DOORS

11 Reasons to Paint Your Ceiling Black Mask flaws, trick the eye, create drama ... a black ceiling solves a host of design dilemmas while looking smashing

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11 Reasons to Paint Your Ceiling Black Mask flaws, trick the eye, create drama ... a black ceiling solves a host of design dilemmas while looking smashing

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They make a ceiling look taller. Contrast draws the eye, so a narrow black door draws the eye up, making a low ceiling look higher. This makes black doors especially useful in basements or other low-ceilinged spaces.

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They look great with dark floors. White doors would have been fine in this space. But I love the way the black doors extend that sultry, dramatic mood.

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. They mark a destination. This black door is like a punctuation mark at the end of a sentence — it marks the end of the long hallway and provides a clear destination.

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They don’t show fingerprints. How many times have you had to clean dark smudges around a doorknob? Black doors won’t repel dirt — but they won’t show it as readily, either.

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They make a stock door look special. Slap on some black paint, and a typical paneled door takes on an air of swanky elegance

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They’re good to a void. Notice I didn’t say “avoid,” I said “a void.” As in, if you’ve got a big fireplace that’s unlit 99.9 percent of the time, and a dark painting or flat-panel TV above it, a black door will help mitigate the impact of those big, black voids, so they don’t look as noticeable in the room.

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They frame views. Just as a piece of art looks better if it’s framed, a view is enhanced if there is something in the foreground to set it off. These black French doors make the greenery outside stand out

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Wow Great Place SaveEmail 3. They’re good at making things disappear. Got a door you want to downplay? Black is great at disguising shortcomings (like a large slab door, if that’s not your style) so you don’t notice them. Black doors work well in an open space like this, but avoid using them in a confined area with a confluence of doorways, as they can look chaotic.

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2. They’re wonderful at picking up other black accents in the room. If you’ve got black elsewhere in the room, a black door will repeat the color and make the space feel more cohesive.

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11 Reasons to Paint Your Interior Doors Black Brush on some ebony paint and turn a dull doorway into a model of drop-dead sophistication

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Stenciled. A door like this will take a little more sweat equity or a professional; the stenciling is by artist and interior designer Alison Cosmos.

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Valspar Glass Frosting Spray Paint, 11 Ounces » You can frost the glass yourself with spray can frosting. I can attest, as someone who has had many DIY disasters, that this is very easy to use. Even I have used it successfully!

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Translucent glass. If you need some privacy, you can replace clear glass with frosted or etched glass.

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Patchwork. Blogger Tamar Schechner of Nest Pretty Things livened up a boring closet door with wallpaper glue and a patchwork design.

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Chalkboard. An easy way to have some design fun with a door is to coat it in chalkboard paint and switch up the messages and doodles whenever you fancy.

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Faux paneled. DIY master Brian Patrick Flynn gave a blah old hollow door a clever makeover, using paint to create a paneled look and adding a door knocker for a touch of whimsy.

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This custom door has art deco–inspired appeal.

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The architects used studded doors inside the house too. These are custom solid mahogany by Blue Anchor Millwork, adorned with custom bronze nailheads.

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Studly. The studded doors at a resort in Mexico inspired these custom-made doors in a Massachusetts coastal home.

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Upholstered. Artist Lisa Borgnes-Giramonti also took matters into her own hands. Inspired by a traditional look, she upholstered her door in this rich-looking faux leather and added an ornate push plate and brass nails.

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