Painted doors like the blog's opening image (from our Sun Country Style, Gibbs Smith Pub., amazon.com, et al) are wonderfully welcoming!
When I was Decorating Editor at 1,001 DECORATING IDEAS Magazine in New York City, the Crafts Editor, Michael Cannarozzi, said, "Pat, you paint everything. You should work for Sherwin Williams." I do consider paint a magic wand, and counted on its magic of paint to transform our front door from dark and dreary to light, bright, and welcoming.
The raised-panel door with decorative glass inserts was handsome--just hard to see from the curb. It was stained a dark Texas-leather brown. The door is also recessed, hidden in shadows cast by the entry-porch roof. There was no sense of what architects call "the sense of arrival."
I love strong color for entry doors. I studied the facade of the antiqued pinkish-beige brick house with light trim and its assymetrical plan. Conclusion: Paint the door the same color as the trim so as not throw the facade off balance. Short of time--meeting yet another editorial deadline--I hired a painter to do the exterior. Cost: $250 for about 2 hours work. Worth it, I decided.
The interior needed attention. A day later, deadline met and bank account considered, I decided to follow our own advice in our "DIY PAINTING FOR DUMMIES" book (with co-author Katharine McMillan), I prepped the surface in surprisingly short time. Then, I painted the door in a color Sherwin Williams technicians (at the store corner Bitters Rd. & Rte. 281 in San Antonio) matched to the pinky-beige wall, blending the busy-work door with busy entry hall architecture. One pint of paint and about 1-1/2 hours transformed tacky to terrific!
Napoleon purportedly said, "Give me enough ribbon and I can conquer the world." I say, "Give me enough paint and I can transform all the ugly doors in the world."
Q: What are you decorating? I would love to hear.
