I hope you that you knew it was only a matter of time before there was another room makeover reveal here! Ever since we updated our kitchen, I have been totally addicted to re-imagining the way certain spaces in our house could look. After we completed our bathroom this summer, I started thinking of what the next project would be. I wanted something that wouldn’t cost a lot, but would make a big impact. Did you know that the best return on your home renovation investment is the front door? I was shocked! I thought surely it was a fabulous kitchen or a spa like bathroom, but no. It’s the front door, you guys, and ours was actually in total need of serious repair. The paint was chipping, the frame was bent and no longer keeping out air, and the deadbolt hardware didn’t match the door handle. How did I live like this for four years?! (Half joking and half totally serious.) There were more problems that we can discuss below, but I knew immediately where I wanted to go for the solution: Rejuvenation. We worked with them on the lighting and mirrors for our bathroom and were blown away by the quality of what they offer and the hardware choices. They offer actual antiques pieces, as well as more modern ones and those that are new, but have the quality and style of something from another time. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I could have them in every room of my house! (And you can too if you win our giveaway! Keep reading for those details below!) Here is the before:
And just in case you wanted a close up picture of the $10 plastic chairs that I purchased over 4 years ago that were supposed to be “just until we ordered real ones”, here ya go:
Here is what we did:
For starters, we hired someone to paint the front and side of our house, sand and re-paint the white trim. That part of our house gets crazy direct sun and was so much more worn than the rest of the exterior. That alone made a huge difference and was a lot less expensive than I imagined it would have been. If I had known that two years ago, I would have done it then. Next I trimmed down all of those overgrown plants that me and my mom planted four years ago when we first bought our house. We didn’t really have a plan we just happily planted away and some of the things have gone crazy. Next up the new door!! (I still get a rush of excitement when I pull into the driveway and see my new door!)
I have nothing against red doors. Ours, though, always felt a little patriotic since our house has a blueish tone with white trim. (Also, nothing against patriotism.) I was just ready for something new, something yellow! Thoughts?! It’s super bright and saturated which I love, but I wonder if some of the neighbors have mixed opinions? What do you think? Personally, I love it! The new door cost $180 at a local hardware store in the valley, plus the cost of the yellow paint. On the other hand we splurged on the door hardware. This Apollo lockset feels fresh and updated, but not overly modern since our house was built in 1941 and is more traditional. It feels like a perfect balance of old and new world. We also got rid of the dark, cheapy doormat and replaced it with this one. The darkness of the old always drew your eye down to is since it was so much darker than everything else around it. I like the lightness of this one and it’s actually super practical as far as dusting off shoes before you enter the house.
Next, we replaced the old light fixture that blended into the house with this fresh white 12″ sconce. I had no idea that our old light fixture was the wrong scale for the space until we had this new one up! It’s a much better size and really makes the whole space look so much better. The finishing touch were new modern house numbers with new placement on the house. Oh and in case you’re wondering what happened to those plastic chairs, I set them out by the street and they quickly found a new happy home! I made the new bench with $70 steel legs purchased on etsy and $12 of wood from the hardware store. Not bad, right?
Okay, I promised you a giveaway and a giveaway you shall get! If you’d like to enter our $500 Rejuvenation giveaway, hop on over to my instagram page and like the photo with the yellow door– it’s hard to miss! Tag two friends who you think would also enjoy Rejuvenation and make sure you’re following Rejuvenation on Instagram as well. That’s it! Contest ends Monday evening at midnight EST and the winner will be announced on Tuesday. Best of luck friends!
Photography by Amanda Gallant