Not the same old doors

Comparisons are easy when you are an interior decorator.  You get to visit different homes build at different times, with different styles.  One feature in home decor that rarely has much variety (at least where I live)  is interior doors; most are white with raised panels and round knobs.  Pretty understated, pretty boring, but it doesn't have to be like that.  Let's look at some options.

Paint them dark

Paint is one of the cheapest solutions for making your doors standout and invite.  If you like drama go for dark.  Stick to painting the doors only and keep the trim colour neutral unless you have a very high contrast look going on. Dark trim colour outlines a room.

 House and Home

 I love this door painted Benjamin Moore Overcoat CC 544 in Cameron MacNeil's home because it is a destination for the eye.You have no choice but pay attention to it.  The four pieces of art work hung vertically add to the overall look of the space.   It's easy to get away with a dark door if you have glass in it and if it is a front or back door.   I prefer dark charcoal doors to black and my favourite colour is  Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain (2134-30).

House and Home

Solid black doors are more imposing and double doors painted a dark colour beg to be noticed. In this room the floor colour  supports the black scheme. The rectangular hardware adds interest too.  There's nothing as boring as a stainless round knob.

And stencil it

  homedesign decorator 

 Check out the other 24 ideas on this blog for black doors. 

 Paint them bright

Houzz Sarah Richardson

I found a large number of red exterior doors, but red works equally well on interior doors as Sarah Richardson proved in one of her many makeovers. 

  Cathy Schwabe

We don't often think of purple when we are trying to come up with a hue that goes well with most wood tones, but it does.I love the splash of colour with this basically wood toned room. Can you have too much wood?  Yes, in my opinion, no happens to be my husband's take on this much debated question in our home.

Paint a stripe

Emily Elizabeth Interior Design

I like the way the stripe on the wall is extended across the door and the door trim. You have to really love stripes for this application.  I want to close it and see the full effect. Interesting and fresh.

Paint the detailing

 Centsational Girl

Sometimes painting details can create a fussy and cluttered look.  That is not the case in this room because of it's very neutral palette.

Add trim  

Gauhar

This more traditional look can be created by gluing (construction adhesive) ready made trim to plain doors. All you need is a miter box and saw.  You won't get the lovely curved corners, but everything else is possible.A stencil can produce the  design  in the middle panel.  

Use wallpaper

If you have a door with a recessed panel or a plain slab (hollow core) door you have many options to use wallpaper to embellish  it. The trick is to integrate the door into your decor in a seamless way.  This is an idea that could go very wrong and look absolutely cheap.  Keep your wallpaper colour the same as the wall colour for best effect.

via Room Envy

 Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Add  3 D detailing

Using upholstery tacks can create very interesting door detailing. If you like to cross stitch this is the door idea for you!  I can't imagine being this repetitive but to some it's a pure form of meditation.

Martha Stewart

Nail head trim can be  a great solution for decorating a plain door.  You can make  the door colour  colourful or dark.  Depending on the colour you choose to paint the door, this look works well in a den/ study or boy's room.

That's a quick roundup of great DIY door solutions.  Hope you found one you liked. 

Thursday Tip # 3- Destination walls

 What do these rooms have in common?

Jona Collins

Powell/Kleinschmidt, Inc.

Fiorella Design

Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech

All  of the walls featured are small  "destination walls" which you walk toward.  The darker colour draws the eye and helps to visually draw you toward them. They also serve to showcase the furniture that is in front of them.  Do you have a destination wall in your house that would like a shot of colour to help anchor it? Look at the end of hallways or in long narrow rooms.

Thoughts on armless chairs

Armless chairs are very popular in today's decor, but they can be a decorating challenge when it comes to table selection.  What I like about armless chairs is what actually causes the problem using them- no arms!  End tables which usually range from 24 to 26 inches or zooming up as high as 30 inches look cumbersome with them. The table between the two chairs below towers over the chair seats and you have to reach up to place anything on the table.  This table would be better suited to the side of the sofa.

BHG

While there are several ways to integrate armless chairs  into your decor, my best advice  is to organize them in a pair around a coffee table.  That eliminates the need to have a side table.  

houzz
The long narrow coffee, table which I have a serious love affair with, helps to solve the problem of functionality in this room.  Wherever you sit you have a place to lay down a glass or a book. 

Laura Manning Bendik

At first glance this room looks well decorated  The colour scheme supports the dark accents, the drapes are interesting as are the two cylinder coffee tables. When you examine it in terms of functionality it could be improved . This is the same set up  as in the previous shot but it  doesn't work as well because  you cannot reach a table if you are sitting in one of the chairs.  The problem could be solved by moving the chairs in closer to the tables and pulling out the end table to provide table space for the left chair.  For prime functionality a square coffee table would be the answer in this room. 

 

BHG

This is a great nesting coffee table for solving design issues. Just pull out the bottom one and everyone seated will be happy.  Isn't this a beautiful, refreshing colour scheme?  I want to nestle up against the pillows with my book. 

Colvin Design

Another great design that is totally functional. Let the younger folk sit on the bench; I'd head for a chair with a back!

 Marie Burgos Design

This chair is tucked away in a bedroom corner and works well because it serves a totally different purpose. It is not meant for lounging, but if you need a place to lay something the bureau is within reach. 

  usona

If you have a chaise which is armless or you are placing a table on the armless side I recommend following the same guidelines as choosing a coffee table. Keep the table a little lower than  the height of the seat.

 BHG 

 The proportions of this table work well . In the absence of the tulip chair a round table would soften the rectangular form of the chair. My that sure is a vibrant blue on the walls! I know an adventurous person lives there. Boring me would have chosen a soft navy.  

And after all that discussion I have to admit that I do not have an armless chair.  How about you?  Have you seen an arrangement of armless chair and table that you liked?