S
o far, we’ve changed very little about our house in the seven years we’ve owned it. But the first thing I did was paint the brown front door. I can’t fathom how this cool door (certainly original to the house, which is now 70 years old) ended up brown, but that’s OK, because after two days of stripping, sanding and repairing, it ended up this bright blue (conjure up an image of Greece in your head and you’ll know the blue I’m talking about). I’m sure the brightness of the color was no coincidence. After seven years of living in beige rentals full of oak trim and shiny “brass” fixtures, I was dying to put color on SOMETHING. (Unfortunately I did the same thing with the guest bedroom and that didn’t turn out as well!)
I stripped it twice (there was forest green and white paint under the brown), sanded it, and used a two-part epoxy with a filler to fill the cracks on the bottom (that part was fun because I got to shoot it in there with a syringe). After the epoxy was thoroughly cured, there was more sanding, priming and two coats of the blue paint.
Not only does it add some much needed color to our very plain white house, it’s sort of become our signature “thing.” Now I tell people to come to the “white house with the blue door.”
I’m not a big fan of winter and lots of snow in February, but I do like a nice Christmas snowfall. Last year we had a big snowstorm a week before Christmas and I snapped this picture because I thought it was so charming.
What would you like to know? Search, or jump to categories below.
12 Responses
I definitely will let you how it turns out when (if?) we finally get around to doing it!
I love your front door! It is beautiful! I love the color choice too! The whole house is charming!
p.s. As for the cabinet boxes, it was a great way to make the kitchen look new without investing in new cabinets. I hope you do it, and if you do let me know I would love to see ti!
I think it's funny that I just watched a landscape show on TV where the homeowner used a peel of some kind to strip 5 layers of paint off her door. I'm thinking she painted it orange. They painted her house blue, and the trim, a yellow/cream.
I love your house, door, and flowers around them. I clicked on the first photo to see it larger. Of course, it looks good in snow, and with a cat in the doorway, too.
Thanks Maya! I guess I always wanted a house with a standout door and blue is sort of nice because you don't see it as often as red, or so my theory goes!
A charming cottage! I love the blue door…, have one too, in a lighter hue though. The steps are very nice, lots of character.
if your readers are looking for more information on USDA plant hardiness zones, there is a detailed, interactive USDA plant hardiness zone map at http://www.plantmaps.com/usda_hardiness_zone_map.php
Thanks, Beth (Remmy). The dogs do fine on the wood floors, although when Hudson was recuperating from his various surgeries we had cheap area rugs everywhere (for more than a year). Also, they are only allowed downstairs, so they don't have to negotiate the wooden stairs. That would scare me a bit.
Your home is beautiful! I love the blue door. That was a cute story about Hudson. How do your dogs do on hardwood floors?
I love the blue door! The snow scene is fabulous. I can't even picture it with a brown door.
@Linda (ELW): The blue definitely brightens things up in the snow, that's for sure!
@Brenda: Now that you mention it I see that something's been buried there. I have these little twig reindeer I put on the steps at Christmas time and I'm thinking they must have walked up the steps to knock on the door and see if they could come in when the snowfall hit them (or the husband moved them to better shovel off the steps and forgot to put them back). And then on the far side there's Fred, although you can't see him as well. Fred is this horrifically ugly seagull statue that came with the place and I just felt that the poor guy had earned his spot guarding the front door so he's never moved from his spot. I should probably do a post on Fred.
That is such a cute cottage you have Erin. The blue door really makes it too.
Doth thou have some tiny creatures at your doorstep in the snowy photo?
I think you should make Christmas cards with that snowy door on the front and the kitty on the inside. Wonderful color and it's nice to be able to so succinctly describe your house to visitors.