Makeover Your Entry for $500 or Less!

Whether it's big or small, a home's entry has some very important jobs: It welcomes visitors and sets the design style of the space. HGTV Magazine found three bloggers ready to refresh their welcome-home spots and asked them to create makeover magic for $500 or less. See how they did it.

After: Daring and Dramatic

“Working within a budget forces me to think creatively and DIY things I can’t afford,” says Sarah Nelson (@homegirlcreative). She started this makeover in her Portland, Oregon, home by painting her staircase railing black. Then she went big on pattern with temporary wallpaper and checkered floor tiles. (Cutting and laying the tile was the hardest part of the project, she says.) Some of her favorite hats serve as wall decor, which left her room to splurge on the chic armless love seat. “It’s my favorite part of the space.” Total: $418

After: Fresh and Functional

If an entryway doesn’t have storage, it can become an eyesore quickly, says Atlanta–based Stacie Abdallah (@staciesspaces). “I wanted to create an area where everything had a home, but it also had to be pretty because it’s open to the main living area,” she says. She spent most of her budget on items with big impact — the wallpaper and the wall unit — then filled in the rest of the space with fun accents like a potted faux tree. Painting the door black (she had some Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams on hand) makes it look like a designed space, she says. No plain walls here! Total: $486

After: Warm and Welcoming

Rehma Khan (@thehadylife) has a 20-foot-tall white wall in her Laurel, Maryland, entryway. “High ceilings are nice, but it’s a challenge to fill the space,” she says. To the rescue: a gallery wall of low-cost art. (She made the white piece herself with spackle and paint!) She refinished her existing bench with walnut stain and leftover navy paint, and painted the door for a hint of color (Escape Gray by Sherwin-Williams). The pillows (which she already owned) and Persian-style rug tie it all together. “A proper rug sets the tone, so I budgeted to get a good one,” she says. As a finishing touch, she added a planter and lanterns that used to be in her living room. Total: $330