Yesterday we shared a little ditty on DIYing vs. hiring things out with our busted old sliders as the star. They got stuck, had a broken screen, wouldn’t lock, and were rotting (you can read more about that right here).
Then we decided it was high time that we finally sprung for a set of pretty new french doors that were the same style as the door in our laundry room to keep the house from feeling too hodge-podge. Here’s a process pic during the whole switcheroo…
You can read more about the how and the why on the new french doors here. This post is all about the pictures (especially now that we’re done painting them – well at least one side of them, but more on that in a minute). First here’s a shot of the door after it was all installed. We just needed to paint the trim and both sides of the doors, which came primed but not painted.
So we taped off the trim and the hardware and John used a small foam roller to apply some Benjamin Moore Advance Paint in Decorators White (the same gallon leftover from this project and Granny’s bathroom cabinet) while I manned the short handled paint brush to get into all the grooves and around all the edges & trim that the roller couldn’t handle. In one afternoon we got one side of them done (the inside) since they only needed three thin and even coats, but we still have to do the outside. Maybe tomorrow…
In the words of Heather from the NY Housewives: Holla!
Isn’t she pretty? Don’t mind the hardware above that purty door, that’s just from the curtains that used to hang there (back when we were trying to hide the rotten parts of our old slider). We did try putting them back on for a hot second, but after seeing it both ways it was a lot better naked, if you know what I mean. But you can see the curtains in this pic that I took to demonstrate the coolest thing ever: when the doors are open, they don’t block traffic in the hallway. Thank goodness. It was hard to picture them before we got them installed, and we assured ourselves that we’d probably only have one door open most of the time (the one on the right) but it’s so nice to know now that they’re in that if we ever want to throw both doors open, the left door doesn’t block the whole hallway or anything. Whew.
And speaking of the little things that make ya happy, take a look at the sexy ORBed hardware. Me-ow.
But back to how we’ll use them. Most of the time we’ll just open this right door to slip in and out…
… but I have to admit that there’s something oddly thrilling about opening them both. It’s just so much openness that we didn’t have with the slider. And thanks to the screen being broken on the old doors, we don’t know what we’re missing (in other words, we don’t yearn for a screen yet since we haven’t used one in the almost-two-years that we’ve lived here, but there’s an add-on screen option for this door that we can later spring for from Home Depot if we change our minds).
Dear Old Slider, you had your day, but man, I won’t miss the front view…
… or the rear view.
New guy’s much better. Let’s call him Frenchie.
And thus ends the french door replacement picture-fest. Isn’t it crazy how a deck that takes months to come together can almost be immediately surpassed by a quick door upgrade? And once we stain/seal the deck, hide that ugly-riffic electric meter, and string some big bulb string lights overhead… well, I think this old alley will be straight up unrecognizable.
What have you guys upgraded that somehow made everything around it feel a little more swanky? You know how sometimes when you fix something up it makes the rest of the room just look bad by comparison? For some reason now I’m convinced that new doors have the opposite effect. Even our old scratched parquet floors look better when they’re next to Frenchie…
Psst- Clara + goats = love. More here.
Shelly says
The door looks amazing! The screen thing is funny, in much of Europe I don’t think they even use them…just pretend you’re Euorpean! haha ;-)
Maribeth says
My boyfriend and I just upgraded our bedroom by giving it a fresh coat of paint. It was a boring khaki color and we went with a gray/blue and white moulding. It’s totally transformed our bedroom and has given us inspiration to do more with our apartment. Oh, and he asked me to marry him while we painted!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw THAT’S SO SWEET!!! Congrats Maribeth. I think that’s the most romantic proposal I’ve ever heard.
xo
s
mel says
The french doors are beautiful but I actually prefer the sliding doors with the narrower frame that show more of the outdoors. I love seeing outside and position all of my chairs to face the outdoors. Very pretty though and a great explanation of making a decision that is really easy to follow.
I am so pumped to try some more things myself at home since my DH works long hours.
I just ordered the pink elephant print from your local artist after scouring your art pages looking for ideas. Also I never though to spray paint black frames white, very clever :)
trish says
Whoa!!! So classy. We have 2 sets of french doors on the front of our 1860’s house and we just love them. So pretty with Christmas trees in front of them in December! Do you have room for a tall skinny one there? You guys are awesome, keep on inspiring!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh never even thought about that! Not sure we have room, but it would be so pretty!
xo
s
Naomi says
Lovely :)
? Naomi {Starry Eyes + Coffee Cups}
Petra from NL says
Looks great! I was just wondering why/how you decided to have the doors open to the inside iso out onto the deck…
IMHO onto the deck would be easier if you do add curtains plus you wouldn’t block the doorways. You would bump into the exterior light though…
YoungHouseLove says
That’s just a code thing. Here you have to have doors open into the house (it’s not only standard, it’s the only way they’ll install them for the warranty to work). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Jenna says
Wow, looks great. All that hard work has paid off. I was wondering if you’d like to string lights between the two walls? A bit like this image:
http://www.houzz.com/photos/364575/HOUZZ-Holiday-Contest–A-Pretty-Backyard-DInner-Party-eclectic-patio-los-angeles
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, exactly! We actually mentioned adding string lights overhead in this post! We’d love to do that!
xo
s
Rebecca says
When we painted out kitchen recently, we got lazy and decided to add a piece of trim about four inches from the top of the wall. We painted that trim board the same color as the wall. We painted the area above it white. This was purely to make it easier to paint the ceiling, but it really helped make the room feel unique. We liked it so much, we did it in other rooms in our house. It is amazing how little things can make a room feel so much fancier.
Kathy says
Lovely. I am a door and window person and your choice is perfect! I, too, love the totally open look…just wow. I have been hesitant to use any of the big box stores for installation…have no idea why, but I’ve just felt safer with an independent. I am thrilled to have another option after your successful door installation.
AND somewhere I read about your Martha Stewart nod and think, THAT Martha, she knows the genuine item when she sees it! Congrats.
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhh- you’re so sweet Kathy! Thanks!
xo
s
Amy @ PaintWineRepeat says
They look even better today! So white and bright and delicious! Are you thinking of putting any blinds on the windows of the doors? Or is there a lot of privacy on that side of the house?
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully that’s a really private side of the house (really far off from the next house, it’s not facing the street so it’s a woodsy view, etc). So for now we like the light that comes in!
xo
s
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings says
LOVE!!!!
Jon and Taylor says
HOLY SMOKES!!! I am convinced that is the BEST $700 that you have spent to date. What a difference! Even the thick trim around it looks amazing.
I may have to make a trip to Home Depot now…..you convinced me that my “sliders” need to go! Although, the french doors will likely be twice the price here in Canada. :(
Kelly says
These look amazing!
A side note- one of the photos in this post made me want a NIGHT TOUR of your house! You’ve done so much with lighting- it would be great to see the whole place lit up a night!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that would be fun!
xo
s
Serina says
GORGEOUS! Yes, I made one little change to my patio and then came on the domino effect of little upgrades to follow. Looks great, can’t wait to see it when y’all get those string lights added!
http://applesforolive.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/patio-perk-up/
YoungHouseLove says
Looks great out there!
xo,
s
Jasanna says
The deck and door have *seriously* spiffed up that area 1000 times! It’s so bright and clean and open! Loooove it. :) And think, in winter when it snows, perfect little play area for Clara if you want to stay warm and she wants to get cold. :)
http://www.munchtalk.net
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I love that idea!
xo,
s
Meaghan says
We are in the process of installing retractable screen doors for our french door in our dining room. I feel like we never keep it open because I don’t want to let bugs in. I’m curious to see what screen option you guys would end up with if you do decide to eventually add screens.
-m
kathy h says
Hi guys! The doors look awesome. We have 3 sets of french doors in our home and love them. We have shutters on the front pair to go with the windows, but on the back, they are just naked. We have been looking at the Phantom Screens for them, but they are pretty pricey…around $700 each. Yikes! So, I am eager to see if you do get them and what kind you get.
Also, I was so excited to see the giveaway this week about the free trip to Richmond, but sadly, when I went to enter at 7 am Pacific time, it was already closed! Would you consider not opening the contest until 7 or 8 a.m. Pacific time to give us West Coast peeps time to enter?
Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry Kathy! Maybe you were checking the contest on Tuesday afternoon after it had been up a while? We always post them at either 10am EST or 2pm EST on Monday every week, so even if they close in around 20 hours (like this week’s did after we posted it at 10am EST) by putting them up at 10am or 2pm EST means they’re up at 7am or 11am Pacific time as you requested (which hopefully gives you lots of time since the fastest anything has closed is over seven hours and they’re usually up a day or even 2.5 full days). Hope it helps!
xo
s
kathy h says
That is probably what happened. Thanks for taking the time to explain. I’m always a little behind :-)
Emma says
Love it!
I have to ask a question here, is there a reason you have them opening in instead of out? We have a lake view and two sets of french doors that open out on to our back patio. Our back patio IS covered for oh 10-12 feet off the doors. I don’t know if you can’t install them going out without a cover? We live in the South and a lot of the houses down here they open out. Maybe it is a Southern thing! While I love our french doors and the view they do really complicate decorating and furniture arrangement. I feel a little disappointed I won’t get any great ideas watching you contend with them since your doors are in the hall!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes here it’s a mandate that doors open in, so it wasn’t a choice for us. They don’t even install the the other way (it would void the warranty) – not sure why (I’ve heard lots of reasons like it’s safer/more secure/harder to break in and even things about how you can more easily escape in a disaster if they open in (so if something falls against the door you can still get out since they open in).
xo
s
maryam says
i know this is a bit late since you’ve been working on the deck for long, but it suddenly occurred to me, because of the shape of the deck space, why didn’t you just opt to finish that off and add square footage to the house and add the deck behind it so that the deck would be open to the air from three sides? sorry this question is confusing but I hope you understand what i mean :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Finishing off the area of the deck would mean we’d lose all that natural light (we have a big french door along with four windows that flood light into two bedrooms and a bathroom) so we didn’t want to lose all that light!
xo
s
Kim says
Is that ceiling light a Petersik purchase or did it come with the house? I would love to know where it’s from. You’ve warned us not to use the nipple ceiling lights so I’m searching for non-nipply, non-outrageous ceiling lights and that seems to be spot on.
YoungHouseLove says
It actually came with the house! It’s an old tiffany glass lamp, so maybe try a place like ebay or search “semi-flush mount tiffany lamp” on google and see what comes up?
xo
s
Tara says
First, I have to say I love your blog and am an avid fan! Second, if you can book tour anywhere near Nashville, that would be AWESOME! Third, we moved into our house about a month ago and have been working furiously to whip it into shape. One change we wanted to make was swapping out the persnickity and dated sliding glass doors for French doors. Because of your post we realized how inexpensive and easy it could be to get exactly what we wanted, so we went to Home Depot, bought the doors, and set up the install! Can’t wait to see what a difference they’ll make to our living room. Thanks for the info and the inspiration!
(PS – As for screens, we will probably DIY the retractable screen option come spring time. Not much point in screens right before winter!)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw so glad! And we’d love to make it out there for an added tour date if the Tour Gods make it possible :)
xo,
s
Michelle says
I LOVE the new french doors!!! It is beautiful!!! What a difference it makes too! We replaced our slider (cheap, basic builder grade) and put in a Pella sliding door. Oh SO much better. We love it. We now have on order, waiting for their arrival, two windows to install. A big picture window and a small window that flanks the patio door. I can’t wait.
Lynnae says
I hope that when summertime comes and you guys throw fun dinner parties; that you take advantage of the narrow space and string lights back & forth between the roof over your deck. Loving the new doors!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that’s on the agenda!
xo
s
Laura D. says
The doors look great! When you were painting them, were you careful not to get too much paint in the crack between the door and the trim, or did you just kinda roll over it and hope for the best? My husband and I added a garage and mudroom (the contractors & workers are finally gone, yay!), but we are in charge of painting and we’re not sure how to tackle the doors themselves without causing the ever-sticking door syndrome from paint that was never cured correctly. We’ve also realized that the previous owners of our home didn’t paint the french doors (they are just primed still), so we may tackle them too while we’re at it!
YoungHouseLove says
I would just tape off anything you’re worried about! I have a pretty steady hand so I just did it slowly and thinly and it looks great!
xo
s
Caroline Leigh says
i loooove the orbed hardware. i have a question. we are renovating our new house and we opened up the floor plan so that the living room, kitchen, and dining room are all open. our (white and gray) kitchen will have brushed nickel hardware, along with brushed nickel pendant lights over the island, which is pretty much in the middle of the room. However, i like the look of orb hardware better for everything else in the house, so my question is do you think it would look good to mix hardware style/color? for instance, a light over the dining room table with orb while nearby the pendant lights are brushed nickel?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I love mixing it! Just have each one repeated a few times (in picture frames, curtain rods, accessories like a vase or bowl, etc) so it all looks intentionally layered.
xo
s
Caroline Leigh says
Thank you!!! p.s. I didn’t say this earlier, but my fiance and I love your blog and avidly follow it…(and I didn’t fill out your survey, so there’s another male that reads your blog!!)
YoungHouseLove says
Woot! Go dudes!
xo
s
Audrey says
Your old sliding door sounds like mine and replacing it with french doors is totally what I’ve been wanting to do, but was afraid to because of the potential cost. Thank you, thank you for sharing this info with us! I am so psyched to look into the feasibility of this now. Our patio door separates our dining room from our deck and french doors would be a beautiful addition, extending the livable space outdoors in the summertime.
Eva says
Hi there, just wondering how your french doors are holding up. We have two yucky sliding doors we want to remove and replace with pretty french doors, but I’ve seen so many bad reviews on french doors purchased from the Big-Box stores (doors sagging, seals breaking, weather stripping failing, etc…) so we keep holding out. Thanks a bunch! Love your new lights BTW!
YoungHouseLove says
Still love them! Hope it helps!
xo
s
Casey-May Davies says
Those doors look absolutely stunning!
Loving the old-fashioned handle.
Casey :)