Our Entryway Update: From Dark & Dismal to DARN PURDY!
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
OMgoodness !!!!!
Wow- Zowie – AMAZING transformation! Love it!!
You’ve got me looking at our entrance way now….my husband thanks you :))))
Sue
Love the doors, they look amazing.
Thank you Tina, I love them too!
Love this transformation! I may try the 50% edge comb 🙂 Do you think it would work in a darker hallway? Also, what flooring did you use? Thanks!
You are a brave young person. Moving again and remodeling another house. I admire your energy and excellent taste. Love the new home and it does look like a forever home. The paint colors are beautiful and calming in the space.
So beautiful – sophisticated but still friendly and inviting. Every detail is so fresh and bright, re-imagined with your amazing talent.
My kids left the nest a year ago and now my husband wants to sell our beloved house where our kids grew up. Such a hard decision , but seeing your accomplishments gets me excited for the next phase in our life. And maybe a new home to decorate?!
Well thank you Tracy! And yes, that would be hard, my in-laws are JUST going through that. The idea of it was daunting, but once we started home shopping and they FOUND one they loved, it’s amazing how excited they got and I’m just so happy for them – I hope the same is for you :).
Good for you! We lived in a house that drove us crazy in a bad way for 20 years. We tried remodeling, additions, repainting, etc. until we finally threw in the towel after we realized there were just some things you can’t fix. At least not with our budget. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your changes!
Hi – I was wondering why you wanted to redo the stair ballasters. I have the standard wood painted white and wanted to change to iron, In a style like you have. Now you have me wondering if I should spend the $700-$1000 .
Hi Tom! The original dark wood stain didn’t jibe with the warmer, lighter oak wood floors and it had this weird wax/sheen on it too. Restaining would have been INSANE the cost to start from total scratch was around 5K. I’m REALLY glad I went with the darker painted – I love it! Normally stair railings would be wood or white (same as the trim) but I wanted something different and the layout allowed for it, but i ALSO think having the metal spindles gave me more flexibility as the handrail become more like an accent colour of sorts :).
What a transformation Kylie! Looks amazing, love your posts! Definitely looking forward to the rest of the “reveal”.
You mentioned you prefer oak to any of the other woods…I have a lot of oak in my house, cabinets, railings, etc. I’m trying to pick flooring that would go and was staying away from oak as I thought it would be too much oak…but yours look wonderful..is it wood or a laminate? Wondering if I should be thinking of doing the same? What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
Elaine ????
Hi Elaine, thank you! And I DOOOO love my Oak – wait until you see the family room bar area! That flooring is wood and it’s just awesome. Now there IS something to be said for ‘too much of a good thing’ as at some point it starts cancelling it out. I find that wood needs OTHER things to bounce off of, so you can see the beauty warmth of it. My initial thought would be to consider oak flooring, but maybe paint the railings??? :).
Hi Kylie! I am currently renovating our dream house and have been using you as a must-have research tool. I will have many more questions to come, but my most pressing is what is the exact make and color of your new oak floors? They are just the color I am going for and 50% Edgecomb Gray was one of my top possible paint colors.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Thanks for asking Jennifer! They are from Goodfellow and are an engineered product, meaning the top layers are SOLID wood and the bottom layers are flexible products. They are in the Riverside Collection and are the colour ‘Stone’. I hope that helps! And while I LOVE the lightened Edgecomb, I’m getting a bit bored of its lack of commitment, so next up, I might go soft white or full Edgecomb! (I love change 😉
Hi Jennifer, thank you for asking! It’s a Goodfellow product and is in the Riverside Collection – STONE. http://www.goodfellowinc.com/en/produit/riverside-heights/
And while i DO love my Edgecomb lightened, I’m getting a bit bored of its lack of commitment and I’m either going soft white next or full Edgecomb! Keeping in mind that I get bored easily and LOOOOOVE change ;).
Hello Kylie,
Are you still happy with the quality of this floor ? I am looking at this brand right now to change my floors ( not the riverside though but still engineered) but I have read very mixed reviews, some people saying it chips and marks very easily.
Kylie, I have watched so many of your videos. You are incredible at what you do! I love the edgecomb gray and revere pewter in your entryway. Could you please tell me what color you used for the trim and ceiling?
Well, thank you! That’s BM White Dove, which i LOVE 🙂
I guess that explains why we saw very little of the previous house here. I was wondering what was up. Those doors are Revere Pewter??? Are my walls that dark too??? Maybe it’s time for another consultation.
Hiya! Yes, that house…oh that house. I do have some decent before/afters of some of the spaces, but there’s just no FEELING in them. And yes, the doors are Revere Pewter! Colours can look SO different relevant to the space they’re in and what’s around them. With the walls/trim so light, the Revere Pewter does look like it has that bit more body to it.
Hi! What is the color of the white TRIM with the 50% Edgecomb Walls & Revere Pewter Doors, please? I think this soft look is perfect. Thanks! S
Hi Sarah, thanks for asking, that’s Benjamin Moore White Dove!
Oh, sorry, I found it below (White Dove). Cheers! 🙂
Hi Mark I noticed in a later comment below, Kylie indicated that her RP doors are 50% darkened – I had to go searching too because I like the depth of color. So darker than her kitchen cabinets which she had noted were RP darkened 25%.
I think you are hilarious and awesome and talented and if you ever come to Nashville, let’s hang out! Xoxo
Heck yeah – I’m in! I think it’s in the 3 year plan, for my sis-in-laws 40th!
Love to see all the fabulous transformations.
Did know you moved around a bit being new and all. Looks very fresh and breathable. Great job!!
Thank you!! 🙂
Hi Kylie! I love your blog; thanks for sharing so much of your talent and know how with us Love the entryway!
Thank you Nancy, we love it too!
BEAUTIFUL! Love the way you totally changed the feel of the house. The colors are so warm and soothing. Perfect home to come home to and feel like you want to stay a while. Also love the color of the stairs and how you did the carpet. Looks like a “runner”. Could you possibly explain more about that.
Hi Kelly, thank you! It’s actually all carpet from side to side! There is the base plate that the spindles run into, but otherwise, it’s all carpet – I’m glad it looks a bit cooler though ;).
What is the trim color? Did you do the doors and trim in semi gloss?
Hi Pam! The trim is BM White Dove in a satin finish :), the doors are satin too!
May I ask the reason you chose satin trim over semi-gloss? “The paint people” insisted semi for trim 😉
Lastly, would that sheen decision change if you had monster little kids that enjoy ramming their cars against the walls, dripping popsicles, perhaps some random child graffiti here and there ?
Clarification – the paint people insisted semi to ME, however, I find you more knowledgable than the local 20 year old paint store kid
You have done SUCH an amazing job on the re-do of your new home. LOVE what you did!
Thank you Pepper!
I’m trying to decide what to do with the staircase in our house. I saw you painted the stairs and bannister. How does paint hold up on traffic areas? I looked into having our stairs refinished but there’s so much involved with the balusters and rail and stairs. I was honestly thinking of replacing the balusters with metal ones to eliminate the painting/refinishing of those (85) but those aren’t cheap. They look dated and I’d love to update them, just not sure paint would hold up.
I’ve found that paint surfaces that are prepped properly and painted with high-quality paint fare pretty darned well. Of course, no painted surface is bullet-proof, but if you a) degrease/clean, wipe down, prime with a quality primer and use a quality BM or SW hardy paint, that it should hold up quite well!
It’s a stunner! I would never leave home with that view. I have one question–what direction is the light coming in? North or south? And what would be the LV of the lightened Edgecomb Gray? Whoops–2 questions. It is a beautiful color.
P.S. Lovely new profile picture.
Absolutely gorgeous! So calm, relaxing and inviting all at the same time. I love your posts, so very helpful.
I have serious oak envy after seeing your floors. I will be refinishing/redoing my floors next year. Do you mind sharing if you have red or white oak and what stain you used or had mixed?
Cheers!
Thank you Mary! They actually came prefinished, kind of like a light Walnut type of colour!
Good things come to those who wait!
Such a wonderful transformation!!! Looking forward to seeing more.
Love the change, can you share with us how the railing was redone, was it simply painted or was it sprayed ? I am wanting to redo my stairs and not sure if I should tackle it on my own with a paint brush.
Hi Mimi, it was ALLLL brushed with a quality brush and BM Advance paint. I love how it turned out. It’s about using a quality brush and products (and great prep of course!)
Kylie,
You are the Best. Color/Paint Blogger. Hands down. I have learned so much from you. Please keep sharing your amazing talents and beautiful before and after photos. Question: How does your Edgecomb Gray lightened 50% compare to Classic Gray – which I looove for it’s versatile, fresh look that carries subtle warmth?
Well, thank you Rachelle!
So, Classic Gray will carry a bit more of a vague purple (rarely purple/pink) undertone, whereas my Edgecomb lightened doesn’t flash purple on me. Once in a blue moon I get a very tiny wink o’ pink, but more commonly a vague green – but it’s all SOOOOO vague that it’s virtually unnoticeable. Most of my exposure is north facing with a bit of south/west and I do have quite a bit of greenery outside our windows!
This is beautiful! I’ve just finished freshening up our white doors and light neutral walls, and am now wishing I had this whole colour scheme going! I love every colour selection you have going on here.
I always enjoy reading your posts. I appreciate your quirky thinking. Thank you for all the inspiration.