An Ode To My New *Old* Entryway

When I first moved into my home in 2013, I developed a soft spot for the front door.

Complete with a janky storm door, it was original to the home and perfectly and in tact. It had this thin strip of retro bubbled glass down the centre, a circular knob, and a silver mail slit underneath, to boot.

Inside the entry, glass tile lined the wall and “terra cotta” vinyl peel and stick flooring covered the entry pad. The ceiling light was still the an original crystal fixture and the walls were bordered with wallpaper along the ceiling.

I didn’t love much about the original home, but I did love the original door.

Even though it had a sticky close, and even though opening the door meant opening the main door one way and the storm door the opposite, I had a soft spot for it. I can still remember turning the key in the lock the first day I got possession like it was yesterday. It was literally the doorway to a new chapter. One where I lived on my own and walked my neighbour’s dog, Boo.

Then I got my own pup Piper, and a new job, and new furniture, and life chugged along.

As with almost everything in my home, I first gave the door and entryway a mini-update with paint. 

And although it was cute and sentimental, two thing is was not was safe or functional. The lock was just a push button and it let in the worst winter drafts.

So once I was able to swallow replacing it altogether (which for me cost more than usual given the strange corner returns and door dimensions of all of my doors), I hesitated.

It sounds silly, but I loved the original door.

So what did I do? I basically duplicated it (minus the storm door).

Normally when people spend money on a new door, the aesthetic upgrade has a lot to do with it, but for me, it wasn’t really the case!

This new door matches almost perfectly to the original door, with a few tweaks: I had to place the order while I was in Thailand, so my partner Mike measured it out and designed it for me (and yes, he knocked it out of the park)!

He chose the Iron Ore colour–which is slightly more muted and matte than old blue–as well as a the brushed nickel lever and hardware. My only request (other than aping the design) was to get vertical reeded glass to match the window nearby and to offer privacy.

Life has this tendency to go on, and while life has changed for the better, I still love that Boo walks by with his owner like he did years ago with me. And like it did with Boo, while the door changed, in a way it still feels like the same door I had when I first got the place.

Hope you liked this happy little home update!

x, S