Project House: The New Front Door

As is the case with many 1970s homes, our front door opened directly into a long narrow hallway featuring a coat closet and not much else. The hall had been painted a dark mauve color and I'm guessing this red door was installed during the 80s renovation. It was a lovely and sturdy door, but it didn't let in enough light to suit me, and it didn't suit the mid-century look I want. Thankfully we were able to find a good home for it with some friends who are remodeling a rental, so it won't go to the landfill. 

I decided to replace it with another steel door. Here in the south, there are pros and cons to steel or fiberglass. In a wet location, steel will rust and in a sunny one fiberglass can have all sorts of issues. This is a shady and sheltered porch, so I went with the steel mostly to save a few hundred bucks.

I painted it with Clark and Kensington exterior satin in Aqua Mosaic which my husband calls: Whoa! That is Really Blue! I need to get him a job naming their colors. I am a big fan of turquoise for front doors. You can go light or dark, bright or muted, but this is a color that never seems to go out of style, and I have yet to find an architectural style that it doesn't work on.

The new door and a coat of white paint are making a big difference to how bright the hall is. In fact, I kept looking toward the hall thinking the door had been left open. I will install a new light fixture soon that will also hopefully add to the lightness of the space. The one that is there is fine, but I'm hoping to bring in a Scandinavian, industrial vibe with the interior. I'm sure I'll find a good home for the old fixture just like I did for the door though!