October 25, 2009

Closet Door Makeover




The hall to our bedrooms opens at the end of our living/dining room. For years, this has been the view from that room:



I've had pictures on both sides of the hall, but the door at the end of the hall has always bothered me and the pictures on the walls only made the hall seem narrower. So I decided to do something about it. I considered putting curtains over it, but since I'm cheap and lazy efficient, I decided they would always be getting caught in the door, or I would have to spend time opening and closing them to get to the door, and I didn't really care for that look. I also considered putting a large tapestry on the door like I did in the foyer (pictured at end of post) but I couldn't think of a way to finish the edges without nailing trim onto the door. That is still an option if the method I chose doesn't work out over time.

Also, I would have to buy the tapestry, and find one with a large design which wouldn't be easy. I had these pictures, or most of them, so I decided to make a framed collage of the door. I used Command picture hanging adhesive strips to hang the pictures. They really worked out well. On the first picture, I thought I would put a nail also, just in case the strips didn't hold, but it made it difficult to line the pictures up right, and I could get the pictures to fit next to each other perfectly with just the strips.

I did a few the first night, and then covered the floor in front with pillows for the inevitable crashing onto the floor. But it never happened. So I continued with the rest of the pictures.



Most of the pictures are in cheap, lightweight plastic frames. The Command strips only hold three pounds, although there are strips that hold up to ten pounds. Before mounting them to the door, I marked out a 2x7 foot rectangle on the floor (the size of the door) and worked with pictures, finding ones that would fit the space. Then I made some paper templates of the first three pictures to make sure the spacing would work with the hinges and door knob. Still, I ran into a couple of problems and had to substitute a couple of pictures as I put them on the door. One picture that was supposed to be one direction only worked the other direction, so I need to find another picture to put in that frame. A couple of the frames had hanging brackets put on with screws. Those, I simply unscrewed, put the brackets & screws in a little plastic bag and taped to the other side of the door so I'll have them later. Others had sawtooth hangers that were hammered into the frame and kept the picture from hanging flat. Those I turned upside down so the velcro on the Command strips could get a good connection. I think I forgot to take the picture out of a couple and turn them around. Some pictures are up there just because the frame works, and I hope to find pictures I like better to put in the frames, and in some cases, I'll paint the frames too.

I got a kick out of this one, and don't know how I missed seeing it before.

Lifes? I think I'm going to have to do something about that.

After all the pictures were up, I bought a two foot section of door trim, and attached it to the bottom of the door with more Command strips. I painted all the trim a semi-gloss burgandy color (an Oops color from Home Depot), and used brown craft paint to paint the part of the door that shows. The nice thing about the craft paint is that it will scrub off when and if I get tired of this and it has a finish that looks like mat paper. The burgandy will have to be repainted.

I want a couple of round pictures or plaques to put above the doorknob, and other little things to fill in the other exposed door areas, but the hard part is done.



I started this project while Hubby was on his elk hunting trip because I figured he would have a cow if I suggested it. Probably an elk cow, lol. He is a good man, but isn't really open to new ideas or thinking outside the box, and I seldom think inside the box, so I do these things when he is gone, and he usually loves them when he sees them. This one, however, I figured he would hate. Surprisingly, he liked it! So this project is Hubby approved.

Just wait till he hears what I want to do with the master bedroom closet!

Cost of this project (not including any pictures because I have no idea where they came from or how much I paid back then)

Command strips - 7 packages @ $2.89 each, my big ticket item - $21.90 (btw, Lowes was a dollar higher on each package than Home Depot)
Quart of Oops paint - $3.25
Two foot piece of door trim - $1.47
Brown Folk Art craft paint - $1.69
Total cost of project - $28.

Thanks to Susan of Between Naps on the Porch, for hosting Metamorphosis Monday!


Until next time, may you have blessings and a creative spirit,
Marti

This tapestry wraps the corner of our odd-shaped foyer:

15 comments:

  1. Good job on the door make-over! I love it! But how do you keep the pictures from falling off if the door is shut to hard?

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  2. Well, so far the door hasn't been shut hard, just a lot of regular opening and closing. The Command strips hold really well, it sounds like a snap when they go on. On the other side of the door I have a hanging shoe bag/rack and every time I shut the door I hear it thumping against the door, and thought it might knock a picture off, but so far it has held. I've had the pictures on there for about a week now.

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  3. Hi Marti, that's very creative! I would never think to do that as decorating is not my thing (but I'm frugal so I guess it's give or take). :)

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  4. I have a long hall the same as yours, it is nice to see something at the end other then another door,very creative...

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  5. Marti, very clever idea - I love it. It really adds a richness of color. That is too funny about your hubby and new ideas. Some people need to see the project rather than hear the idea, don't they! Linda

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  6. What a clever idea! Thanks for stopping by.

    My backyard was hard work but we love how it looks. I do have the sunroom make over. Maybe I'll post those next Monday. That was another big project. It seems like everything we do is a big project.

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  7. Very interesting idea! It definitely makes much more of a statement at the end of the hall.

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  8. This looks beautiful! I would have never thought of something like this. Well done.

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  9. Great ideal, it completely changed the look of the hall and I love what you did with that tapestry. Thanks for stopping by.
    Sandy

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  10. "lifes"...LOL! I didn't even notice that! I like the door. Looks great!
    ~Karen

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  11. Very creative and it may end up be a safer alternative to being on hallway walls. It provides a great focal point, too. I also love how you wrapped the tapestry around the corner.

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  12. Ingenious! What a clever person you are. Can't wait to see what you post next Met Monday!
    Best wishes, NM.

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  13. What a neat idea, I love it! Thanks for sharing this.

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  14. I think it's great: a focal point at the end of a sight line, classic. Folks will spot it and want to walk down there to look.

    Thanks so much for visiting my blog. How did we find Gordon? Long ago we had 2 little kids, 1 on the way and needed to know what to do. We asked the #1 real estate agent (and saint I might add) if she know anyone who could help us. Gordon was her secret weapon. He staged long before people know what staging was.

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