Dudes! We’re renovating our dream house, an old mercantile store build in 1928! Follow along from the beginning here!
Hey hey!! Man have I missed you guys! Court and I have been traveling the last week and 1/2 and are finally home and settled. Progress at the Merc rolled on while we were gone. All of the giant boulders from the concrete cutting were hauled away, the plumbing was put down and today the concrete was poured to fill the trenches and the back bedroom! I was honestly terrified that I was going to get back and the framing would be done. I know its weird to worry about too much progress happening but I didn’t want to miss anything!
I just got info from my contractor that the first of many design decisions is due and I’d love your help! We need to decide on our front doors (3 to be exact!) I’ve scoured the internet trying to find inspiration and I know you design geniuses have got some opinions so lets get into it!
Here’s a little refresher on what we’ve got happening.
The Merc currently looks like this:
This is a rough rendering of what it will look like when its all said and done.
3 front doors that all need to be amazing. The problem is that I can’t spend $20k on doors, so its time to get creative!
This is the style of door that I keep coming back to. I LOVE the heavy moulding.
Originally I was planning on doing them all black but after diving into the world of amazing doors (check out the #ihavethisthingwithdoors) I think they might need to be different colors….If they are they’ll have to go with black trim and each other without being too overwhelming.
I think a mail slot is a must.
And a knocker. Obviously.
I’ve toyed around with the idea of buying a basic door and fancying it up but I haven’t found one with a panel style that I love, and even if I did who knows if it will be the right size for our openings. My contractor thinks that it might be a good move to go custom. What are your thoughts? Have you bought a custom door before? How did it work out for you? Have you seen my dream doors anywhere?!
I love doors with lots of molding. I would price out custom as well as buying outright. Sometimes custom isn’t as $$$ as we think. I personally think the Merc would look best with black doors like the picture you have above. If you used other colors it could get too busy with the white texture, red brick, black trim and wood garage doors. But it’s your baby so do what feels best for you.
I love the heavy molding, but I think black would be the best color choice to fit in with the overall look of the Merc. I think a colored door would be TOO MUCH and draw your attention off of the entire building
Woah, pull back on the colored doors! They’re beautiful, but you can always paint the interior side of the door colored and let the outside be black. Or do you have any side doors? Colors would be great! You’ve got a cool exterior vibe going on right now, multi-colored would push you into circus vibes. Additionally, I would definitely think your home was a store front trying to attract my business with colored doors. Of course, it’s your house so PLEASE do what you want – these are just a reader’s opinions. 🙂
Also, have you checked salvage yards? I see cool doors like this all the time, but always in reclaimed inventory.
Yep, just say no to colored doors in this instance. You have a lot going on on this side of the building. Colored doors would read trashy and compete with what’s already gorgeous on that side.
I just pulled the trigger on custom doors and it was worth it! The price made me feel bad about myself but the doors are so pretty and so substantial and make me happy everytime I open one of them. My vote is also on black but you do you ?
I’ve been reading your blog for years, but this is my first time commenting! I really love the molding on the doors, so classy and beautiful! I would personally go with black, it allows the other features (brick/wood) to shine, but they are still a statement piece on their own. I also love the idea of the knocker and mail slot…maybe a kick plate too? Maybe just on your actual front door people would walk through, to differentiate that one from the others? If you HAD to have color, maybe a deep navy blue, with brass accents? Would look beautiful against brick and wood accents! I don’t know anything about custom doors, I too, would be afraid of $$$, but I loved the comment about salvage yards! It would be a fun hunt, in any case!
PS, I was in St George visiting family at the beginning of the summer and we drove down a street and I was like “wait! That’s The Merc!” I was so excited to see it in person! Such a beautiful street and setting! I love watching along the process, thank you!
I think the black looks great, and I definitely wouldn’t do different-colored doors, seeing as there is a lot going on visually in the front of the Merc, but maybe one color, a really gorgeous cool-tone turquoise or sapphire blue to contrast with the red brick. Or if you go custom, depending on the wood your door is made of maybe a stain?
Oh I agree with this, while I LOVE a good fun colored door I think that either just choosing one fun color or black is the way to go. I’d do the fun different colors on the inside edge (or the interior side) so you see it when the door opens but it’s hidden when it’s closed. LOVE the heavy moulding in the first photo!!
I’m going to go against the grain and say that I think the door should be painted in colors. I don’t know if I would do three different colors but if you painted all three doors either cobalt, Emerald, or teal, I think will be stunning. You have an unusual home, you might as well make it a stand out. The landscaping that you do in front of your house could pull in those colors if you picked the plantings to coordinate with the doors.
I can’t wait to see the final result!!
Color, Color and more Color! Go for it! Perhaps even all different! Enjoy!
I don’t have a strong opinion about for colors, except/unless you could use color to highlight the only door you want strangers to use. So the door to your house and the other door are black, but the door to your office is a color? Maybe it would be less confusing that way.
Exactly what I was going to say. I love how the black doors look in the rendering. But personally, if one of them is going to be a public entrance then I’d want that one to really stand out.
Hmmm…why don’t you build the doors? 2×4’s, a kreg jig, wood filler, moulding…and viola!
of course – your house, do what you want! but since you asked for input…i’m not sure on colors either. well, i think one color would be good. like all three doors the same color. i’m imagining it all getting a little too much if they were all different colors, even if they’re the same door style. ya feel? but black would be perfect too. whatever color, i think all the same would look awesome. loving all those styles you showed! i know we’ve searched at places like ReStore, etc for house stuff like windows and doors, and while you can find great things if you search, they’re often hard to match with the sizing you need. especially with a special project like the Merc. but it couldn’t hurt to look if you’re up for it, i reckon. good luck!!!!!!!
I like the look of the black doors. It is just paint, so if you’re craving a change, paint them! If you hate it, paint it black again. I like the heavy moldings, but I think a window door is more old timey and Merc-like. People entering a business like to see in and view the goods before they even open it. You can always frost it for privacy.
I would think a salvaged mail slot would be very easy to find, with a mail catcher on the inside.
I would spring for the custom doors; they’re more expensive, but it’s also one of the key elements on the exterior. You won’t be changing out your door every season. As for color, I’d personally do 3 the same color, whether you do black or color. You have such a neutral backdrop that you could really go hog wild.
If you do decide on black, you could always paint the side of the doors in a bright color, ads a little pop whenever someone opens the door, but it doesn’t overwhelm.
I’m LOVING that little pop idea!
I have a red door, after dreaming of one for YEARS, and I love it. Do you have a ReStore in your area? Sometimes you can find amazing treasures there and they definitely carry doors (it’s where we got ours!). Sometimes they run sales to get overstocked items cleared out. Our 72″ soaker tub was on sale for $50 there. It can be hit or miss, but it’s always worth checking.
i dunno. i love that millennial pink door –the Farrow and Ball one. i actually think that would be a gorgeous color that would enhance and complement the rest of the front facade. i don’t know about it on all three doors, but one might be gorgeous. darker colors that aren’t black would, I think, compete, though. and blues, teals and reds seem less modern in the wrong way.
You have the style and the eye to do colored doors. I think you can pull it off. I’m not sure about all three being a different color though. I love the heavy moulding and color of the first door and the last door. The color stands out on both but is not so o intense that it will glow. Good luck with your decision.
Yes to heavy molding. Classic black to the doors. You could add fun knockers to spruce them up but I think the color would distract from the classic design of the building.
I’m in agreement for black heavy molding doors, but also like the window in the door so you can see in before opening it. I too have a black door with brass kick plate and brass knocker and looooooooove it!
I love colored doors. With that said, I don’t think the door to your main house should be colored. You are right on the street and with having a store/office in it as well, it light confuse people. I would keep the main door black and have the side doors colors. Also, I would be careful with the mail slot, people can and will peek through it (creepy) and they will shove things into in that aren’t mail (gross). Maybe a faux mail slot?
I love the colorful doors! The building is pretty simple looking so I think it could handle color. We have two doors in the front and a garage door and I painted them all three different colors. It looks awesome! We get so many compliments! COLOR for sure!!! 🙂
Black doors would look best imo. ❤️
Does home depot have some *almost* perfect stock doors that you could gussy up with a bit of trim and a miter saw? You might be able to get the look of a custom door for the cost of trim
I love the different colored doors but the pics in your examples all have pretty neutral backdrops. I think it might detract from the other elements of the house if you did them all a drastically different color. That being said, I still think you could do almost any color. But I would probably do the same on all the doors. Or I think it would look cool to choose one color but do 3 different shades of it, one deep, one medium, one light, and do each door a different version of the same color. That way they’d all feel different but still flow together nicely. Or do the middle door black or neutral and something more colorful on the two sides? Idk, but I’m sure whatever you come up with will be awesome!!
I would consider doing the 2 doors that lead to the living area in one color and the door that leads to the commercial space a brighter color to draw attention to where you customers should enter.(If I am remembering properly). I would hate to be trying to figure out which door I was to enter for the commercial space. I think it might be worth going custom. Modifying the standard door could be just as costly in the end as the custom version. Can’t wait to see what you decide!
I don’t know. I think you could do different colors. The store front already looks like 3 separate spaces. Maybe not crazy bold colors but maybe muted colors like the Farrow and Ball. Maybe even 3 colors from the same swatch for harmony. Also, as someone hopeless with directions it might be nice to be able to tell people to “go to the (pink or yellow or green) door” instead of having 3 identical doors?
That being said I do think 3 doors of the same color would also be really nice too.
I’m leaning towards a colored door in the middle of that brick and black for the other two. That way you can have a color pop to play with.. There’s a strong “old mission” feel to the architecture – maybe play into that with doors that are carved?
My only comment is that a mail slot gets REALLY annoying because every time you come home after mail is delivered you are walking on it. Plus it scatters EVERYWHERE! I resorted to a mounted envelope style mailbox right outside my front door and LOVE it.
There is a place called Urban Ore in Berkeley, CA that does architectural salvage and they have an entire warehouse of vintage doors that are surprisingly reasonable prices. Perhaps there are architectural salvage spots around you?
I recently visited Dublin, Ireland where there are many colored doors on older homes in the city. The story is that since so many of the buildings look alike, the Irish painted their doors bright colors so that when one comes home drunk, they can recognize their own door! I think you’ll be good staying away from the colored doors!
I like the idea of the door on the brick being maybe a light color/neutral and the other two being black.
Maybe I’m late to the game, but the outside (ESPECIALLY with the “Santa Clara Mercantile Co” lettered above) looks like a really cool store. A store that people might walk into. By mistake. But still walk into. Is there a way the doors could scream “THIS IS A PRIVATE RESIDENCE”? But yes, all black. Be classic, not crazy.
Instead of doing different colours on each door, have different doors! I don’t think any of the inspo photos would look out of place next to each other, so you could have each door a slight variation on a “theme” (thick moudings), but keep them all the same colour for some continuity. I love Black doors in general, but think that The Merc (and you!) could pull off Emerald green as well. That would make it easier if you were trying to source them from a salvage yard, because what are the chances that there would be three doors all the same.
Is there a salvage warehouse or ReStore in your area? We’ve had pretty good luck finding AMAZING vintage doors for like $5-$50 in the past.
Hi! Wondering if you can tell us which program you use to render design ideas/layouts? Thanks! Lori
To bad the brick doesn’t go all the way across on the left (when facing the building.) Its kinda busy with the way it’s broken up. Is there any way to add brick just to the left so the entire lower side of the building is all brick? I know it won’t match the older brick but maybe you could distress it somehow. If not then I say all black doors for sure. How exciting!!
What if you just did the middle door a color and then the two outside doors black? That would still lend it a touch of fun and a touch of respectability!! Plus with the two black ones flanking then it should look balanced.
I LOVEEEE THE ORANGE DOOR!! I love the old time feel of this. Would really compliment The Med !!!
I think the only way I would do three different colors is if there were subtle differences in each door from each other, in an hombre affect.
Can you give sources for the inspo doors? The second and third to last look so familiar and it’s killing me!
I’d keep the outside of the door black and do all modified heavy molding colored doors on the inside ? Yup that’s what I would do.