Renter Friendly Entryway Makeover

Even though we own our home, I love to show and share renter friendly projects that anyone can do. So a few weeks ago I approached my Mom about making over her entryway since she rents her home. I knew we could create a space that’s unique, shows off her personality and functional for everyday use. So when she said yes, we got started right away with planning out the space which was a lot of fun for me since we have totally different design styles. Here’s what her entryway looked like before: 

And here’s the after:

Thank you so much to Home Centric for sponsoring this post! 

The Game Plan

• Use a few existing items
• Paint
• Removable Wallpaper
• New home decor 

Shopping for Home Decor

The very first thing we did was shop for home decor. We decided to do this first so I could get a feel my Mom’s design style and where to go next with the entryway. I took her to one of my favorite places to shop: Home Centric. I have found so many great finds for my own home here so it was the perfect place to find what we needed. Plus, I can’t find the amazing prices anywhere else like I can at Home Centric. The shopping trip was a blast and I loved seeing how excited she was to be there. Here’s a fun look into our trip at Home Centric.

We spent about two hours in Home Centric taking our time to really find items that would be great in the entryway. Our most exciting moment was finding a stunning lamp for $15 and a large piece of artwork for $18. We walked away with everything that we needed for right under $200 We’re talking baskets, a rug, lamp, artwork, a candle, and various home decor items to use throughout the space.

Paint

Since we obviously can’t switch out the floors, which are a beige color, we knew we had to get away from the beige walls as well. With her landlord’s permission, we gave the trim and walls a fresh coat of paint to brighten up the space. We went with Polar Bear on the walls and Ultra Pure White on the trim both by Behr.  It instantly brightened the entryway and left it looking very crisp and clean. Plus, the bright white would go with any wallpaper pattern we decided to use.

Removable Wallpaper

We knew the biggest impact in the space would be the removable wallpaper that we would be using as an accent wall. This is perfect for rental spaces because it applies easily and it can be removed at any point without leaving any residue behind. My mom picked out a beautiful and colorful wallpaper design that makes such a statement walking into her home. It truly speaks to her personality and we can’t imagine the space without it now. It was a little tricky installing it and took longer than what we expected but it was worth it.

Repurposed Dresser

Trying to stay within a certain budget to make this a budget friendly project as well, the dresser would be staying in the entryway. Except we gave it a huge makeover that we still can’t believe. We originally wanted to paint it but couldn’t decide on a color that would go with the wallpaper without them competing with each other. We made the big decision to strip the paint off the dresser and get it back down to the natural wood.

This dresser has been in our family for over 80 years and had about 5 layers of paint on it. We weren’t sure what was underneath and it took us two full days working on it to find out. I have to say it was worth every second of scraping and sanding to uncover this beautiful piece that now sits in my Mom’s entryway. What do you think?

Finishing Touches

Once we had the fresh coat of paint on the walls, the wallpaper installed, and the dresser flip completed, it was time for the finishing touches. We were finally going to see the whole entryway come together! We gathered all of the home decor items we found at Home Centric and started playing around with the space. From the rug to the decor, it all worked out perfectly.

For the items on top of the dresser we kept things very simple. This is the gorgeous lamp we found at a steal of a deal and we still can’t believe it. If I could pick out any lamp that screams my Mom, this is it.

Something I love about my Mom’s home is that the mail is dropped off through a slot in her front door. Since it immediately falls on the floor, we found this bowl that has the perfect spot on top of the dresser for her to place her mail and keys in as she walks in the door. This bowl is very versatile as well because it can honestly be used in so many places in her home if she ever decides to switch things up.

I love a candle in an entryway so as guests arrive, the beautiful scent greets them at the door. My mom loved that idea as well so we placed a candle next to the lamp along with these black, modern birds. I love how they stand out from the wallpaper but also go with the wallpaper design overall. 

I believe that every space should have greenery incorporated somehow. One of my favorite ways is by placing plants in baskets because you can also easily move them around and create various heights with your plants. With larger baskets, like this one on the right, I place a few books inside the basket to give the plant extra height. That pop of green gets me every time! They worked so well in this smaller corner of the entryway where we also placed the piece of artwork we found at Home Centric.

The last corner we focused on certainly needed a little something because it was too white and bare but we also wanted to keep it simple. We placed this candle holder basket in the corner to start with. I love the size of it and it adds a little warmth to this corner of the entryway. 

I also knew right away I wanted to build my Mom a set of hooks to go on this wall. It’s the perfect spot to hang a coat, umbrella, a bag, etc when walking in the door. As always, my goal for every space is to make it functional and pretty. They turned out really cute! And the black we went with helps to blend the space together by matching the birds on the dresser. 

This was such a joy of a project to work on because I was able to do it for and with my Mom. She is beyond excited about her new space and loved the process as much as me. From shopping together at Home Centric to doing all the projects together, I’d say this was a successful renter friendly makeover that anyone can do. If any of the home decor items caught your eye, make sure to look for a Home Centric near you. They offer items at up to 70% off the retail price making it even easier and possible to create a home that you love. 

We also have a brand new community over on Facebook, House & Home, where we’ll be chatting, sharing, and helping one another when it comes to home decor and projects. Come join us! Check it out here.
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