What's Old is New Adds Architectural Interest

One of the things I like to do is use things that have character and add architectural interest to a space. Incorporating these items into your existing space is easiest done before you start that remodel or pour that slab because you can tailor the space to fit the item. That being said,I was almost too late when I ran across an old front door for my new house, and not because of the door but because of what came with it...








I found a front door unit for about $475, it had a door, two side lights and one arched window that spanned the whole unit. I was only looking for the door, but the other pieces came with it so we made a few changes to the framing so that I could incorporate these pieces. The unit was not that old, probably from the 60's or 70's, but it was solid mahogany. I paid a furniture refinisher to strip off layers and layers of paint, this was way out of my league! Then I had the two side lights made into doors for my study, they don't lock but oh well.

The arched divided light window I had installed over my master tub, it's not a very good picture, but you get the idea. Since we are required to install energy efficient low-E windows, I had the window company make an arched window without any divides and that was installed on the exterior. When it was time to trim out the house, I had the carpenter place the wood divided light window in front of the low-E window. (This window looks much better when there are these gorgeous pink flowers on the tree you see in the background.)

On a recent remodel for Lois and Bob, I found an old solid wood 8' door, it was just painted ugly brown and cost $175. I had priced out a new solid core door at over $1,000, so we were saving big bucks here! (Bob was super happy, too!) And even though we had to pay for heavy duty spring loaded hinges, and a door jamb that came in three separate pieces, plus pay the carpenter to hang the door, all in all we saved a lot. I painted the door to give it some pop, and this is how it came out:


I found the door before we started the remodel, so no surprises. We just started working on the master suite and I found four old doors to use in the space, two for the entry into the bedroom and two that we will hang on a track for the master "spa" area. Updates to follow...

Faux Wainscoting

What do you do when the walls in your 1/2 bath show water drips and you love flat paint?
Install wainscoting and paint it with enamel paint.

For this project, I opted for a faux wainscoting treatment since a real wainscoting would turn this small project into a larger, more expensive project. It's real wood chair rail and real wood panel molding installed on top of sheetrock.

By painting it the trim color, the wainscoting compliments the traditional style of the home, adds architectural interest and makes the bathroom feel larger. Walls and ceiling painted with soft khaki complete the look and take this once shabby 1/2 bath to stylish and chic!

1/2 Bath Before