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I Have a Door Dilemma: Can I Get Some Help Please?!

I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying “the devil’s in the details.” And while I hate that saying, I understand the meaning quite well.

My present dilemma: interior doors.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about my interior doors. Since my tiny little condo is so…well…tiny, I don’t have many! Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, three closets…you get the picture. I also don’t have many windows. That means that when the doors to the bedrooms (or, the bedroom and the office) are closed, the hallway is incredibly dark.

I’ve wanted to remedy this by replacing our cheap hollow-core doors with doors that have glass in them, and then etching the glass (or using the etching spray) for privacy. I was so inspired yesterday to see Layla and Kevin’s door makeover at The Lettered Cottage.


(Be sure to visit to see the whole before and after. It’s remarkable!)

That’s exactly the idea I want to use! I have also been incredibly inspired by the oh-so-talented Joni of Cote de Texas, in particular, this design that she shared a few months back where she painted all of the interior doors black.


(You’ll definitely want to see this home that Joni completely transformed.)

I love the idea of the black doors…or maybe dark brown. Anyway, I want to combine those ideas: the glass panel and the dark paint.

So I started looking around for some ideas online. Of course, there’s the very traditional option, and I could scour my local ReStore to see if they have any available for a reasonable price:

A not-so-traditional option, but I think I could make this out of a hollow-core door. Hmmmm….

Another non-traditional door, but also one that could be made from a hollow-core door.

But here’s the problem:

The very first door you see in my tiny little hallway is this:

I can’t stand this little partial door. Of course, it’s where the air conditioner is, and I know many, many homes have this, but generally it’s not so front-and-center. So if I go with my idea of the beautiful doors with glass panels, AND paint them a beautiful black or chocolate brown, what the heck do I do with this thing? Does it get painted too? It’s an eyesore, and I really don’t want to bring more attention to it, but I’ve learned that ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.

I know the perfect answer is out there somewhere! If you hold the answer, please don’t be stingy with the info!

Edit: As it turns out, all I needed to do was have lunch with my wonderully brilliant mom for the answer to my door dilemma! 🙂 She suggested that I paint the door, the trim around the door, and the vent the same color as the wall to make it “disappear”. Then proceed with my plans for gorgeous doors on my bedroom and bathroom. I think that’s fantastic! Such a simple idea. Now why didn’t I think of that!? What do you think?

UPDATE:

I came up with a different idea for the door, and it’s finished! You can click here to see I transformed it

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17 Comments

  1. I have that same ugly little door too! I didn't have a suggestion for you because I didn't know what to do with my door…but I love your mom's idea. I hope you post pictures when you're done. 🙂

  2. Another idea, maybe off the wall… Change out the hinges for internal ones, perhaps a piano hinge, then use the trim as your frame and make it into art. Perhaps a giant monogram, vinyl saying, etc..

  3. Ooohhh…Aimee, that's a good idea, too!!

    Wow, two great ideas now…and I couldn't even come up with one idea on my own! lol

    I'll definitely post pics when I'm done.

    (And Mom, I'm glad you approve of your own idea.) 😀

  4. I'm with everyone else! I like the idea of painting it out the same as the wall. I'm not sure where it is in relation to everything else on the wall but is it a space that you could actually hang art ON so that it seems even more like there's just a wall behind it? And, while the depth of the art wouldn't HIDE the door knob, it would help disguise it somewhat. LOVE your door ideas!
    pk @ room remix

  5. PK, I love the idea of combining the two ideas: painting it out the wall color, and then hanging art ON it.

    Because my place is so small, I really don't have much wall space for artwork, photos, etc., so this idea will solve that problem as well.

    Now I'm anxious to get started!

  6. Interior doors are pretty tricky when your home is pretty small, dark, or maybe your hallway is small and doing some sort of decoration on it would be out of the question. I like your idea of replacing the doors with ones that have a window in them so light could show through. I recently went to a friend's loft and feel in love with the entire place. Each roommate had their own bedroom with two of the walls that were actually doors with panels of glass in them. For privacy they have curtains they can close on the inside of the room, as well as blinds. It's really cute, and convenient to let light in when they want. All they have to do is pull their curtains aside.

  7. I would paint it like your mom suggested and then hang a mirror over it. A mirror will bring in the light and disguess your gimpy door.;-)

  8. I would paint it black, try to cut out part of it and insert a piece of etched glass, like you talked about. Then I would hang a small framed oval mirror, by a crisp satin ribbon. Then, at the bottom I would get a vinyl "welcome" sign to put on the door, like this one http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32920416 Then, I would change the door handle to something like this http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg8/R-100244322/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

  9. why not make the door into a feature.. get a recess door and fit downlighting.. and use it to hold plants, etc. they can look really nice!

  10. I like your idea on what to do with the door. But instead of trying to make the vent "disappear" by painting it (which can work to some degree but will not totally) I would get a pretty, decorative vent cover. We have a few in our house that are original to the house, built in 1906, and they are just such a beautiful detail. I am sure you could find one at a reclaimed building materials store for not much — or there are pretty options online too, although as a bargain hunter I'm not sure you'd take that easy way out!

  11. Another idea, maybe off the wall… Change out the hinges for internal ones, perhaps a piano hinge, then use the trim as your frame and make it into art. Perhaps a giant monogram, vinyl saying, etc..

  12. I have that same ugly little door too! I didn't have a suggestion for you because I didn't know what to do with my door…but I love your mom's idea. I hope you post pictures when you're done. 🙂

  13. Yes! You're mom is right! You'd be surprised what a little paint can do to make that door 'disappear', or at least not stick out. I've done a lot of home-improvements,  think neutral colors!