The Front Entry Hall Makeover Project
Looking for home makeover project ideas? Wait until you see the dramatic transformation of the front entry hall in our 1850 farmhouse!
Another week, another room makeover.
There is so much to do before the spring gardening season kicks into gear in my gardening zone 6a garden.
Since moving into our new-to-us 1850 farmhouse, we’ve been bringing several rooms to a more neutral color palette on the first floor.
Truth be told, there are three full floors to tackle, but our goal for winter 2022 was to get a few of the rooms lightened up on the main floor.
To see what our home looked like before all the renovations started, CLICK HERE.
So far, we cleaned up and painted the following rooms:
- Sunroom
- Dining Room – Part 1 and Part 2
- Family Room
And today, we are wrapping up the indoor room makeover projects so I can focus on the outdoor living spaces and gardens.
Cause you know how much I love my gardens and there is ALOT here to work with that I need to get started on.
But I digress.
Wait until you see how much better the front entry hall looks!!!!
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The Front Entry Hall Makeover Project
That red walls and heavy faux finish design on the stair railing was a lot to take in.
Since we lightened up the adjacent dining room, the front entry hall needed a makeover – and it got one.
Wait until you see how AMAZING it looks now!
And all we did was paint it!
The Stair Railing
Before painting the walls in the front entry halls, I knew we needed to tackle the stair railing first.
Ultimately, we want to install a different stair railing, but that is not in the budget right now.
So instead, we opted to paint over the red and remove the faux finish designs.
There was so much going on in this room with the painted inlays on the wood floor, the red walls, and the faux finish.
It felt really dark in here.
Since we weren’t sure whether oil-based or latex paint was used, we did a quick test on the railings.
Do you know how to tell the difference?
Grab some rubbing alcohol on a clean paper towel and rub it on a spot.
If the paint color comes off, it is latex.
And if the cloth comes out clean, it was oil-based.
Luckily, these railings were all painted with latex.
There was a high gloss finish on the newel post but each ballister in the upstairs floors was done with a semi-gloss finish.
So we chose the same finishes but toned down the colors.
For the spindles, we went with Benjamin Moore Linen White in a semi-gloss finish. Linen White is a warm white that pulls a little more yellow and beige.
And for the newel posts, we used Benjamin Moore Carbon Copy in a high gloss finish. Carbon Copy is a soft black that pulls a more gray tone.
In order to update the stair railing, we lightly sanded the existing finish so the new paint would have a better grip.
Since the red and faux finish was so dark, we primed the stair railings first and then painted 2 coats of color after.
The railing looks so much better now doesn’t it?
The Red Walls
Although the red was really dark, I actually like the color.
I used to have it in my former dining room before I lightened that room up with Benjamin Moore’s Manchester Tan.
But just because I like the color, doesn’t mean it should stay.
This home has lots of character with great big windows to bring the outdoor gardens inside.
Having rooms that are weighed down with dark colors or designs distracts the eye from looking beyond the windows.
Not to mention, less light reflects off the walls.
So much like the dining room and family room makeover projects, we painted the walls in the front entry hall with Benjamin Moore Linen White in a matte finish.
The walls needed two coats of paint too. We used a primer and that covered a lot with just two coats of paint. But there were a few spots that needed a third coat, so we just did a full third coat.
And holy wow does the room look SO GOOD now!
After the Makeover Project
Now that the entire room is painted, I appreciate the floors so much more than before.
That red did nothing for the painted floor inlays.
The front entry hall feels larger, brighter, and more spacious.
As far as decor goes, this room is not done and will take a while to furnish because we are going to thrift the whole room.
I am looking for storage pieces that can hold my table decor and want to find the right wall decor.
All good things take time – but for now?
It looks better than I imagined it would!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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