How we turned an unused front entrance into a teen hangout space for under $500.
When I first walked through this house, this entrance immediately stood out. It was huge.
A year later, it became the perfect place to create a teen hangout space and give our family some much-needed extra living space without renovating or moving.
It was this beautiful open space you walked through as soon as you entered the front door, with high ceilings and plenty of natural light. It looked lovely during the house viewing, but if I’m honest, I remember wondering what we’d actually do with it.
The Front Entrance That Became a Dumping Ground
When we moved in, life happened.
Instead of becoming a welcoming entrance, it slowly became the place where everything landed.
Cricket bags.
Football gear.
Random boxes.
Shoes.
Coats.
At one point there was even a treadmill sitting in the middle of it.
For over a year we walked through that space every single day without really questioning it.
It had become our dumping ground.
If something didn’t have an obvious home, it ended up in the entrance.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault.
It was just the easiest place to put things.
But after more than a year of walking past the mess every day, I realised the room had so much more potential.
We Didn't Need More House ... We Needed More Living Space
The biggest problem wasn’t actually the entrance.
It was the way we were living.
We have two teenage boys, and like most teenagers, they naturally took over the family lounge.
Gaming.
Watching YouTube.
Talking to friends.
The TV was pretty much theirs.
Phil and I found ourselves wishing we had another room where we could just sit quietly without loud gaming voices in the background.
For a while I thought we needed a bigger house.
Then one day it hit me.
We already had the space.
We just weren’t using it very well.
That oversized entrance suddenly looked less like an entrance and more like an opportunity.
Every Project Starts the Same Way ...
Before I buy anything, I plan.
For this project, that meant opening Canva.
I measured the room.
I measured the front door.
I measured the windows.
I even measured the stairs because I knew I wanted to cover them.
Then I started listing everything I thought we’d need and roughly what it would cost.
Just as importantly, I listed everything we already had.
Because that’s usually my first question.
What can I reuse?
Not …
What do I need to buy?
I think spending an hour planning saves me far more money than impulse shopping ever could.
Making It Work On A Budget?
This wasn’t a renovation.
It wasn’t an interior design project.
It was simply solving a problem as cheaply as possible.
We already owned the couch.
In fact, we’d bought it when we first moved into this house while we were waiting for our new lounge suite to arrive, knowing it would eventually become part of a boys’ hangout space.
The rug was already ours.
The side table had been given to us by family.
The carpet underlay came from our garage after the previous owners left it behind, and I used it as insulation underneath the black carpet on the stairs.
Most of the money went towards the things that would actually change how the room felt.
The thermal curtains.
The curtain track.
Door seals.
A roller blind.
Black carpet for the stairs.
There wasn’t really a strict budget.
The goal was simply to create another room our family would actually use without spending thousands of dollars.
Approximate Budget
- Thermal curtains – $210
- Curtain track – $42
- Pinch-pleat hooks – $10
- Door seals – around $50
- Roller blind – $28
- Black carpet for stairs – $115
Everything else we either already owned, reused or was given to us.
The Curtains Changed Everything?
Originally, I bought the curtains because I thought they would help if we eventually put a TV in the room.
What I didn’t expect was how much they would transform the space.
Once they were closed, they completely hid the front door.
Instead of feeling like you were sitting in an entranceway…
…it suddenly felt like a proper room.
Adding the roller blind and sealing some of the drafts also made a huge difference.
I’d always thought this space would be cold, but once everything was installed it became surprisingly comfortable.
Before It Was Finished?
One of my favourite memories from this project is that I hadn’t actually finished it.
I was still waiting for another piece of carpet to arrive from Temu.
Nothing had been styled.
There were still jobs to do.
But as soon as we moved the couch and armchair into place and hung the curtains…
the boys moved in.
They just started using it.
To me, that was the biggest sign we’d made the right decision.
These days Nate uses it the most.
Mitch still prefers the main lounge (and somehow still manages to monopolise the TV… 😄), but having this extra space has completely changed how the house feels.
For just a few hundred dollars, it honestly feels like we’ve added another living room.
If You're Looking For More Space?
One thing this project taught me is that the answer isn’t always moving house or building an extension.
For us, as a family of four with two teenage boys, it was really about creating space.
Space for the boys to do their own thing.
Space for Phil and me to have some downtime.
Space where we weren’t all competing for the same room.
If you’re looking around your own home thinking something isn’t quite working, I’d probably start by asking yourself a few questions.
- How do you actually live in your house?
- What are you constantly wishing you had?
- What room isn’t earning its keep?
Do you find yourself saying…
“If only we had another living room.”
“If only the kids had somewhere to hang out.”
“If only I had somewhere quiet to read.”
Sometimes you don’t actually need a bigger house.
Sometimes you just need to look at the one you already have differently.
More Than Just One room?
Looking back now, I realise this project changed more than just our front entrance.
It changed the way I think about our home.
Over the past year I’ve stopped looking at our house as something I wish was different and started asking how I can make it work better for the life we’re living right now.
It’s how our vegetable garden started.
It’s how this hangout space came about.
It’s even shaping the way we’re preparing our beach house for Airbnb.
Instead of waiting for the “perfect” house one day, I’m learning to make the most of the one we already have.
And honestly…
I think that’s what making a home work is really about.
Not creating a perfect home.
Creating a home that works for the people living in it.
Have you repurposed a room in your home?
I’d love to know.
Have you turned a spare room, garage, entrance or forgotten corner into something your family uses every day? Let me know in the comments … I always love hearing clever ideas that make a home work better.
Questions You Might Be Asking
How much did this project cost?
Around $450–500, but we reused most of our furniture, so your budget could be even lower.
Can you use your front entrance as another living space?
If you don’t rely on the entrance for everyday living and have enough room elsewhere for coats and shoes, absolutely. Ours became one of the most-used spaces in the house.
How can I make my front entrance feel like another room?
For us, the biggest changes were thermal curtains, a rug, comfortable seating and blocking the drafts. Once the curtains were closed, it no longer felt like an entrance … it felt like another room.
Why did you turn your entrance into a hangout space?
We weren’t looking for another project. We simply needed another place for our family to spread out. With two teenage boys, the lounge had become their space, and we wanted somewhere they could hang out without taking over the main living area. Repurposing our entrance solved that problem for less than the cost of a renovation.
Was it worth it?
Without hesitation. It gave our family another living space for a fraction of the cost of renovating. It’s one of those projects that makes me wonder what other spaces in our home could work harder for us.
