Our Garage Entryway Makeover!

While there are several major makeovers that I’ve done in only a few weeks, more often I work on improving spaces just a little bit at a time so that it’s actually years before I consider them done. One of these a-little-bit-at-a-time spaces is our garage entryway – we use the door from our kitchen to the garage like a lot of people use their front door, as the primary door that we go in and out of every day. I’ve been sprucing it up bit by bit ever since we moved in over five years ago but it’s only this past week that I finally finished it off. Even though it’s a tiny space, since it’s one that we use daily, it makes me happy that it’s now both pretty and functional and fits in well with the kitchen and kitchen eat-in area surrounding it – ready to see its new look?! (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})

Let’s start by throwing it way back to a pic of our garage entryway from before we moved into our house:

Not much of anything has stayed the same! Here’s what this same space looks like today:

Along with the fact that this is now home to our cute pup who doesn’t let anyone go out this door without making it known that she would like to go along 🙂 we’ve made several changes, both big and small!

Removed the Wallpaper & Painted Everything White

One of the biggest changes we made to this little garage entryway shortly after moving in was removing the floral wallpaper and painting the walls. Not fun but so worth it! I initially painted them Benjamin Moore Dove White but it was a touch more yellow than I wanted so when we remodeled our kitchen last year, I repainted the entire space including our little garage entryway, kitchen, and kitchen eat-in with Benjamin Moore Cloud White in Flat. 

Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop Our Kitchen Eat-In:

Scroll & Click/Tap to Shop Our Kitchen:

Cloud White is a great warm white that’s one of my favorites and is actually the same color as our family room too (for more details on my favorite white paint colors, see {this post}). Painting everything white went a long way in making the entire space feel more open and less dated. At the same time we painted the walls, we upgraded the crown molding and baseboards and painted them Cloud White in Satin.

Painted Our Garage Entry Door To Match Our Island

One of the most significant changes I made was to paint our garage entry door Benjamin Moore Charcoal Slate which is a super close match to our nearby kitchen island that’s painted in “Moonstone” (one of MasterBrand Cabinets’ stock colors):

I think it helps make the space to feel more cohesive to have that pretty gray color in more than one spot don’t you?! It’s a simple way to add some interest to what was before a boring little entryway.

Installed New Door Hardware

Another change I made was to upgrade the door hardware to {this stunning crystal & brass duo} that I couldn’t love more:

I’m slowly replacing our door hardware with these beauties throughout our first floor where we don’t have a ton of doors and keeping our less expensive door hardware as-is upstairs.

Added a New Entryway Rug & Shoe Basket

I also placed a basket for shoes and {this Hope-approved rug} in front of the door:

The shoe basket was a lucky HomeGoods find – the closest online alternatives that I was able to find are {this open weave basket} and {this pricier chevron patterned basket}. In our new laundry room coat & shoe storage area we have several drawers for shoes but we each keep our most frequently used pair of shoes in this basket to make things quick and easy (unfortunately my most used shoes lately have been my rain boots – it seems to be constantly raining here lately!). And of course you might remember that as part of our kitchen remodel we said goodbye to the Saltillo tile, replacing it with engineered hardwoods (the flooring & kitchen remodel details are in {this post}). No regrets there – those tile floors were a maintenance nightmare so it’s a welcome change!

Hung A “Last Minute Check” Mirror

On the wall to the left of our garage entry door I hung a super cute rope mirror that’s perfect for applying some last minute lipstick as I head out the door – am I the only one who does that?! It saves me a trip running back to the other end of the house to the bathroom mirror 🙂

I went with {this small round rope mirror} because it’s the perfect size for my space and I love how it’s hung by a loop but there are lots of other similar options depending upon the size of your space:

I wanted something unique to hang my rope mirror with and ended up using one of {these loop wall hooks} that I had been eyeing:

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the finish of the hook since the color was described as “light bronze” but it looked like a soft brass in the online image. The actual finish is a fairly neutral metal finish that would blend well with both silvers and golds. Even though I really liked the finish, I wanted it to match my door hardware so I used Rub ‘n Buff in Gold Leaf to change it up! 

Have you guys used Rub ‘n Buff before? It’s great stuff! It comes in 16 different finishes including six golds plus black, pewter, silver leaf, antique white and others. The three Rub ‘n Buff colors that I use the most are these three golds: Grecian Gold (available {here}), Antique Gold (available {here}), and Gold Leaf (available {here}). Gold Leaf is my favorite of the three since it’s a bit softer of a gold than the other two. Antique Gold is the most copper colored of the bunch while Grecian Gold is similar to Gold Leaf but just a touch more orangey so it has more of an Old World vibe.

You simply rub it on with a soft cloth (you only need a very small amount) and then buff it and let it cure overnight. It creates a beautiful, uniform finish that doesn’t rub off! One of my favorite uses of it was on {this large round mirror} over my master bedroom dresser that came in a bronze finish but with Rub ‘n Buff I was able to turn it to gold with just 10 minutes of work. 

Added a Shallow Catch-All Shelf

The last thing I added to our little garage entryway is {this small acrylic shelf} that comes in three lengths (mine is 18″):

It’s the perfect spot for placing notes the girls need to take to school, letters to mail, {this little marble bowl} for my husband’s change (I’m going to try to get him to empty his pockets in that little marble bowl as he walks in because I find his change EVERYWHERE), and a small wood + bone box for our car keys:

Most of these same little upgrades could be used at a front door entryway too – even just adding a cute mirror and shelf is a simple weekend project that would add so much to your home!

One of the next projects on my to-do list is sprucing up our front door entryway which is going to be a bit more time consuming because it involves wallpapering. I’m pretty excited about it though! I’m using {this wallpaper} and {this gorgeous console} and will figure out my other accessories from there!

Both of these things (and the cute rope mirror I used at our garage entryway) are 20% off this weekend as part of Serena & Lily’s Spring Design Event so if you’ve been thinking of getting anything from them to refresh your home, now’s the time! I have a Serena & Lily store only 20 mins away from me and it’s pretty dangerous because whenever I visit, I fall in love with several pieces. The ones that I have in my own home and love and would recommend are:

{This round capiz pendant} over the table in our kitchen eat-in area (ours is size small)

{This gorgeous rattan chair} in our family room:

{These bistro counter stools} in our kitchen

A pair of {these rattan bistro chairs} in our office

{These teak camp stools} that are at the foot of our master bed 

Serena & Lily pillow covers are also a favorite – {these Eva tassel covers} are my favorite covers in my whole home because they go with everything. I also have and love these:

I have several Serena & Lily wallpapers in my home too – their wallpapers are priced as double rolls so they’re actually well priced in comparison to other brands. These are the ones I have in our home: 

And I’m still drooling over {this Serena & Lily duvet} with the tasseled ends that I shared in {this post} – so fabulous!

I hope you all enjoyed today’s post and that you have a wonderful weekend!