PAINTING AN INTERIOR DOOR BLACK

Interior design was always a hobby of mine. Though I lack some natural talent in the area, it intrigues me nonetheless. Over the years, I have found that stealing ideas from magazines, catalogs and interior decorating shops is perfectly acceptable and tends to work in my own home most of the time.

Such was the case when I finally decided to paint my 3.5 x 16 foot upstairs hallway. It was the typical boring sort, narrow with six very ugly 1960's looking flat hollow doors. The walls were a well-worn cream color, flat and non-descript.

The inspiration to replace all the doors and re-paint the hallway came from a visit to a local decorator shop. I usually can't afford much in the store, but I do visit periodically to get ideas to incorporate into my own home.

During one visit, I happened to notice that the door behind the check out counter had been painted black. The trim was white and the walls were a soft yellowish cream color. It was striking! I gave the color combo some thought for the next few weeks trying to imagine my narrow hallway with six black doors!

The decision to dive in and begin the project came when I was laid off for a few weeks and had some time on my hands. All of the existing doors were replaced with paneled doors and new hardware. The walls were painted a soft creamy beige called "sand between your toes". I chose a standard Wal-Mart paint called "country white" for all the trim. The paint color I chose for the doors was a very soft black (the darkest midnight blue one could imagine) called "french bulldog black".

With the addition of a persian rug runner to add some rich color, the results were show-stopping! It looks neat and tailored, modern and updated, without being trendy. If you are looking for a way to make a drab hallway shine on it's own, this paint combination is fabulous. I liked it so much that I continued with the same color combination in the downstairs hall.