An Entryway Update: From Dark & Decorated
By Kylie
January 26, 2023
White Oak, Urbane Bronze, Revere Pewter, & More
I know you’ve been waiting SO patiently for this blog post – well, some of you NOT so patiently, and I LOVE you for that because it gets my butt on a burner to get it done!
As you know, our current home is my dream home. This doesn’t mean it’s my forever home, but it’s definitely my for-now home (wink, wink).
Seriously, we used to walk by this house all the time (as it’s in our old neighborhood) and like the creepy house stalker I am who drives by houses at nite so I can see in the windows, I’d say, ‘OH yes, you will be mine, one day you will be mine.’ It seemed like a pipe dream or a wet dream, but either way, it’s mine now!
I’ve made a mental note to show you the AFTER PHOTOS OF THE EXTERIOR!
And while it was our dream home, it wasn’t looking much like a dream. It was ‘fine,’ a great word to describe hair, but not a place you want to call home. It was time for a lil’ KLC, and there was no better place to start than the entryway!
THE FOYER BEFORE: Whale, I’ll be damned, those were ugly. And seriously, this shows how gloomy and dark the house was…
AFTER: And the heavens shone down! Or maybe it was Jen Wynia Photography’s flash – either way, I’m lovin’ it…
While I want to play around more with my decor (and straighten the lampshade), I love the bones of this space. The cabinet is even more beautiful in real life with its staggered hexagon wood doors, and the new oak floors from Goodfellow hide EVERY sin. I am a bit of a traditionalist regarding flooring and kitchen cabinets and prefer oak to any other wood.
In this next photo, you’ll see some dark walls that extend into the living room – I LOVE dark walls, but not here. They sucked the life out of the space and my soul. The dark wood flooring was scratched and worn out by two large dogs, and the overall vibe was in the early 2000s…
AFTER: It’s like my soul breathed a sigh of relief – or I had gas. Hard to say…
This photo is NOT by the uber-talented Jen Wynia but by the quasi-photography-challenged Kylie.
THE PAINT COLORS IN OUR ENTRYWAY
What do you think of those gray-painted doors?
I went back and forth on that for a while and finally settled on Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter as a nice tie-in to the kitchen. I couldn’t wrap my head around white doors in this home and wanted something a bit lower maintenance and unexpected – without being weird. However, I didn’t want to paint the doors AND the trim gray, as that’s way too much of a commitment and a pain in the rear to paint when I change my tastes (which I will).
And that’s not any old version of Revere Pewter; whereas I darkened it by 25% for the kitchen cabinets, I went 50% darker on the doors for a bit more oomph – I LOVE PLAYING WITH COLOR!
The walls are Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray, lightened by 75% – again, I love to play. I couldn’t find an off-white greige I loved, so I made one! It has subtle undertones and whispers of colors without committing to anything but being soft, nuanced, and neutral. I’m in love with this paint color!
BEFORE: Just in case you wanted to see those lovely whales a lil’ closer…
AFTER: Nothing finishes off a wall like a Ken Kirkby—one of my favorite Canadian West Coast artists. It was a total splurge, but both Tim and I love this piece, as it just makes the space with its West Coast vibe.
And yes, the lampshade is crooked; I want to see if you’re paying attention (clearly, I wasn’t). As for the stairs railings, it would have cost a small fortune to redo them, so I kept the black spindles and painted the dark wood newel posts and handrails in Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze, a wicked dark greige with a green undertone.
The Best Medium & Dark Green Paint Colors
Oh, there’s more…but you have to WAIT! We’ve done almost the entire house—everything but the three main bathrooms and the laundry room—so over the next few months, I will share each space with you and the huge transformations they’ve undergone.
And for a gal who hits a 4-year expiry date on every home, we’re finally in a home that I can see us staying in for many happy years, watching the girls (and Doug) grow up and making memories to last a lifetime.
READ MORE
Our Open Concept Kitchen & Dining Room
4-PART SERIES: How to Create a Timeless Home
The Best WHOLE HOME Gray & Greige Paint Colors
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing White Paint Colors
NEED HELP?
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2019, UPDATED FOR GRAMMAR N’ STUFF IN 2023
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Meet Kylie
Do you need help, but aren’t quite sure what ‘help’ looks like? Are you drowning in paint samples and decision fatigue?
Does every colour you like at the paint store look terrible in your lighting or pick up a funky undertone? I’d love to help.
Hi, I’m Kylie
For over 24 years I’ve helped 12,000+ homeowners and renters make more confident decisions on paint colors and affordable home updates using real home examples and practical, experience-based advice. My goal is simple: help you love the home you have.
Do-it-yourself, the smart way
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Affordable, downloadable shortcuts to the colors and combos I’d pick for you. Yours to keep, forever.
Homeowner’s Guide: White Kitchen Cabinets
This isn’t another ’10 Best Cabinet Colors’ list, because there is no SINGLE best white for every home and every kitchen.
The best white cabinet color is the one that goes with your home, your finishes, your lighting, and your style.
Stop second-guessing every paint chip and choose your cabinet color with less guessing, fewer samples, and a whole lot more color confidence.
$34.95Accent Colors
This isn’t about plastering your home in the ‘Color of the Year’ or following the latest trends (unless you really want to).
It’s about finding accent colors that work with YOUR home, YOUR style, and YOUR comfort level.
Because the best accent color isn’t one you love on a paint chip, it’s one that makes everything around it look better.
$34.95
Homeowner’s Guide: Exterior Paint Colors
This isn’t a list of the ‘best exterior paint colors’, as the best color is the one that suits your home. Instead, you’ll learn how to look at YOUR roof, YOUR windows, YOUR brick (or stone) and YOUR home as a whole so you can understand what colors make sense, and confidently throw the others in the burn pile.
Whether you’re repainting an outdated exterior, working around finishes you can’t change, or creating a color palette from scratch, the goal is the same: less guessing, fewer samples, and a lot more confidence before gallons of paint go on your home.
$44.95Exterior Trim Paint Colors
This isn’t a list of ‘the best trim colors’, although you’ll get a ton of links to great shades, you’ll learn how to look at your home and understand whether it needs contrast, repetition, connection, or a little visual peacekeeping to pull it all together.
Because trim might seem like a small detail…
…but spread it around all four sides of your home on multiple surfaces and it suddenly has a pretty big job.
$24.95
Comments
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What lights(bulbs) do you use in your house to keep the colors true at night?
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Welllll, to be honest, I go more for the FEEL of the room rather than keeping the colours true. I usually land around 3000K. It also depends a LOT on the types of colours you’re using as warm/cool are affecting differently by the different bulbs. Which reminds me, I need to put a blog post out on this exact topic!
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Looove your new family home! I wish I had found you before building our new home. I think you are very generous with sharing your home, paint colours, suppliers AND EXPERTISE!
I look forward to each new blog and do revisit the current ones MANY times! -
Love your stairs. Looking to do something similar. With Urbane Bronze what type of paint did you use (oil/water based, falt, satin, etc)?
Thank you!!!
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Hiya! It was this one! https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/proclassic-waterborne-interior-acrylic-enamel Just because it says enamel, doesn’t mean it’s oil with this paint – it just settles like one, which is nice !
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I love this look and has inspired me to paint my doors a color (looking at SW Gossamer Veil) and my walls a white (SW Greek Villa). My question is, what sheen did you use on your walls, doors and trim?
Thank you!
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Hi Elita, I almost always use a quality MATTE finish. I’m loving Benjamin Moore’s new SCuffX line, which is a washable matte!
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Fabulous remodel; love the 75% lighter edgecomb gray paint.
Would you mind sharing the manufacturer, make, model and color of your flooring please?-
You betcha! Our flooring is Goodfellow, Engineered Wood. Riverside Heights Collection and the stain color is STONE. We’ve had it 5 years and still love it!
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Where did you get your gorgeous cabinet? (The space under free Willy and free Willy Jr)
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Ahhh, that’s from a store called Muse and Merchant, but I don’t think they carry it anymore!
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Absolutely love the edgecomb gray paint lightened! Does SW carry a color similar to this that’s no too yellow or grey but enough color so it doesn’t just look white. Your house is beautiful btw!
Thanks!!-
Well, they don’t have anything REALLY close, your best bet could be along the lines of SW Aesthetic White (picks up some beige) or SW White Duck or Shoji White???
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I love that color combo of revere pewter doors 50% darker and edgecomb grey 75% lighter.
is that white dove trim ? I’m going to get samples.
Our ceiling however is vaulted shiplap with wood beams … would you do ceiling shiplap in the white dove or the lightened edgecomb grey on walls and ceiling ?
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I absolutely LOVE your blogs and paint color reviews- always spot on! You are very talented and have a keen eye , coupled with quick wit and sense of humor. I was wondering if you would mind sharing your front door color ( not in the post) with the Revere Pewter doors and Urban Bronze staircase. These two colors have been on my radar for a long time. Seeing your post encouraged me to bite the bullet and go for it :). MANY THANKS !!
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Hey Sherry, well THANK YOU! I love reading comments like this :). And my front door color WAS SW Tricorn Black and I loved it. We’ve since replaced our doors and they’re just stock white and for some reason, I’m enjoying that a bit, but i feel eventually I’ll go black again OR maaaybe something like SW Gris/Mineral Deposit :).
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