Brightening Up an Entry Hall with Paint

I’m going room by room through a spring update. We hadn’t painted in 10 years, so I was very ready to change colors. This hallway has been painted a deep barn red with an ivory entry door for 10 years. I wanted to brighten up the colors to something more light and trendy.

We choose Behrs Mocha Light for the living room and entry. This color is a light ‘greige’.

The mirror had previously been black and gold, so I whitewashed it… see tutorial here.

The antique desk was refreshed with Chalky Finish paint… see tutorial here.

I have been admiring black interior doors on Pinterest for over a year, so this was my chance to try one out in my house. All my other interior doors are stained, and this front entry has a steel painted door, so I had to paint it anyway. I love the crisp look of black against the lighter walls. I used DecoArt Americana Decor Curb Appeal Carbon Black.

Start by taping off the glass with blue painter’s tape to keep the glass free of paint.

Loosen or remove door handle and lock so you can paint behind it. I used a small 2″ angle brush to apply the paint. Paint the recessed edges first, Next paint the horizontal sections at the top, middle, and bottom of the door. Finally paint the long vertical sides of the door. As you work smooth the paint in long even strokes. I found the Curb Appeal paint had a slight tendency to run, so be sure to check back after a few minutes to brush out any dripping runs before the paint sets up. Carefully emove tape before paint has time to totally dry.