It’s here! It’s here! We finally finished the front door painting project and you might be surprised at the outcome. Let’s re-fresh your memory on how this project started. As a part of the You Vote, We Create project, painting the front door was project #2. Remember this Youtube video of me revealing the project and saying quirky things like “It’s all about the front door baby.” Even the kids laugh at that part and I was not trying to be funny. That’s video for you! Anyways, the options were basically to paint the front door red or green.
You voted and picked green! Who would have known that green would be the winner? So I moved forward with picking a green color. I thought I had the correct green picked out but quickly learned that I didn’t. You see I failed to mention some pertinent information when you voted. My shutters are green! Basically, to make the green work, I had to match it perfectly to the shutters. But then there would be no pop of color. Therefore, picking a final green paint color for the front door proved difficult.
Within a few days, Brandon said that I should paint the door red. I quickly turned him down saying that “Everyone voted for green and I really wanted to make green work. Plus, red is overrated.” After many green samples and consulting magazines, Pinterest, and more, I determined that maybe Brandon was right. Maybe I would have to veto the voter’s decisions and go red for the front door.
The only red I knew I could purchase, that was a true red, was Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Emperor’s Silk. But how would chalk paint hold up on an exterior door? I was pretty sure that the paint didn’t need a sealing finish on it too. In exterior settings, chalk paint is to be cured by the heat or sun. My local Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist, Tammy Malbrough, at Nouveau la vie Designs, is always super-knowledgable and always answers my questions. She’s even the one who turned me onto the color, Graphite. That’s what I used for this chair makeover project and painting the fireplace. Tammy confirmed that I would not need any wax on the exterior surface. Off to paint the front door red!!!
Immediately, I knew Brandon was right! Red was the perfect color for the front door! It provides an accent to the already green shutters and beige/yellow house color. Even though I wanted to make the green work, it just didn’t work. And, yes, I did try samples before the vote, but when it came down to it…red was perfect!
This magnolia wreath from Kirkland’s is the perfect wreath, for now, for this bright, red, front door. The green in the wreath helps to tie everything together. Additionally, the healthy (for now), ferns on the wine barrels sit on each side of the door. We’ve been getting so much rain lately, I haven’t had to water them. I simply place them on the front porch stairs and let the rain water them. That’s how much it’s been raining.
Some projects I may have to veto the decision of the community because it’s just a better decision. You vote for your favorite option but I can veto that option and move forward with what is best in the space. Sometimes when you get knee-deep in a project, you realize that you have to make different design decisions that you previously thought you had figured out.
That was the case with our front door. We also painted the back door Annie Sloan Chalk Pain – Emperor’s Silk. You can see it over on Instagram real soon. Be sure to follow The Holliday Collective on Instagram.
What do you think? Was red the best color for the front door? Let me know in the comments below.
-Crystal
8 Comments