I can’t leave well enough alone

This is our entry way. It was fine but I’ve been itching to paint the doors black. I’d been resisting this because black doors are de rigueur right now and I try to avoid trends. But then I realized I was being a stupid hipster and it’s okay to follow trends sometimes. It’s just paint.

So I painted the doors here and in the kitchen and I freaking loved them.

But then I started looking at the paint job in here and how the previous owner didn’t even cover the old orange paint in the area between the front door trim and the coat closet trim. I started to get itchy to repaint the walls. Thanksgiving won’t be perfect if I don’t repaint the entryway!

Greg was like, “Wait, what, you’re painting again? I thought you were all done.” and I was like, “La la la, MORE PAINT FUMES HOORAY!” I had pinned this image a while back onto my “awesome paint colors” board. It’s ‘Peaceful Night’ by Behr.

Image from Design*Sponge

I went to Home Depot and grabbed a gallon because I was like, “Oh, it will be so awesome I’ll want to use it everywhere!” Without testing it first. Do you see where this is going?

Uh, that’s not the same color. I know, Internet browsers, photography filters, blah blah, I should have tested the color first. Because it’s electric cobalt blue. Cobalt blue is having a moment, so our entry way is totally on-trend but it doesn’t really fit with the color scheme of the rest of our house.

I ran to Ikea and bought the largest natural wood frame I could find and threw a Fatsia japonica leaf in it (think it will last until Thanksgiving?) and tried to break up the blue with some scavenged artwork. No dice, it’s still crazy blue. So we’re going to have to repaint it. I don’t hate the color (as I’m sitting here I’m realizing it’s very similar to LeAnn’s garage, which looks amazing) but it stands out from the rest of our house. We employ a pretty consistent color value throughout our house and this is off the charts in comparison.

If you’re in love with this color and want the almost-gallon I have, just let me know. It’s all yours. And then I am not allowed back at the Home Depot for at least a month.

Comments

  1. Picardy Project Avatar
    Picardy Project

    OMG I LOVE THE DOORS!!!! Those look awesome!

    I agree, the foyer paint color is super bright and it doesn't necessarily go with the "color story" in your house, hahahaha 🙂 That's how I felt about the first TV room color I painted – pretty, but not for our house. Repainting is easy peasy 🙂

  2. Scott Weber Avatar
    Scott Weber

    wow…that's a huge difference…why is it so hard find a paint color you like..ugh? I'm the opposite…I paint swatches on the wall…and leave them for a month or so…very chic! Am I lame…I had no idea black doors were cool now…but they do look great 🙂

  3. LeAnn Locher Avatar
    LeAnn Locher

    Well you know, Frida Kahlo would love it. But you're right. It's not at all the color from your color board. But you know what? I love the doors. LOVE.

  4. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Why can't things look like they look on the Internet? Why doesn't my garden look like Hayefield? Or yours? Sigh!

  5. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Thank you! I love the doors too. The upside is that this is a very small room, so I can whip out a new paint job in a day. But why did I buy a gallon without testing first?!?

  6. jess crawford! Avatar
    jess crawford!

    I admit, I might have laughed out loud at the photo of that blue. I apologize. But what a blue!!! And echoing everybody else — I love those black doors!!

  7. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    No apologies necessary; it's an eyesore. 🙂

  8. Anne Avatar
    Anne

    The doors look SO GOOD! I love them. I would have done the same thing you did with the paint – the pic you pinned is gorgeous and I would've just thought, Oh, it'll look different once it's on the walls. Testing is so annoying! But, as you have proved, worth it. I think I'm going to have to break down and get some paint samples for our bathroom because I just cannot decide on what color grey is The Right One.

  9. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    How could you ruin Thanksgiving like this?

  10. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    LOL. I also fucked up the coffee table. Everything is ruined!

  11. Ricki Grady Avatar
    Ricki Grady

    I can go you one better. I bought a gallon of paint that was supposed to be a tasteful taupe. A friend of my son's was staying with us and wanted to help out, so I left him with the paint can (unopened) and a brush and went off about my business. It was quite a shock when I returned to a navy blue wall. I must admit it kind of grew on me.
    Like everyone else, I love the black doors, but, sorry to say, thought they were just about perfect with the wall color you started with.

  12. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Oh no! Was the can mislabeled? I really liked the old color too. I just wish they'd done a better job putting it up. 🙁

  13. Audrey Butera Avatar
    Audrey Butera

    Um…I have totally done that. Instead I now spend way too much money on sample cans trying to get the perfect color. At least your entry way isn't that big. The color in the photo from your pinboard is lovely.

  14. Lynn Avatar
    Lynn

    Love the doors – what is the name of the black? From Home Depot also?
    oilbased? Thanks.

  15. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    It's Benjamin Moore's Onyx, which is water based. I got it in the semi-gloss sheen. It's beautiful paint!

  16. Skye Avatar
    Skye

    the blue is surely large and in charge 🙂 Love the black doors-inspires me to paint our back door black

  17. Sara @ Russet Street Reno Avatar
    Sara @ Russet Street Reno

    Ugh, I'm shaking my fist at the sky for you with that redonk paint color! I hate when photos lie…..

  18. casacaudill Avatar
    casacaudill

    We ran into the same problems with Behr's blue color palette. In the end we went with Distance, which photographed nearly teal in another blogger's house, but is a moody, steel blue in our home.

  19. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Huh. That's a bummer that you got an off color but I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one this is happening to.

  20. casacaudill Avatar
    casacaudill

    The moody, steely blue is actually the color we were going for. Strangely all of the samples I bought first that matched that description showed up more like what you ended up with. I tried Distance on a whim and was pleasantly surprised, but I'm loathe to recommend it to anyone looking for steely blue because elsewhere it's teal.

  21. Leslie @ NE Portland Bungalow Avatar
    Leslie @ NE Portland Bungalow

    Just catching up on blog reading. Our dining room is "seaworthy" by Sherwin Williams and looks a lot like the inspiration photo. PS, I love the black- especially in the kitchen. Trend, schmend. It looks good.

  22. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    Ooh, I'll have to check that color out. Thanks!

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