Mmm, pickles. That will make sense in a minute. But first we’ll show you what John’s sister Emily’s front entryway has looked like for the past three years that she’s lived in her amazing casa (which you can virtually tour here).
And here’s the after, thanks to a new color on the door and some semi-transparent stain on the deck that leads to it (oh yeah and some pumpkins).
Here’s how we landed on the door color and the stain hue. First I came over with a bunch of paint swatches and we held them up to the door to see what would work with the smoky gray color of the house.
We easily narrowed it down to a few favorites (Cornichon, Lagoon, Duck’s Egg, Egg Yolk, and Sultana – all by Martha Stewart).
Then after a bit more deliberation both Emily and her hubby Todd decided they loved Cornichon the best by far. And I must say I agreed. They really wanted their house to look hip and a little funky, so they appreciated that it wasn’t an obvious color that could be found on many doors. It also looked really great with the house color as well as with deep wood tones (since they also planned to go dark with the wood deck that leads to the door).
With the front door color narrowed down, it was time to select the exact hue for the deck, and we all decided on something rich and brown but not too opaque (a semi-transparent stain by Behr called Premium Plus Deck Stain in the color “Wood Chip”).
After all those decisions were reached, it was time for the deck to get power washed, stained, and then for the door to get two coats of semi-gloss latex exterior paint in our favorite Cornichon color by Martha.
We think it really gives off a confident “how YOU doin'” vibe that feels cool and welcoming. And Emily and Todd couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.
So we thought we’d share that quick curb appeal makeover with you guys in case you’re debating a new front door or deck color. It really can make all the difference, right? And now Em and Todd are excited to complete the transformation with a few more details (like more planters, cool house numbers, and a big modern welcome mat). Gotta love a makeover that makes you excited about things like doormats and planters.
Are any of you guys getting ready to paint your house’s exterior or otherwise turn up the dial on your home’s curb appeal? Tell me all about it. Oh and I promised the title would make sense so here ya go: cornichon, the name of the front door paint, means pickle in French. And thanks to my 9th grade French teacher I was in the know from the moment we selected it as our favorite swatch (thanks Madame Cruger-Langer!). Snookie would be proud.
chad says
Everything looks fantastic! Do you know where she found her porch lights? my wife and I have been trying to track down a pair for our midcentury. Great work!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Chad,
She found them so cheaply at a place called lightinguniverse.com. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Michelle F says
ahh!! i love the Sherry’s from Jersey-Jersey Shore’s Snooki-Snooki’s obssessed with pickles-pickle in french six degree’s of seperation thing!!
One more amazing reason why i love this blog!
Jeanne says
Holy Crap! The vitual tour left me speechless. There simply are no words. Totally fab. The closet doors…dreamy. Do you make excuses to visit just so you can go hug the house?
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah it’s pretty much the coolest place ever. We find ourselves there all the time!
xo,
s
Adam says
What a beautifully designed home! The amount and evenness of the natural day lighting is something to be envious of! But my question; it is hard to tell in the photograph exactly what is underneath the deck walkway. Is it a river, a creek, a stream, just a ditch? A low spot in the yard? I think it is the fact that the railing only extends along one side that confuses me, as I can’t decide if it’s a bridge or just an elevated deck. A beautiful approach to the entry, whatever it is.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Adam,
To meet code they had to erect a railing on one side of the deck since it’s about 4 feet above the ground, but it really just joins the driveway and the house since there’s a low spot in the land (so it’s sort of a dry stream, landscaped with rocks). Hope that explains it!
xo,
s
Lindsey says
That’s gorgeous! My husband and I just got done closing on our very FIRST house just moments ago! YAY! We are actually going over to the house now to start painting our hearts out! We are painting the bedroom in Martha Stewart’s Cement Gray.
Dana @ House*Tweaking says
I love pickles and I love this front door! What an uber-stylish extended family you have.
Lonely Wife Project says
How I wish I didn’t live in a neighborhood with an HOA that picks our door colors for us. I would LOVE to do a bright hue.
candace @ thecandace.com says
Love the funky new door color!!! Great choice!
Jillian says
That made such a HUGE difference!
jbhat says
It looks fantastic–great job, guys. And I’m so glad they are going to change out the door mat for a big modern one and add some cool house numbers. They’ve got the great outfit…now to add the perfect accessories to complete the look.
jbhat
Kate says
What an amazing house!!! I absolutely love the modern windows. How did Emily dress them inside? We also have high, skinny windows in our 1956 ranch, so privacy isn’t really a problem but they look so plain without anything on them! Any tips?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate,
Nearly all of Emily’s windows are undressed and amazing since they live on a pretty private corner lot with a gorgeous view of the woods. She does have larger windows that she outfitted with clean white roller shades for that modern look that she loves, but those long skinny windows and the small square ones that you see on the front of her house are all gloriously naked. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Laurie at House to your Home says
What do you know, I just painted my front door a celery green! http://housetoyourhome.com/2010/10/27/a-painted-door-and-a-little-halloween-decorating/. It used to be an ugly fake stained wood! I love the yellow, I love any sort of color that’s not your typical front door color and might I add loving the deck!
Barbara says
Yes, I was going to paint the exterior this year, but we have a really hot summer and then we immediately slam into winter, so it’s been hard to get a good day to do it. Besides, I’m revamping my kitchen now (my blog shows the beginning of it). I can’t wait to do the outside. I think some cement stain will be added too…
Barbara says
PS: I really like the door with all the paint chips on it. That would be a statement in itself!
Holly says
I have something to confess: when I read the title of this post, my first thought was “Sherry’s pregnant”!!!!!! And then I proceeded to read every word very carefully, sure that you were going to spill the beans somewhere in the midst of the post. It was pretty funny when I got to the end and realized it was the paint color you were talking about!!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah, that’s too funny! Nope, there’s definitely not going to be a bun in this oven for a while (both by doctor’s orders and because we’d love to enjoy Clara for a while before adding to the pack).
xo,
s
Jess says
I love the door! My husband and I plan to paint both the front door and the garage door on our townhouse. We’d love to do a really funky colour, but the front door and garage door are very close together (the house isn’t much wider than the garage and front entry area since our main living spaces are on the upper floors). Should we keep the two doors the same colour since they are so close together?
Thanks so much for all the affordable and doable inspiration!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jess,
We actually prefer a front door with some personality, and a garage door that’s classic and less punchy (no matter how close they are). Just make sure your garage door ties into something else (like the shutters, trim, porch color, roof color, etc) so it looks cohesive with the rest of the house and let the front door be the star.
xo,
s
Zoe says
I must say – that looks stunning. A stain can do wonders on anything made of wood! I’ve been staining all of my plain pine (Ikea) furniture – and it gives new life to the furniture. All inspired by your blog, of course!
And regarding exterior decoration, I have always lived in rental properties, on body corporates, so haven’t had much choice regarding the outside. But I don’t mind a shabby looking outside, and then making a real impact with our interior. The surprise when people visit for the first time and see how lovely the inside can be in comparison is satisfying!
Tanya Quinlan says
I would NEVER eat a pickle that color…but the new look is awesome.
Sera says
Not to take away from the ‘natter’ of newly coloured front doors etc (which by the way, is what led me to this SUPER COOL blog and inspired me to see RED with my own front door!) but after this house crash, I’m now left to covet the funky barn door to the ensuite and the light fitting over the kitchen counter! thanks?? love all things YHL (oh and bring on the new pad guys…can’t wait!)
Megan says
Where did she get the bar stools?? We have been looking for some nice ones for awhile now, thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Megan,
Those are from West Elm a while back. Very comfy indeed.
xo,
s
Corinne says
Wow, that’s incredible! I love the color of the door! I checked out the virtual tour of the house too and it’s absolutely gorgeous inside! I really love the exterior.
Do you think you could paint any front door with an exterior paint? I ask because I hate the color of my front door and it’s a very heavy wooden door (I think). I’ve never even thought about painting a door, but it certainly seems like a much cheaper alternative to purchasing a new one! The door is a deep dark forest green, and the siding of the house is off-white with a burgundy roof. I also don’t have ANY shutters! Actually, I take that back…there are four navy blue shutters sitting in my garage that the previous owners left for me, among other extremely random things, when they moved out in September. My house has zero curb appeal basically and I’m at a complete loss as to what to do with it!
YoungHouseLove says
Absolutely! We painted our 50+ year old wood door with a few coats of exterior latex paint in a semi-gloss finish. Easy, peasy.
xo,
s
Heather says
We are actually having our house painted next week. We had it painted 5 years ago and we went with the lowest bid and had a shotty job. We are sticking with the same color for no better reason than we are afraid to switch colors again and not have good coverage. We are paying for two coats. We like the color of the house but wonder if we should pick a different color so that we could at least feel like we got something for our money when we pull up every day?
We would love to get a new door. The house is a traditional style and its a medium tone beige (stonington beige from behr). We have black shutters, a black door and black light fixtures…but a nickel finish door handle (which looks like crap and needs changing). We need a new front door but are hesitant on buying a nice wooden craftsman door (what we want) because we have already over improved the house and we don’t know that we will stay more than another year or two. Plus – the hot southern sun beating on a wood door.
First question – door options other than another metal door? What color can we paint the door and still have black shutters and black light fixtures, white trim….we’d like to get a black door knob. We also have black shutter dogs. The door gets really hot in the afternoon with the sun and any kind of handle we can get that isn’t smokin’ hot when coming back in from getting the mail in the afternoon would be ideal.
Thanks –
Heather
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Heather,
Hmm, we’re not sure which door handles don’t get hot in the sun, but maybe you can ask around at a home improvement or hardware store to see what they recommend? The same goes for door solutions, maybe just check out a door retailer and describe what you’re looking for and they can find something great in your price point? As for the color, your door can be nearly any color since your house is such a neutral color with classic black shutters and fixtures and white trim (candy apple red, daffodil yellow, lime green, rich plum, wheaty orange, cornflower blue, deep peacock blue, soft lavender, etc). Just bring home swatches and hold them up like we did at Emily’s house to see what you love best. Good luck!
xo,
s
Liz says
I LOVE the new door color, but I have to say that I’m not a huge fan of the deck stain. I liked the look of the wood in the before picture better.
Carol says
I thought you were pregnant,too, Sherry! Started wondering when I saw the “Bean Feast” title and then with the “pickles” title I thought it was a definite! Funny!
Mary says
I am actually planning on painting our front door. I am leaning towards a yellow color right now. Everyone seems to do blue or red, and yellow seems fun. It may have to wait till spring now though.
Angela says
I love grey homes with yellow doors.
Jaclyn Bishop says
So what color would you paint a door if it belonged to a home of red brick and rusty red siding? I need something to work with.
YoungHouseLove says
Soft celery looks good with red. Or black or deep chocolate. Even plum or daffodil yellow can work. We’d just recommend bringing home a ton of swatches like we did at Emily’s house and holding them up to see what you love!
xo,
s
nuha says
ooh i like it!! its so fresh and fun!!
Cassie says
You two (well four) are so cute! I love visiting your site for either, “yep that’s me” or “me too” or “I wish i would have thought about that.” Its funny, as my husband and I just purchased our first home, an oldy 1920, modest/small with LOADS of old charm and some updating, that well, could have done better but keeps my mind going. However, i am starting with BLANK WHITE WALLS!! Since paint colors haven’t settled in yet, we started with the door. We have an enclosed porch, carpet beautiful windows and all, and the interior of the room is a rich dark brown with white accents around the windows… we decided on this nice rich apple red color.. LOVE IT. We don’t have $$$ to replace the door, but ours looks so sad from the outside! Hope mine turns out as great as yours. :) Thanks for inspiration.
Barbara says
PICKLE JARS! (I so hope Nate read your blog today lol)
I was just lamenting that the weather is now (I think?) too cold to paint the front door. Our house is brick too, sort of reds, dark browns, and pinky-oranges, with grey stone trim (built around 1960), and although I’ve loved our red door years, I’m itching to change it. I decided on a rich dark purpley-navy colour, in high gloss (sort of an update on the classic black door), and was all ready to go when the weather turned cold (snow flurries today!). I’ll be so ready next spring though!
Cornichon on Emily’s door looks amazing with the fall leaves!!! Very hip. Love it!
(ps, is it just me, or does it look kinda cool with the swatches around the edge? For a second, I thought they’d done an incredibly funky trim!)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahaha, I didn’t even make that connection. All roads lead back to Nate!
xo,
s
Pamela says
I love funky door colours! My front door is an awesome purple, and it’s the only purple door in my entire town, I love it <3
Kari says
The color looks amazing! I have been thinking of painting our front door for ages, but have hesitated because I don’t know what to do with the inside of the front door! Paint it the same color? Any tips?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kari,
Emily & Todd just painted the front plane of the door (so the side and the back remain white). We did the same thing with our red wooden door at our house. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kristin says
I love that shade of green, and the combination is fantastic. I would never have thought of sticking the swatches in the door like that. Great Idea, though I would probably do it one at a time, or I would get really confused really fast :-)
diane says
Great choice…I can just see some funky house numbers from Chiasso on there.
Kara says
Love, love, LOVE that color! What a big diffence! :)
Jordan says
The outside looks great. We just bought a house that needs some tlc on the outside. The house is all white wood on the outside and you can’t even see the house due to huge bushes in the front. We live in Syracuse where once we get snow you won’t even see the house it is so blah. We know we can spiff it up to look great. Our relator told us a house needs 3 colors to make it pop so that is our plan. Get rid of the big bushes, paint, add some shutters and cute charm to our new bungalow! Love your blog.
Lizzy says
Is there any way you can do a step-by-step of how you stained the porch? We are in desperate need of doing ours!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lizzy,
Since John and I didn’t participate in that part of the project (we just helped pick colors) we don’t have a tutorial for you, but check out this google search– there’s lots of info out there! Good luck!
xo,
s
Kim says
I love her house! I can’t believe this is in the outskirts of Richmond, it’s so modern. :) To be in the burbs, I don’t know where I’d be able to build a house that wouldn’t look too off-set from the traditional ones around me. The yellow is perfect. :)
jennalou says
I have a major face lift for our house planned out, but we aren’t financially ready to move forward with it yet. I was so anxious about it thought that I did a photoshop before and after to show my hubby what I have planned. You can check it out here: http://jennalou.typepad.com/jenna_lou_loves_you/2010/10/curb-appeal-.html
YoungHouseLove says
So much fun!
xo,
s
Trish says
This looks amazing! I have the ugliest home in my neighborhood – all built in the early 70’s. It is a ranch with orangy, gray, mustard, rust colored brick around the base. The upper is painted mustard, dark green trim on shutters and windows, rust colored roof & front door, and cream garage, soffets, gutters, etc. At one time I’m sure it looked “in.” Now, not so much. My problem is the nasty brick. Would love to go with gray on the house but don’t know if it would clash with the brick which has some gray in it. Then there is the trim color(s) – do you think 4 colors is too much on a home? I do.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Trish,
No way! Emily’s house has three colors and our house has four (five if you could the subtle striped color we added to the front porch slatted floor). We say go for it! Just bring home swatches to see which ones work with the brick just like we did with the house color at Em’s.
xo,
s
Deb says
I have to agree with everyone…LOVE their HOUSE! WOW! FABULOUS! The door really made a difference too!
Oona says
Great. I just painted my front door yellow because you never see yellow front doors and I thought it would be fun and unique. Now eveyone’s going to want a yellow door. Thanks a lot. lol
Kimberj says
I love the pickle door! Our ranch is a medium red brick so I put chocolate brown shutters against the white trim and painted the front door a purply blue. Everyone loves it and so do I. Its really unexpected and works (believe it or not!). If my house was grey like theirs I’d have picked a yellowish/acid green door too.
michele says
i’ll never be ceased to be amazed at the difference a little color can make! that door looks amazing, but the effect is multiplied by the stain. wow!! we recently painted our exterior … went from crappily painted beige with white trim to a crisp, warm gray (sherwin williams’ intellectual gray), a deeper gray on the trim and shutters (sherwin williams’ porpoise), and a gorgeous aqua (ben moore’s wythe blue) on the door. it looked great, but then we stuck up a vibrant orange fall wreath and changed the welcome mat to a chocolate and orange and gray paisley … and oh my … so beautiful! paint is truly the best weapon in the arsenal!
Rachael Geiger says
EEK! We need JUST this kind of help!! We bought a home a year ago, red/orange smooth brick, with a bay window and a bit of a craftsman feel. We LOVE it, and just like your, JL post, we bought a 4 and have brought it to a 9.. just need a little push to get a 10. At the time of purchase, all the facia wood was painted (wah wah wahhhh) cream. We’ve definitely punched it up by painting all the wood beautiful Sherwin Williams “Artichoke” green. She’s (nearly) the belle of the block… but what color to paint the front door?? Here’s the catch, it’s a west facing door, in Oklahoma, meaning, to do navy or black (which I think would be cool) would basically give us an additional cooking surface. Interior colors are (all SherWil) “Gentle Pasture” green, and “Lucy Blue”… What hue would YOU do? :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s so hard because my first instinct was a deep plummy aubergine color, but that would bake in the sun too. Maybe grab a bunch of lighter but still bold swatches like we did at Emily’s house and just hold them up? Perhaps something like a saturated lavender, sunny daffodil yellow, or even glossy fire engine red would do the trick? Good luck!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Love Love the yellow door! :)
Shannon says
I love that door color, it looks fantastic!
We zipped up our exterior a few months back by added house numbers to our transom, a new mailbox and a painted door. It made such a huge change!
http://nestonthehill.blogspot.com/2010/09/really-wonderful-graffiti.html (mailbox, house numbers)
http://nestonthehill.blogspot.com/2010/09/labor-day-labor.html (painted door)
Brittany says
Is that a metal or wood door? I purchased the exterior paint from Home Depot on the reccomendation of the paint guy and painted our front door and it’s starting to chip and peel like cheap nail polish. Did you have to treat the door first?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s metal but our front door is wood and both materials should work well with exterior paint. Perhaps you were painting over old oil-based exterior paint? Latex paint over oil-based can crack and peel, so that would be our best guess. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jessica G. says
Gorgeous door! If I ever move out of apartment-land into a house, I will definitely have a bright and funky front door.
Can you tell me how you liked Martha’s paint? She has the perfect shade of gray for my living room, and I really want something that will cover with one coat (the walls are brand-new, apartment white). Painting newbie here!
YoungHouseLove says
Emily really liked it. We haven’t used it yet ourselves (we just helped pick the color, but we didn’t paint anything for them). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Annie says
I LOVE the door color. My hubbie and I have been deliberating on a house color for years and just haven’t been able to commit. I have always leaned towards gray and really like Emily’s house color. Do you know what paint color their house is?? I would be so happy if you knew!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Annie,
Emily doesn’t remember the exact color, but Benjamin Moore’s Himilayan Trek is similar.
xo,
s