Wander & Ware

Sometimes giving your home a face-lift can be as simple as a front door makeover!

Giving your home a whole new feel with a front door redesign with new paint, fixtures and accents can make a world of difference!

Image: Rogue Valley Doors

You might remember from past Ig posts of what my door used to look like.  The door stain was fading from full sun exposure, the trim was a little dark and blended with the color of the house and the door itself was just ho-hum.  It didn’t reflect my taste at all.  After living in our home for a year and half, I decided to finally make my front door dreams a reality and got to work researching door styles, dealers, and getting quotes on what it would cost to achieve the look I wanted. After completing our fireplace makeover, I was excited to finally be able to tackle our front door.  This is the first thing people see when they come up to our home, and I want it to look and feel warm and inviting!

The Process

I had been eyeing a Simpson door for over 2 years and when I got quotes, they were out of my price range for a front door and would take about 2-3 months to custom order and arrive.  After saving up for a year, I was finally able to order my dream Simpson door and planned the order and arrival in time for Mother’s Day as my Mother’s Day gift to myself. I had my door measured, placed my order, and waited patiently for the call to let me know when my door arrived. Two months later I got the call and immediately drove to the shop to have a look at it. To my dismay, the door was the wrong size!  The months of waiting and planning for this door to arrive in time for Mother’s Day was just disappointing.

Tip: When ordering a customer door, always double and triple confirm with the shop that they have the correct door measurements for your space before they place the order with the door maker.

Thankfully the shop had another alternative door locally that was similar to the first style I wanted!  It was almost identical to the first door and had the 6 lite glass panes, with one panel below. To make up for the inconvenience, the shop gave me a generous discount and better price for the alternate door.  I can honestly say that I am thrilled with how the alternate door turned out and absolutely love it even more, especially if it saved me hundreds of dollars and I didn’t have to wait another 2 to 3 months!  The door I got is made by Rogue Valley Door, another NW custom door builder.

With the money I saved on the door, I was able to splurge on the door hardware and accessories.

When planning my custom door, I knew I wanted to implement the following design elements and functionality requirements:

1. 6-lite glass panes with 1 panel wood entry door
2. Painted black with white trim
3. Convert the door swing from a left-hand door swings to a right-hand door swing.

Installation Day

After the existing door and trim were ripped out, on came the new door!

Notice how the door now swings open on the right side when facing the door from inside the house. It is so much more functional opening this way as when someone enters our home, they naturally step in toward the wall where we normally have a bench to sit and remove shoes. The door used to swing open from the left side and it was an awkward angle when stepping foot into the house where we and our guests would have to scoot around each other to let them in. There wasn’t an immediately accessible space for guests to sit and remove shoes so they would naturally walk in to the dining room and sit at the dining bench to remove their shoes.

Next came the interior trim.

Door Trim and Frame Color

Now for the fun part – paint!  I went back and forth tough deciding on the door frame and trim color. I decided on a black frame and white trim and am so happy with how it turned out. I especially love the new black threshold, compared to the dingy silver threshold that was originally installed when we bought the house.

I’ve always loved the classic yet modern look of a black door and once the black paint came on, I knew I made the right choice.

Finally, painting the interior trim…

Hardware

Finally the finishing touch involved installing the door hardware. For Mother’s Day, John installed the door hardware and outdoor light fixtures – best Mother’s Day gift next to the kids bringing me breakfast in bed!

I absolutely love Emtek’s hardware designs and products. I knew I had to incorporate their hardware on my new door.  After finding a local dealer I was happy to learn that the same local hardware store that I ordered our water filter faucet from also carried Emtek products.  I visited the showroom and to see the products in person, selected the style and finish I wanted, and placed my order. Since all Emtek products are custom ordered, it was a 2-week wait and I was ok with that!

I went with the Wilshire design in an ‘Antique French’ finish. I looooovvve it!  This thing is also heavy with a good solid weight to it.

Here is it installed looking at it from the inside of our home.

And here it is installed looking at it from the outside. Isn’t she a beauty!? The antique French finish works well with the black paint.

I love little details like the interior branded face plates.

Light Fixtures

An easy light fixture swap also makes an affordable and stylish update to a front entry. I chose a simple farmhouse style lantern wall sconce but in a larger size as statement lights.

Now lets look at the before and after…everyone loves a good before and after shot:

Sources:

Door: Rogue Valley Door (made to order)

Paint: Sherwin Williams

Hardware: Emtek (made to order)

Wreath: Frontgate (on sale!), similar budget option here 

Doormat: Target (no longer available), similar here

Light Fixtures: Ballard Designs similar here