I had to do it! We purchased the door at Menards. TIP: When purchasing at Menards, wait until their 11% rebate sale!

Our new chandelier from Overstock! I had to have this beauty. The size was perfect and so was the price! I will say that after hanging this up we realized painting the ceilings will be in our near future. You can see where the previous light fixture used to be and it irritates me. I don’t think these ceilings have been touched by the previous owners. Summer project!

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Do you like seeing into our home? Do you want more posts like this? Always feel free to let me know your input!

What kind of makeovers/renovations have you done in your home?

Are you an avid pinner?! It would mean the world to me if you could pin this image below!