THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY IKEA STOUGHTON, BUT ALL IDEAS & OPINIONS ARE ENTIRELY MY OWN.
It’s here! It’s here! The organized entryway makeover reveal has come at last!
So I showed you yesterday how I went completely overboard with the amount of work I put into this. I mean who knew a 30 square foot space could take five weeks to complete??
Last night I came home through the refinished entryway for the first time and it felt SO. GOOD. That first impression of your home really is everything. It’s clean, it’s organized, it’s friggin’ pretty, and above all it’s not ARMY GREEN.
Enough talk, let’s get to the pictures.
I have to stick one “before” photo in here so you can get the full effect.
Pro blogger tip: always take your “before” photos with a crappy camera in crappy lighting.
Where is all our stuff, you ask? Why, right here, in this beautiful giant IKEA BESTA cabinet that goes up to the ceiling. UP TO THE CEILING.
It’s so big that I couldn’t fit the whole thing in one photo.
That’s almost NINE FEET of storage, baby. We only have one closet in our little one-bedroom apartment so I had to stuff as much storage into this nook as possible. And you know how I feel about open storage. Instead I went for something sleek, roomy, and totally closeable.
Here’s the Pinterest version of how the inside looks:
And the real-life version with all the tools, toilet paper, cat litter, and soccer cleats:
I decided to go with the IKEA BESTA storage system because it’s completely modular (but less expensive than its PAX counterpart). I chose tall frames for the base of the unit and didn’t order shelves for the right side, so that we could use it to stash our vacuum and broom. There’s even a planning tool so you can design your own combination and it’s really fun to use while Netflixing.
And if you’d rather just use this combination, I’m including the shopping list at the bottom of this post so keep reading!
Ok, that was a lot of organization gushing. Sorry, I’m OBSESSED with making our little apartment feel more roomy. 30 square feet down!
Moving on, you already saw how to hack the GRUNDTAL and turn it into a copper mirror. Doesn’t it look pretty in here???
The shelf is a DIY too! I’ll post the tutorial in the next couple of weeks (it’s really, really easy).
Can we just talk about the ancient linoleum floor for a minute? I originally had no thought of doing anything with it at all. When the whole room was crowded and weirdly army green, it really didn’t look that bad other than needing a very thorough scrub.
But as everything around the floor became more and more bright white, it started to look truly hideous:
So…I painted it. And painted. And painted. And stenciled. And eventually I got this:
And it was reeeeaallllly hard to cover it with the cabinet or walk on it or put our shoes on it because it’s so beautiful and I just want to stare at it all day long.
One last little detail: we’ve used a draft curtain in the entryway for years because the outer door is quite crooked and has lots of gaps around it (old houses will always find a way to get you). Hanging a curtain between the kitchen and the entryway helps A LOT.
For the makeover I picked this SANELA curtain with a velvety texture. When I saw it in person I thought it would be too thin, but there is a drastic temperature difference when you go in here from the kitchen so it’s working for sure!
For those of you who are interested, here are all the sources, and as promised my IKEA shopping list!
Paint Colors:
Door — Benjamin Moor Onyx, Satin
Walls — Behr Ultra Premium Plus Ultra Pure White, Eggshell
Trim — Behr Ultra Premium Plus Ultra Pure White, Semi-gloss
Floor — Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor Enamel in Stamped Concrete and White (plus a DIY glaze mixture which I will post in a few weeks)
Floor stencil — Marbella tile stencil
Storage:
Cabinet — IKEA BESTA custom combination (or see the shopping list for all the individual parts)
Storage boxes — No longer available (similar)
Wire baskets — gray and copper
Shelf — DIY *tutorial coming soon!
Decor:
Matisse portrait — printable download
Mirror — GRUNDTAL with DIY copper leaf finish
Plants — faux mini succulent, faux airplant (similar), hart’s tongue fern
Curtain — SANELA
Curtain tie-back — KNÖLFLY
Keychain — DIY
+++++++++++++++++++
Ok pardon me while I go sleep until June. I’m sticking to little projects from now on. (For like, the next five minutes until I get the next crazy idea).
Have you ever taken on a renovation? How did it go??
This renovation would not have been possible without my amazing adventurous landlords, my very patient husband, my neighbor’s endless tool-lending, and my good friend’s savvy IKEA furniture-assembly skills. Thank you all! xoxo
What a gorgeous transformation!! I just adore everything – the floor – the storage, the entry hook/shelf table, the mirror – I love it all! I’m also totally with you on the no closets thing – we have exactly one proper closet in our house so we’ve had to get super creative with where to put things haha
YES! Necessity is the mother of creative storage solutions, lol! Thank you SO much for your kind words, it means so much! 😀 xoxo
OMG, I cannot believe that floor is paint and stencil… You rock, lady!! I’m so inspired to tackle the ugly lino in my kitchen now, no excuses! Amazing work. X
Yeeeeeessssss you should do it!!! I’ll post the tutorial soon! Thank you so much, girl! :* xoxo
I just pinned almost every picture!! Those floors are so good. I totally want to straight up copy that idea in our next home. The DIY wooden shelf is perfection and so well staged. 😉 And 9′ of IKEA storage is a dream! Excellent work, lady!!
Awwww thank you Amy!! That means so much to hear. And thanks for helping me with the shelf styling! 🙂 You absolutely should do the stenciled floors, I am obsessed with them!!! xoxo
Stunning. I’m in love with all storage, but have to say… that floor! So, so gorgeous!
Yes! Been waiting for the reveal! It looks so gorgeous and functional ~
Thank youuuuu! The function is everything, it has so improved what “coming home” means! Thanks for reading, Cat! xoxo
Holy COW what a transformation Marlene!!! Those wall to ceiling cabinets are TO DIE FOR. And you already know I LOVE the mirror. Let me know how those floors wear. They look amazing! I’m tempted to do something similar in our bathroom.
Wow! Marlene! The before and after of this are insane! Great job!!
Haha thank you!! I felt pretty insane doing it. So glad it’s finally done! xoxo
Amazing, and as suspected, it is making me want to re-do our entryway even though I just did it. Damnit!
Nooooo yours is beautiful!!! I love it just the way it is! (Those wall racks from Target were actually my back-up if my shelf project didn’t come out!)
I’m currently working on our terrible entryway and you’re so right: why does such a small space take so long?! This is absolutely beautiful and I love everything you’ve done! Worth the 5 weeks of work for sure!
Oh man, good luck to you!! It was both frustrating and also exhilarating to do it, I hope that you have fun and end up with a space you love! Thank you so much for your sweet words! xoxo
WOW! What a transformation! I recently made over our entry way as well. You did a fantastic job!
Thank you Courtney! I loved your entry makeover too! We’re lucky to have a “proper” entry hallway so we could really add in all the storage. Thank you so much for reading! xoxo
Wow! What a transformation. I almost can’t believe it’s the same room as the ‘before’ picture. It looks so light and bright now. And that storage is fantastic – a girl can never have enough storage I say! And the floor, and the mirror and everything. Just stunning.
Thank you thank you!! It was really shocking going back to the “before” pictures, how quickly we forget! And yes–all the storage, everywhere! Gotta have more! xoxo
Wow, the transformation is amazing!! Love the bright white against that black door and I’m totally jealous of all your storage. Any chance you’re free to come over and makeover my entryway? 😉
Hehe, this is becoming a popular request! Thank you SO much, Stephanie! xoxo
EEEEE! This is such an amazing transformation! Can you come and do my house for me please ;D
Aaaaahhhhh that sounds like a super fun vacation! (NOT joking, I am quite serious). Now to find the money for the airfare…
Wow, it’s amazing!! Love how you added so much storage and brightened up the space. I still can’t get over that stenciled floor. So gorgeous!
Thank youuuuuu! The storage has already improved our organization tenfold. Also I’m a little obsessed with my floor, lol! xoxo
Everything is looking perfect. The table. furniture ,cabinets etc. Awesome transformation.
Thank you SO much, that is so kind of you to say! xoxo 😀
What a transformation! I just love the combo of the floor with the dark door, and that IKEA storage unit is amazing!
Thank youuuuuu Haeley!! I can’t say enough good things about the BESTA unit, it is an organizational life-saver! xoxo
This is so awesome, Marlene! Just such a great Before/After. So much love for your stenciled floor. Since I saw it on your Instagram, I’m pondering where I can stencil some. So cool!
I love your entry way! Congratulations on finishing your big project. I know how much work this must have been!
Oh my gosh, you HAVE to stencil something! It is positively so fun and fulfilling and looks amazing. Thank you thank you, Sarah! xoxo
This is absolutely amazing! A lot of hard work for sure, but the result worth it! I hope you smile each time you come home by just seeing your beautiful entryway!
I totally do, it makes me so happy and has totally transformed the experience of coming home! Thank you for the love! xoxo
Hey Girl
here is your grazy Aunt from Germany.
Go Marlenchen Go !
I am so proud of you !! What a great kreativ work.
I am so happy that you find the way back to yourself.
In case you can make it in Fall to Germany i’d love to hear your creative Ideas and Thoughts to my Appartement.
Love you from the other sie of the Ozean
Dagi
I would love to work on your apartment with you, Dagi! Thank you so much for your support. Love you and can’t wait to see you! xoxo