Modern Split-Entry Remodel Reveal | Fall 2020 ORC

WE DID IT!! We finished the design and construction of the split-entry of my dreams and our 3rd One Room Challenge!! I’m thrilled and relieved all at the same time. Are you as excited as me?!?! This project may be the one I am the most proud of accomplishing.

If you’ve been following this journey, you know this has been one rough road. Lots of delays due to Covid and unexpected obstacles. If you want to take a look back at how we got here, you can check out all the previous weeks: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5. Let’s just remember where we started though…

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An entry space is one of the most important in a home when it comes to design. It is the first and last thing you see! Spending so much time at home really makes me want all my spaces to be ones I love and feel inspired by. That is what got me to finally dive into this project. However, I did think it was going to be much easier to tackle than it was. A huge eye roll to that me from 2 months ago.

These past two weeks we finished up all the little details for the reveal. We finished installing our Coretec Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring from Factory Flooring Direct. We removed the baseboards, patched and mudded them, then reinstalled, caulked, and painted them. I removed some peel n stick wallpaper from one wall that was in the area and installed it in a new spot. PS. I am shocked it was so easy to just move it to a new location and save the wallpaper with no damage to the walls!

Now, are you ready to see the full shebang? Well, here she is!!

What do you think?! I’m still shocked every time I walk past it. It’s so glamorous!! It turned out even better than I imagined. So let’s talk about all the details.

Note: Some items in this blog are gifted or discounted, but all opinions are my own.

I wanted the casing for the front door to be classic and a little more grand. I searched Pinterest and found so much inspiration and then when I went to the hardware and lumber stores I learned it wasn’t just something you could buy premade. That would’ve been way too easy. So, what does a DIY’er do? Make one, of course. We bought 3 1/4 inch flat casing for the sides and then a thicker 5 1/2 inch casing in the same style for the top. We also got a 1×2 that we cut down to 1×1 to be the ledge under the top and a decorative trim for the top of the casing. You can see these pieces below. We made sure the flat part of the casing that goes on top of the door had just 3 1/4 inch showing to match the sides. We cut it down an inch and added the decorative trim on the front to complete this look.

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After installing the trim we painted and hung the new modern Masonite door. I love the sleek, clean lines of it! The best part of the door is the new Emtek hardware. We installed the EMPowered Motorized Touchscreen SMART Keypad Entry Set in flat black and it’s perfect! The exterior handle is the Baden style and the interior lever is their Athena. This touchscreen talks to you during set up and is so easy to use. Have you ever driven away wondering if you locked the front door? I have done that more times than I’d like to admit. This set works with the August app. You can lock it and unlock it from your phone. If you need to give your neighbor a code so they can come feed your pets while out of town, you can create a code with a start and end time that only works within that time frame. Your kid comes home from school and can’t remember the code? Unlock it from your phone. This set is one of the things I am most excited about because it will be so helpful for our busy family. We have lived here for 3 years and my husband never memorized our last door code. Ha ha ha! Now, he doesn’t have to!

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The entire space takes my breath away. The Milton & King Cranes wallpaper is such a showstopper. Paired with the door and this insane mid-century globe chandelier. As soon as I saw it I KNEW I had to use it in the entry. It cost $100 and it was worth every penny. The smokey glass matches the wings on the cranes and feels so true to our 1970’s home.

We painted this antique side table in Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black (same color as the ceiling and railing) a couple years ago for a vintage market. Once I saw it complete I knew I couldn’t part with it and now it has the perfect spot. This large vase on top used to reside on my favorite glass etagere that came crashing down 2 weeks ago. I don’t know how it managed to survive, but I am so glad it did. I also stuck a big stick in it that I found on a walk at our best friends cabin on our anniversary in October. We treasure our time there and this branch will be a constant reminder. I prefer to design with pieces that have meaning and memories.

I had been saving one of the prettiest, antique full length mirrors I’ve ever seen for this entry. Y’all know how much I love my mirrors. As soon as we held it up it just didn’t look right. The style was not fitting the space AT ALL. At first, I was bummed and frustrated, but, luckily for me, I am a mirror hoarder and I had the perfect mirror in my stash for this space. It’s got glam and the clean lines work perfectly with the door. I paired it with some vintage brass hooks, Dooney & Bourke purse, vintage scarf, and tiny portrait. This is my FAVE shot of the space. It’s full of treasured vintage pieces that I have sourced over time and I’m so happy to display them where I can see them everyday. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS.

Rugs are a great way to add in texture and comfort to a space. This thick, plush Hagen rug from Loloi Rugs at the top of the stairs creates a softness to the landing. It ties in the cream and blue color tones from the wallpaper and from the living room on the other side. It really makes the two spaces flow together. Plus, it’s one of those rugs that you want to walk on bare foot, if you know what I mean?

And this is the Giada rug from Loloi Rugs right by the door. The golden tone matches perfectly with the Calypso Oak color of the Coretec Flooring. It’s also a great color and design to hide all the wear and dirt in a high traffic entry.

Now, how about we get that exterior view! You may have seen on my Instagram we had our exterior painted a month ago. It was quite the challenge to pick the paint colors that would tie in the rock wall. That was one thing I wasn’t willing to paint over. To be honest, I didn’t love it until we got the new door installed. It all came together with this beautiful door.

I picked these pots up at an estate sale and immediately had a vison of them on the front porch. I liked the original color, but black and white would match the modern look I was going for. I used leftover Swiss Coffee white paint from the exterior painting and a leftover can of satin black outdoor/rust resistant spray paint. And voila! They look brand new. I absolutely love how they turned out and I only paid $20 per pot!

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The Modern House Numbers keep that sleek style going.

Let’s take another look at the beautiful Calacatta tile in the entry. I’m still drooling over it.

Phew!! Thank you for following along this transformation journey. Boy, has it been a wild ride! I couldn’t do any of this without the sponsors that gifted me their products and believed in my vision. A huge thanks to Emtek, Milton & King, Factory Flooring Direct, Modern House Numbers and Loloi Rugs.

I promise I’ll do a complete reveal blog on the exterior soon. I hope you like how we modernized a boring, dated split-level entry and feel inspired to make the first and last space you see in your home inspiring. Don’t let an older home stop you. Even changing up a few details can make a huge impact!

I’m so grateful for Linda, the One Room Challenge team, and Better Home & Gardens for making this challenge possible and for extending the deadlines for all those unexpected things that pop up in a project. I hope you all are staying safe out there. I’ll just be hunkered down at home, staring at all this beauty, and grateful that I get to have a space that brings me so much joy during such a chaotic time. Catch me on Instagram to see what we do next!

Cheers,

Jenasie