Decor & Renovation
How to create a functional entryway
Image: Donna Griffith
Decor & Renovation
How to create a functional entryway
Create a functional and family-friendly entryway with these tips!
1. Wallpaper
Wallpaper can transform an overlooked nook and create a focal point. A contained space, this alcove presented the perfect opportunity to play with colour and pattern on a budget.
2. Gallery wall
Generously sized matting can lend playful prints the gravitas of fine art and make small artwork feel more substantial. What's more, it can be custom ordered from your local craft store.
3. Ornament
This humble lawn ornament makes a striking statement thanks to a coat of diluted latex paint that lends a mottled marble-effect finish.
AphroChic Haze Mimosa Yellow wallpaper, purehome.com. Artwork by Lauren DiCioccio, 20x200.com. Ribba frames, ikea.ca. Ornament, homesense.ca.
4. Mirror
A must in any front hallway, a mirror reflects light and creates the appearance of spaciousness in tight quarters. Plus, it offers a last glance at your do before you head out the door. Satiny white paint gave a modern face-lift to this baroque beauty. To make sure we painted only the frame (and not the mirror itself!), we applied painter's tape along the edges of the glass.
5. Repurpose old furniture
If you no longer use a piece of furniture the way it was intended, why not repurpose it? This console started off as a vintage sewing table. We cleaned and primed it, then spray painted it with two coats of high-gloss white. For a surface that's hardy enough to handle keys and damp gloves, we topped it off with two 18- by 24-inch marble floor tiles, using high-tack tile adhesive to bond them directly to the wooden tabletop.
Tip: Upcycle an old-school stool with new upholstery.
Rug, homesense.ca. Stool, goodwill.on.ca. Willow canvas fabric in Artists Green, tonicliving.com. Rust-Oleum metallic gold spray paint, homedepot.ca.
6. Chair
A solitary secondhand chair is put to work as a perch for removing shoes. To update a dining chair with an upholstered seat, unscrew and remove the seat from the chair frame, then freshen up the frame with a coat of high-gloss spray paint–and-primer-in-one. While waiting for the frame to dry, pull out the seat's upholstery staples and remove the old fabric, reserving it as a template; trace the outline of the old upholstery onto the new piece of fabric. (Give yourself a few extra inches when cutting out your new seat cover—you can always trim it to size.) After ironing the new fabric, place it facedown on a flat surface and layer the salvaged foam and seat base over top. Fold the fabric over one side of the base and staple it to the underside of the seat; repeat on the opposite side, followed by the remaining two sides. Continue stapling evenly around the seat, pulling the fabric taut after each staple.
We snagged this chair for a song at our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore!
Cane-back dining chair, habitat.ca/restore. Greek-key duck fabric, tonicliving.com.
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