Sometimes it’s so easy to forget little spaces like entryways, hallways, closets, etc. That’s why we love Mandi’s complete transformation of her entryway, which we originally discovered when Sherry pinned her awesome ceiling paint treatment over on her home away from home (yes, as a guy I still don’t quite understand the magic of Pinterest but then again Sherry doesn’t quite understand the magic of Angry Birds). Anyway, back to Mandi’s entryway makeover. Here’s her story:
I’ve spent the last week and a half making over my entryway and I am dying to show you! This is what it looked like before the makeover:
And here’s the after. I love it.
The hands down greatest thing in here is the tandem bicycle art by Jonathan from Olson Ink. All I did was tell him that I wanted a tandem old school bike in cobalt and white. He painted it on a 8’x4’x1” plywood with a wood veneer. The wood was stained a light Honey Blonde color before he started painting. Then when he was all done he cut it into 5 sections.
The credenza was a find that my mother-in-law spotted about a year ago for only $35.00. Its probably from the 50’s and not one thing has been changed on it. Sometimes you can really score a great piece that just needs a good wipe down! It is made out of metal so its really industrial but, helllllllo it’s teal. Its like a combo made in mismatched heaven.
All of the books and odds and ends as well as the lamp were found thrifting. The cute little stool was a $10.00 Craigslist find and it gives it the raw industrial push that the space needed.
And then there is of course the herringbone ceiling. Oh how I love it. But it would not be as awesome without Octy the Purple Chandelier.
Ol’ Octy is still one of the best thrifting finds I have ever happened across (painted in Krylon’s Rich Plum).
Thanks so much for, Mandi! Isn’t that such a fun space to come home to? I mean, hello – BIKE ART. Everything from the colorful spray painted chandelier to that killer herringbone ceiling is definitely smile-worthy. And $35 for that teal metal credenza = jackpot (and yes, that is the first time I have ever typed credenza). You can read more about the makeover on Mandi’s blog. And feel free to chime in with your favorite part. Mine is obviously the bike art. But that ceiling has Sherry doing all sorts of happy dances over here.
Psst- Clara met Santa! And it was quite the adventure (she apparently went through a roller-coaster of emotions from being nervous and excited to feeling some sweet affection for her cousin). More on that here.
That looks terrific! It looks so much bigger and more inviting.
I especially love the purple chandelier!
I love her blog! She does some amazing stuff! She’s also in NYC for the Nate Berkus show now! :-) I so love that ceiling!
So exciting!
xo,
s
I think the ceiling made it onto Apartment Therapy the other day too. Great thrift store finds!
My one critique…not that anyone asked (haha) is that I wish that wood looked older or had more character. With all of the thrift finds (love the credenza!) I think the beautiful painting on that brand-new looking wood looks a little misplaced.
BA-nanas. I’m seriously in love. I feel like I’m not cool enough to ever decorate like that, but I can dream! :)
That bicycle art makes me SWOON! Just pinned it! :)
I thought the before was the after at first – and I thought it was so pretty, then I saw the real after and I was blow away. It’s so bright and pretty and modern! I love that they kept the wood door and some vintage touches. This is one of my favorites, hands down.
My favorite part is absolutely the chandelier! LOVE LOVE LOVE the plum!
What a great chandelier, love the look!
This is eclecticism at its finest! My favorite part is the repetition of the wheel/spoke elements in the art, the wire lampshade and the decorative thingies on the credenza. If Mandy is done with her before, I’ll take it – my entryway looks like the northern end of a southbound mule.
It looks great!
Does anyone else think that even the “before” looked pretty great?! I love that big “G.”
Yes! It definitely went from already-pretty to bright and fun!
xo,
s
I actually thought the before looked better, but everyone has their own sense of style and if the after works for the homeowners, more power to them.
I appreciate the creativity, but I like the “before” better. I dislike all things modern and/or mid-century, though. The first is more my style.
I want every piece!
But man, just looking at that ceiling makes my neck/back hurt.
I really don’t like painting ceilings.
What a fun change up!
That ceiling is totally delicious! Makes me want to see the rest of her space! I’m in the mood to do something funky to our ceiling in the living room, but it’s flat, not vaulted…any suggestions?
Hmm, I would search “ceiling” on pinterest! There are so many cool stencils and paint treatments on flat ceilings!
xo,
s
I wish we owned a home instead of renting because I would love to paint the ceiling! The room is absolutely beautiful and I love that all the accessories are in bold colors :)
That makeover totally opened up that room and took advantage of the height!
I’m a fool for geometrics and cheap so it’s a toss-up between the ceiling and the credenza for me!
The art is genius and the fun chandelier are awesome as well!
Make sure to click on the artists link and check out the “commissioned mural” (dated 10/20/11) he did for a client – totally cool and fun!
Thanks for pointing that out! So cool!
xo,
s
Ok so what does it mean that I love both pinterest AND angry birds??? :)
The do-over is amazing, though, that bike is wonderful!
Haha, you truly have unlocked the formula to happiness I think!
xo,
s
i totally agree it looks far more light and inviting. The old design was pretty classy though. I’d be happy with either!
Oh my, I saw this over on Vintage Revivals and fell in love with it!!! Seriously, so many wonderful places to rest your eye in this entry way. And that ceiling, need I say more??
Love it! Every time I see a reader redesign I feel like shouting this is definitely my style. I like everything everyone does.
My favorite part – the chandelier. Love!
Love this! And I first saw this post on Mandi’s blog! I’ve been a reader of hers since she first started Vintage Revivals!! Now she’s featured on Young House Love, I don’t think you can get much better than that. YHL definately trumps the time she was on the Nate show, and this second time of being on the Nate show, and all the local TV segments she was on.
Aw, shucks… I don’t know about that… Nate is amazing!
xo,
s
LOVE her blog!! :)
Her ceiling is amazing, as is the whole room… I love it! As a vintage/thrift-store junkie I adore the chandelier and credenza, but then the bicycle art makes me want to only ever paint on plywood any more. ;) And I wish I didn’t hate heights so much because the ceiling is like an untouched canvas… but I can’t get past the 3rd rung on the ladder.
Beautiful! I love the chandelier! Oh, and I laughed when I read the magic of pinterest and angry birds. That sounds exactly like my husband and me, too funny.
Looked great both ways! Elegant before and quirky and fun after. Great job!
I love both pinterest and angry birds :o) Does that make me weird or what?
Talk about a style-change! It makes your neck snap! But in a good way :o) Love the bike art.
Haha- you’re not weird, you’re open minded. Maybe John and I need to expand our horizons to include each other’s hobbies more. Haha.
xo,
s
The straight-up shot of the ceiling and the chandelier is giving me heart palpitations (the good kind), and I don’t even like plum very much. Oh, and for the record I know both the magic of Pinterest and of Angry Birds. They’re not mutually exclusive ;)
Haha, you’re an equal opportunity gal.
xo,
s
That looks great. I love the ceiling!
A friend of mine with 4-year-old twin boys uses Angry Birds as a reward for them. If it had been around when my daughter was small, I’d have used it too!
This redesign is fabulous!
LOVE the stool, my grandmother had a similar one in her kitchen for years (wonder what ever happened to it…hmmm) and I get the look she was going for with the lamp, but that lamp is too similar to the lamps my mother had in our family room growing up and if I never see a lamp like that again it will be too soon!
The credenza is FABULOUS…would’ve also made a great media center for a large flat screen television!
My husband and I have the same pinterest vs. angry birds debate all the time. He’s obsessed with Angry Birds and I just do not get it. I’m addicted to Pinterest and he doesn’t know what it is all about… Mars and Venus, I suppose!
Haha- totally!
xo,
s
Doesn’t even look like the same space!! I’m in awe. I keep going to the “before” picture then the “after” picture. In love! Amazing job =)
I am head over heels for that chandelier!
Makes me wish I didn’t have that darn ugly popcorn on my ceilings. Love the bicycle art. I need to go back and visit Mandi’s list of blogs that she included in the post.
I guess this means you won’t be showcasing my entry re-do that I sent via email last week? Oh well. I guess I don’t mind be upstaged by that amazing ceiling!
We most likely haven’t even seen it yet Linda! We have a huge stockpile of submissions, so we try to dig through them a little each week. But we still have lots of catching up to do! Wish we could share them all!
xo,
s
dot wanna be a negative nancy but since for all intends and purposes this is your business, I thought Id throw in my 2 cents… I strongly dislike reader redesigns, and I wanna see more “smaller” DIY projects… but on a positive polly note, Im LOVING young house life!
No worries Sara! We brought them back due to many requests, and have since received the same “glad they’re back!” feedback. But we definitely acknowledge that not every post will be loved by all! We just do our best to share stuff that we love (that’s been our only “formula” since day one, and believe that’s gotten us where we are today). We do share 8 posts a week here, 1 on BabyCenter, & 2-4 on YHLife, so hopefully 1 Reader Redesign a week doesn’t cramp your style too much! And this week we’ve shared lots of smaller DIY projects (ex: making a $6 wreath, spraying $4 reindeer bright red, free tree decorating with paint chips & ribbon, etc). Many of our Reader Redesigns have small projects in them too (ex: spray paint a chandelier, paint the ceiling, paint on wood to make art, etc). Hope that makes sense!
xo,
s
As much as I love your blog and all the projects you complete, I also love to see the reader redesigns! Keep them coming!
Love the optical effect of the herring bone ceiling! Great makeover!
Love it!!!
Matt and I are actually brainstorming a way to do the same bike on a set of canvases for our basement!
love that ceiling!
W.OW. I think the chandelier/ceiling combo ties with the credenza. So bold and fun. A beautiful swanky entry went retro and spunky. Nice. :)
woah! that tandem bike art is so rad! took a peek through the blog–thanks for the introduction…looking forward to following another one!
I have to say, there is no way I’d ever have the energy to redo a room that looks as good as this before pic already does. But the after- oh soooo worth it!
I’m so envious of that credenza find, I could murder for one like that. I thought it was repainted wood at first, and pretty great, but when I read it was metal and original condition it went from great to aaaaawwwwesome.
And the art! And the cealing! And the chandelier!
That ceiling is awesome!!!
This is the only redesign I can think of where the before space was beautiful and the after space was beautiful as well, just with a twist…sheesh…talk about some style.
I thought it was beautiful before. And the after is incredible!! Bike art seems to be where it’s at these days! I may have to consider some if we ever get to the decorating point in our house.
-Diana
I can’t believe it’s the same space! I had to keep going back and forth between the before and after. Totally impressed.
And I wish I could find a $35 credenza that looked like that!
Love love love everything, especially the ceiling.
I will never understand how people find thrift items like that credenza. I have NEVER seen something that cool in a thrift store.
So she took an elegant entrance way and turned it into a dorm room entryway? Expectations for the rest of the house are frequently begun in the entrance way. The first picture makes you anticipate a soft, subtle-but-elegant home. The second picture makes you start looking for john belushi in a toga.
This is just one of those to-each-his-own things! The after and the before are just two different styles, so many folks have dropped in to say they love the after better, and some also love the before.
xo,
s