The Barn Door Bug Bit Us Too- Part 1

If you watch HGTV or the DIY channel, or read interior design magazines, you've seen sliding barn doors used inside the home. They're cool, right?
Okay, maybe they're trendy, maybe they've lost a teensy bit less of hipness due to overuse, however, there are scenarios where they really do make sense.
Case in point: the office door at Quince Cottage.
The office is IMMEDIATELY to the left as you enter the front door and the hallway is narrow. Did we mention the office isn't huge? And, coming from a bigger house with two offices, we had to cram a whole bunch of furniture into the new office so we could share it. Good thing we like each other's company! To gain privacy and more importantly, quiet, (hey, we have kids), a door was essential. "Swing" created its own issues. Opening into the hall would make the already skinny space even MORE cramped. Opening into the office would gobble up valuable real estate in there. A sliding door offered the perfect solution.
Rustic barn-look doors have been done a lot, (I was going to say, "to death", but that seemed mean). We wanted something unique in style, venerable in age, and of course, budget-friendly.
Here's where the ReStore stores came in super handy. In New England there used to be a store whose slogan was "Good stuff, cheap!" Habitat For Humanity might consider snagging that phrase. There are several ReStore stores in the Raleigh area and we went to them all, looking for the perfect old door.

Here's a brilliant idea - if you're shopping around for something in particular, take pictures AND notes, so you'll remember exactly where you saw that thing that you now know is the best choice. We ended up making at least one trip more than necessary because we couldn't remember where we'd seen which doors. Sigh.

ReStore Apex © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

ReStore Fuquay Varina © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Of course there are all kinds of goodies in a ReStore: lighting, flooring, tiles, furniture, windows, plumbing fixtures, kitchen cabinets... Here's a shot of the door aisle. Good stuff. We paid $22 for it. Cheap. See? Good stuff, cheap.

Doors at ReStore © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Door Original Finish © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Now, there were a few things not quite perfect about the door. Its finish for one, which was orange-y. It had no knob. Naturally, it wasn't in perfect condition, but since we were looking for a piece that had "character", that was actually a plus.
Ron got to work refinishing the door. He sanded and also cut a piece of a paint stirrer to fit the hole where the lockplate had been. ..

Covered lockplate

He cleaned it...

He taped off the windows...

He painted each door with a coat of latex paint, Milk Paint on one side, Scandinavian Sky on the other. Then he sanded the paint off in areas which would likely have been banged, scuffed, or handled a lot...

White side © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

He further antiqued each side by applying a thin coat of dark stain and then wiping it off. Finally he used paste wax to provide protection...

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Blue side © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We found a funky metal handle at the Raleigh Flea Market. It was rusty, which made it even better (but Ron did put a coat of poly on it, to keep rust from coming off on our hands when we used it).

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

At last the door was ready for hanging...yep, we're going to tease y'all and make you wait until our next post to see how that was done, with the help of a metalsmith from Utah, a welder from Raleigh, and a couple of dogs.

At Quince Cottage we love patina. If an object shows its age, some wear and tear, well, that's a story. Now, not EVERYTHING in our home is chippy and dented and rusty - we don't want you to get the wrong idea! But the look we're going for is about character and a room full of fresh out of the box furniture and decor, is just not as interesting (at least to us). A long time ago, Rhiann worked in a retail store with a merchandiser who was ahead of her time. She was always on the look-out for chippy old doors to use as backdrops for the housewares she was styling. Her catch phrase was "I need something dirty-rotten for this photo shoot." We like some things dirty-rotten too.

Quince Cottage Design Mantra: Create a beautiful, comfortable home that reflects your unique style and personality. 
In our own place, patina is valued, rustic rubs shoulders with opulent (we call this "agrarian chic"), and you're sure to get a terrier-style welcome!