Hope for a hopeless foyer
I really didn’t set out to give our foyer a full makeover, but I guess it did deserve one being the ugliest room in our whole house and all. It all started with the plank wall – which turned out ah-mazing. And of course made everything else look that much worse.
That led to the $20 lighting upcycle.
Once that brass lantern was gone, I was itching to kick the big shiny brass front door hardware to the curb as well. I considered just spray-painting the doorknob, lock, and peephole we already had with some oil-rubbed bronze spray paint to match the new light fixture. But that didn’t actually seem like the best idea. We constantly use that door and I had a feeling a spray painted door knob just wouldn’t hold up. Plus how do you spray paint a deadbolt without getting paint in the lock. I suppose you could put the key in the lock when you paint, but only if you want an oil rubbed bronze key!
So in the end, I got a new oil rubbed bronze doorknob and deadbolt and spray painted the peephole and doorknob backer plate. That alone made a world of difference. But I also wanted to add a little drama so the door itself got painted too. Of course, my first thought was to paint it aqua, but really there are only so many things in one house that can be aqua! I’ve seen lots of gorgeous black doors lately and love the dramatic look – but black is not for me. So I went with charcoal gray – and I love it.
It adds just the right amount of drama and goes perfectly with the plank wall.
This little foyer is starting to look quite – dare I say – beautiful. After five years of loathing the sight of this room– the very first one you see when you walk in, I finally love it. It just needed a little more personality and a lot less brass!
Check out more of this room including tutorials for the plank wall:
Easy and Inexpensive DIY Orb Chandelier
Ok let me start by saying, I adore your plank wall! Then replacing the brass fixtures-genius! Great light fixture! And I just love the charcoal grey door! Wow! Your entry shines now. Great job!
Thanks Cecelia! It has definitely come a long way! Which is all the sweeter because for so long I had absolutely no idea what to do with it.
Love the updates! The door made quite a difference and I totally feel you on the black. I’ve been thinking about painting the windows in our kitchen black…but I just don’t know. Looks terrific, Carrie!
Thanks Ashley! Black is one of those things – its either awesome or its terrible. Can’t wait to see how your kitchen is coming along!
I have days when my whole house feels hopeless! Each room has its redeeming qualities, but we have a long way to go before it feels like it’s truly our home. But, as you pointed out, these things take time. It was 5 years before you were happy with your foyer, and we’ve only been in this house 1.5 years. :)
Your entry looks fabulous, and your updates to the door really make a huge difference!
Thanks Kim. I definitely know what you mean about the whole house feeling hopeless. It wasn’t until this spring that I finally started to feel like the ‘good’ in our house was starting to outweigh the bad. There is definitely a reason some rooms still haven’t really been shown on the blog yet. You will definitely get there!
i absolutely love this wall! I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with one of the main walls we see when we walk in the house. What colors did you use? I’m like you and love the Aqua and quite a few things that color too but this is just the right amount. Did you stain the wood? Paint? Or just add water to the paint to make it look like a stain? I want to add hooks to the wall for the kids to hang their coats and stuff when they get home from school. Sorry for all the questions! :)
Thanks Erica! I love this wall too. Check out this post, it gives more details on how the wall is painted and stained – https://www.lovelyetc.com/2014/02/bold-diy-plank-wall/ Let me know what questions you still have after that!
I love the charcoal color…actually gray is my favorite color believe it or not! Did you also paint the outside of the front door?
Thanks Lisa! It isn’t my favorite color but gray is a great color for sure. I did recently paint the outside of the door, but I did that in navy. I am planning to share pics in the next few weeks.