I see a red door and I want it painted black. OK maybe it wasn’t red, but it was white and now its black and I love it. The first thing on my list for the One Room Challenge was the interior of our front door. And all I can say is, if you want to create drama in a space, the Rolling Stones were right, take a door and paint it black.
Here’s a reminder of how the foyer began:
After speaking with my local paint guy, I went with an oil based paint (it’s more durable and with three boys running around slamming doors, that was a priority for me). And since I planned on using the same quart of paint for the exterior side, which is also black but could use a refresh, I opted to go with a high gloss finish. The exterior is currently painted with a semi-gloss and it just doesn’t pop as much as I want it to, so I went all in.
First, I taped off the trim on the hinge side along with the hardware with painter’s tape and then started painting. This was my first time using oil-based paint, but overall the process wasn’t much different from latex. I did buy special brushes for oil-based paint that the hardware store recommended and found they worked well. I went with the cheap store-brand version of the brushes so that I could just throw them away afterwards rather than clean them (which would have required turpentine or mineral spirits – neither of which we have in the house, nor do I want to introduce). The biggest differences I found with oil-based paint are that it went on smoother than latex, has a much stronger smell (so ventilation was important) and it took significantly longer to dry.
Here is the door after one coat:
I let the door dry overnight than gave it a second coat. After seeing the coverage after the first coat, I was thinking I would need to do three, but was pleasantly surprised that two did the trick.
I haven’t yet decided on the new door hardware so that part of the update will have to wait for the reveal, but I am really excited about how the door turned out!
And now for something to adorn it.
Remember my inspiration picture from Week One? I wanted a neutral wreath for the space and had been been seeing these dropcloth wreaths all over the web. I ran across one hung on a black front door and loved the contrast. I knew this was just what I needed to do! So I researched how to make one at home and I can report that it is super easy (and maybe even a little relaxing).
Here’s what you need:
wire wreath form
drop cloth fabric
ruler or tape measure
scissors
First, I cut the canvas drop cloth into strips. I found varying dimensions cited online depending on who was making the wreath, but I went with 1″ strips that were 9″ long. Don’t worry about cutting each strip perfectly, the wreath is meant to be a bit rustic.
Then, I tied each strip to the wire wreath form. I started from the inner-most ring and worked my way out. It’s really that simple. I found it to be a relaxing activity to feel less guilty about catching up on your favorite show or binge watching a new one.
All in all, I am pleased with how the door and the new wreath turned out. I think it’s a big improvement over the blank white space that was there before and adds a little bit of wow to the foyer. I’d love to hear what you think! And be sure to come back next week for more of my foyer update.
You can check out all of the other fabulous projects from ORC guest participants here.
Update – you can check out all of the weeks of the project here:
ORC Week 1
ORC Week 2
ORC Week 3
ORC Week 4
ORC Week 5
ORC Week 6
ORC Week 7
Kristen
