A Pop of Color

Home improvement projects continue to be an ongoing thing at the Holland House, and I'm really excited about the most recent one that Hank just finished. Our front door/entry way left much to be desired, but figured we could find an easy and inexpensive solution to remedy the problem.  The overall situation was pretty dark and dreary, but I couldn't be more pleased with the result.

Two issues to address:

1- lack of light in the foyer
2- a really ugly colored front door

On a whim, Hank decided to peel/scrape off the privacy film on the windows surrounding the door, making a dramatic difference in the amount of light that came in. That quickly fixed issue #1, and really prevented us from purchasing an entirely new door that would let in a little more light.

Solving the second problem wasn't quite so easy. Hank called one afternoon while making his usual Home Depot Saturday trip, asking what color I had in mind. I said "a light, almost turquoise color". He came home with two samples that weren't even close to what I envisioned, and proceeded to paint two test patches on the front of the door. No dice.

A few weeks went by because we got tied up with other things, and the test patches remained on the front door. It's a shame I don't have a pictures of those. I'm sure our neighbors loved seeing two blobs of funky blue as they drove by. Finally a weekend rolled around where we had some time, so Hank tried again with a paint sample, and nailed the color on this try. He picked up Aquifer by Behr Marquee, and a quick test patch was all I needed to see. It was perfect!

Front door before:

Front door after:

I would have tried to sweep up the pollen, but it would have fallen again before I had a chance to take a picture. Spring in Austin....

I love how an inexpensive project can make such a big impact. We've received so many compliments from neighbors, and just love the fresh new look at the front of our house. What ways have you used color to make a significant change in your home?