It is said, “the eye is the window to the soul”. It is a biblical reference to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount where he taught his disciples that the eye is the light of the soul. I believe the front door is the window to the heart and soul of the home. Not to mention the first impression.
Finding a suitable front door or doors for Pheasant Run was one of the first challenges of our renovation. Because it felt like literally two very different homes smushed together, it was confusing for people to know which was the primary front door; the 100 year old, beveled glass door, on the covered porch of the old farmhouse which faced west, or the very plain, nondescript (boring) double doors also on a covered porch that face north.
The obvious confusion was apparent when we found ourselves constantly playing “Ring Around the Rosies” with the pizza delivery guys. Which, by the way, is a staple during renovations!
We wanted the new doors to serve both as a warm inviting entrance to the house that could frame the unique modern staircase, as well as enhance a very dark and uninviting foyer. We considered a modern style, large, Pivot door. Mostly because Curtis had found a great company for our previous Mid-Century Modern home. But it just didn’t feel like it blended with the very farmhouse exterior. We knew we wanted a modern flare to the house but weren't sure how to achieve it with the front doors.
One of my go-to design advisors, and friend, Brandi Newton, sent me a picture of blue double doors that she had pinned and I instantly fell in love. I even loved the idea of painting them blue. We ultimately settled on Sherwin Williams Naval Blue.
One of our other go-to advisors and friends, Devan Thompson, owner of Harrow Construction llc, referred us to Mike Taylor at Peak Glass who was able to find us the exact doors in the picture. Within days Mike texted me the blueprints of the doors. They were great to work with and the doors arrived at the warehouse on time. There was a slight miscommunication on the pick up time and because we didn't connect, they delivered them right to our home, free of charge. I do love a local company that understands the value of great customer service.
The doors came pre-hung and primed and an excellent framer (Joshua) with Harrow Construction installed them. Lucky for me, Curtis is a great painter and we own a quality spray gun. Little know secret... 20 years ago we owned a franchise of Bathcrest a bathtub resurfacing business and Curtis was a pro at resurfacing bathtubs. Who knew?
My favorite features of the front doors:
1. Lots of light in what used to be a very dark foyer.
2. Windows in the doors have a very farmhouse feel but make the modern staircase visible from the porch, which adds that modern feeling.
3. The Naval Blue paint color added a POP to the gray siding and white trim.
