Simple Steps to a Front Door Upgrade

You know what color always always always looks good no matter the house? A black door. Classic. Elegant. Grown up. There’s something deliciously perfect about a black door. If color is more your thing, a black door provides the perfect background to go crazy with porch-y accessories.

That all said, I have no idea why it took me so long to paint our door. Or why I went down to Sherwin Williams and picked up a few shades of blue to try first. My heart knew what it wanted from the beginning: Tricorn Black. I didn’t even end up trying those other colors. I stole a gallon of paint from our investment property and slapped it up on our door without a moment’s hesitation.

Well, rolled, not slapped. And I didn’t steal, because it was our paint.

The point being, how fabulous is a black door?!?!

Our door was red. Which I like. But I never liked the precise shade of red on our door.

Also of note is the clearly obvious fact that our porch is not big. Actually, it’s quite small.

Ahem, pet peeve moment.

I am about to tear my hair out if I read one more ever-lovin’ Southern home décor blogger (sorry, it’s true) complain about the size of their freaking porches. Argh! Perspective much? Get some, ladies. Not everyone has a porch the size of Alabama, yo. “Oh, I’m so embarrassed that my porch can only fit two benches, 15 man sized plants, 22 oversized lanterns, 57 accent pillows, and everyone from my last family reunion.

Okay, breathe. Take a moment.

The point being, your porch doesn’t have to be huge. Or, heck, even a proper porch… you can have a rockin’ entry to your home with a little color. And a wreath or something. Oh, and a good light!

Like this one:

Andover Pendant Light from Kichler Lighting

Here’s what I did to update the look of our porch:

Paint the door:

You already know the color. Tricorn Black. The previous coat of paint was holding up just fine, so we just rolled the black color right over it. Here’s a close up so you can see exactly how that went on our metal door. There is some texture.

Add a plant:

Is it faux?! YES, it’s faux! I kill a lot of stuff. I don’t mean to. But, look, I just went crazy on my yard and added like 12 new plants, and they are all supposed to remain alive. So I had to simplify somewhere. If my porch were larger I would have another plant on the other side of the door. It isn’t, soooo.

Added a fantastic light:

I have been gradually changing all of the lights in our home, and oh my gosh, does it make a huge, huge difference. So I am very excited to start moving my lighting upgrades to the outside of the house. As with the inside I partnered with Kichler to create this look. I admit, for me part of the draw was the description of how the light is reminiscent of a vintage C-clamp. I mean, what woodworker wouldn’t want that?! But also, I am so in love with this raindrop style glass that Kichler has on a number of their lights. Not only does it look great during the day, it makes some awesome light patterns at night.

Upgraded the door handle and lock:

Honestly, I didn’t think that a keypad lock would change our use of the front area at all. We have been in the habit of entering through the side garage door. But it turns out that not having to dig out keys when you are carrying a ton of stuff (and what mom isn’t always carrying stuff?!) is actually really nice. All of us have started using the front door constantly now…which is sort of creating a new problem since the mudroom is in the back. Clearly the solution is to install a second keypad lock on the other door, right?!

I chose this one in part because it can connect to our Amazon Echo. I’m a bit behind on the whole setting up a smart home thing, but I hope to have that set up soon…ish. But it wasn’t too techy…if that makes sense. Basically, I went here, where they have some lock options broken down nice and simply, and found the lock that fit with what I want. This one is the Schlage Connect, and so far I can heartily recommend it based alone on how easy it was to install.  

Added texture with a rug:

I was a tad chagrined when I saw the same rug on another blogger’s porch recently, but decided to chalk it up to my taste being okay after all. Both the black and white striped rug and the “Hello” mat are from Amazon and are, naturally, budget friendly. 

Added a simple wreath to the door:

With other plants crowding the space I didn’t want to overdo it, so this simple hoop wreath works well. You can get these on Etsy, but you can also pick up a cheap hoop and some greenery at Joann’s and make your own for $9. At least, that’s what I paid – with coupons, of course.

Extend the porch with hanging planters:

I hung two new planters on the outside of the porch, as the area inside was a bit crowded. To my mind it extends the space. It also adds a pop of gorgeous color. Not bad for a couple $20 Home Depot plants!

All of these upgrades took only a few days of non-consecutive, sporadic work. I love how it has turned out, and that it’s the first step in our gradual overhaul of the home’s exterior. Actually, for the money, it is probably the best thing we could have done. So we will leave it on that note – if you want a big bang for your buck, upgrade your front door.

And don’t forget, your porch size is perfect just the way it is.