Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Welcome Door

The other day I pulled out my book, The Art of Romantic Living: Simple Everyday Touches to Enhance Everyday Life. I've really been on a decorating kick lately and this book is full of ideas on how to enhance every room in your home, ideas for your garden, some cleaning tips, and even some advice to add simple touches to your appearance. I found this book a few years ago and every once in a while I pull it out to see if there are any quick ideas on "fixing" something around the house. This time I got to the section, A Welcome Door, and starting thinking about my plain white front and back doors and what I could do about them. It said, "Make your home more inviting by painting your front door." BINGO! I can do this! Now the only thing I needed to figure out was what color I was going to paint the doors. Here are some suggestions from the author:
  • A red door on a white, blue, or gray house means the home is full of good cheer.
  • A yellow, white, or gray home with a blue door is a house of peace.
  • A dark-green or black door on a light-colored home makes your guests feel protected and secure.
  • A white or beige door or other neutral colors signify that your home is a house of purity or serenity.

(primed)

I also went to Sherwin-Williams where you can load their color visualizer and pick from interior or exterior pictures and use theirs colors on the photos to give yourself an idea of what looks good and what doesn't. This was a major help because on the front of the house its bright white with forest green shutters, and I found out pretty quickly that nothing really matched. However, on the back of the house where our porch is, there isn't anything but white so I was free to choose what ever color I wanted! I found a color called "Liberty Blue" and it just so happened that my m-i-l had a very similar color and primer already so I was set to go. Here is the finished product.



To prep your door to paint is pretty simple.

1. Wash the door with soapy water.

2. Sand down the door with a fine sandpaper and rinse off all dust.

3. Prime it with a tinted primer if you're using a dark color and then paint it with an exterior satin finish paint of your choice.

4. Step back and enjoy your welcoming door!

2 comments:

Gumbo Lily said...

It really does look nice, Jaimi!

Jody

Cheyenne said...

Gosh, you are so ambitious! This is great.......it's inspiring me to want to do all sorts of things!