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Apartment Therapy contributor Anne-Marie Trabolsi painted bold peach and coral-red stripes across the hallway of her Los Angeles rental, using a project budget she described as about $100. She says the work took roughly two days, including drying time, and used paint rather than peel-and-stick wallpaper; the exact cost breakdown was not included in the supplied report.
Apartment Therapy contributor Anne-Marie Trabolsi says she transformed the hallway in her Los Angeles rental with peach and coral-red painted stripes in a project she described as costing about $100. The DIY took roughly two days, including drying time, and offered a lower-cost alternative to the peel-and-stick wallpaper she had considered for the textured walls.
Trabolsi, who shares the apartment with her fiancé, said the hallway already had a gallery wall, but its mixture of artwork and frames still felt visually unfinished. She wanted a bolder feature to bring the space together. After considering peel-and-stick wallpaper, she decided against it because the options she found were outside her budget and she worried the apartment’s slightly textured walls would make the material peel.
The project grew out of a smaller furniture makeover. Trabolsi painted a wooden folding shelf she had inherited from her grandparents and used as a shoe shelf. For its base, she used leftover Benjamin Moore Springtime Peach paint from her kitchen, then added a stripe of Benjamin Moore Bird of Paradise, a coral-red shade. She said the stripe gave her the idea to carry the color combination onto the hallway walls.
For the walls, Trabolsi first applied the peach paint as a base coat. After it dried, she marked out sections and worked with her fiancé to tape the stripes. She said she did not use a level and was not aiming for perfectly even lines, describing her approach as informal measuring. She applied two coats of the red paint. The report says the two walls took about two days, drying time included; it does not provide a detailed receipt or itemized accounting for the stated $100 budget.
A Low-Cost Alternative to Wallpaper
The project offers a specific example of how renters can change the look of a hallway with paint and a limited color palette, rather than committing to wallpaper. In Trabolsi’s case, using leftover paint for the shelf helped connect the furniture project to the wall design, while the second color created a stronger visual feature.
Her account also shows that the finished effect did not depend on perfectly uniform stripes. Trabolsi said she accepted some informality in the measurements and liked the result. That is her experience, not a guarantee that painted stripes will suit every room or renter. Anyone considering a similar project would need to check their lease and get any required landlord permission before painting.
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From Inherited Shelf to Hallway
Trabolsi described herself as a longtime renter who enjoys color and maximalist interiors. She said she had generally relied on furniture and decorative objects to express that style, but felt able to paint after moving to Los Angeles and finding a landlord she described as relaxed about changes to the apartment. The report does not say whether she obtained formal approval for this particular project.
The hallway already contained artwork, arranged alongside pieces left over from other rooms. Trabolsi said that even with the gallery wall, the corridor still felt dull. She wanted a stripe to give the space a more unified look. The shelf project came first: the inherited folding shelf had served different purposes over the years, and its new role was as a shoe shelf. Painting it peach and adding a coral-red stripe became a test of the palette she later used in the hallway.
“I’ve been a renter my entire adult life.”
— Anne-Marie Trabolsi, as quoted in Apartment Therapy
The Budget and Rental Terms
The supplied report gives the project cost as about $100, but it does not break down spending on paint, tape, or other materials. It is also unclear whether that figure includes the leftover peach paint from the kitchen, the shelf makeover, or only the hallway work. The exact publication date is not stated in the supplied material.
Trabolsi said her landlord was relaxed about painting, but the report does not explain the lease terms or whether she sought formal permission. The source also does not describe how the walls would be restored when she moves out, or whether the paint could affect a future deposit. Those details vary by rental agreement and property.
A Possible Bedroom Project
Trabolsi said the hallway result prompted her and her fiancé to start discussing paint colors and ideas for their bedroom. She described another project as likely, but the report does not give a schedule, design, or budget for it. For the hallway, the published account presents the makeover as complete; it does not identify further work or a follow-up date.
Readers considering a similar update can take the approach in stages: choose colors, test them in the room, and confirm that painting is allowed under the lease before starting. Trabolsi’s report documents her own process and stated cost, rather than a verified cost estimate for other homes, where wall condition, paint already on hand, and materials could change the total.
Key Questions
How much did the hallway makeover cost?
Trabolsi described the project as costing about $100. The supplied report does not include an itemized breakdown, so it is unclear exactly which materials or related shelf work were included.
Which paint colors did she use?
She used Benjamin Moore Springtime Peach as the base and Benjamin Moore Bird of Paradise, a coral-red shade, for the stripes. She said the peach paint was left over from her kitchen.
How long did the work take?
The report says painting the two hallway walls took about two days, including drying time. Trabolsi applied a base coat and then two coats of the stripe color.
Were the stripes measured with a level?
No. Trabolsi said she marked out sections and asked her fiancé to help tape the stripes, but did not use a level. She said she tried to make them even without insisting on perfect lines.
Did the renter get permission to paint?
The report says Trabolsi had a landlord she described as relaxed about painting, but it does not say whether she obtained formal approval for the hallway project. Renters should check their lease and ask their landlord before altering walls.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
