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
Hello, Kylie! you are so saucy. I love it. I turn to your videos over and over for color guidance. My boyfriend and I flip house s and this fall will build our first new spec home to sell. Thank you for the beautiful job you do! Happy Decorating!!!
So pretty! We have slated to paint our entry Edgecomb and the interior of our front door Urbane Bronze (we already have it on our shutters outside and love it). You now make me want to drop everything and paint the entry first! Can’t wait to see more of your new DREAM home.
I am so happy that I found you on the net. You are so saucy and funny. Your colors are spot on. My boyfriend and I flip house. I always check your website before choosing a color. You have such great information and videos. I lauv you!!! Keep up the great inspiration!!!
Oh Mary, I just LOVE this note – THANK you-you made my day :).
Kylie. Have you ever painted the stair treads? If so how did it turn out?
Nope, i haven’t! It would be like any painted surface though – it’s just as much in the prep as it is in the paint product! Clean/sand/high adhesion primer and quality paint (like a porch and floor product) :).
Looks fabulous! Calming and warm. I especially love the cabinet with the hexagon shapes on the doors, mind sharing where it’s from?
Thanks!
Traci in VA
Well thank you Traci! And yes, that cabinet is super cool! It’s from a store called Muse and Merchant, it’s pretty awesome…
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Two questions: One: did you paint ALL the doors in your home RP? Second: what stain color is used on your floors ? (Would like to SWF you – LOL)
Hi Nancy! So, we did many of the doors, the ones that are on the main floor and the first part of the upper floor. In a separate family room area AND the closet doors in bedrooms I did white. This way if I get tired of the gray, I don’t need to paint ALLLLL of the doors. I also have a few key doors painted navy/black, just for some interest (front door/glass office door). As for the floor stain, it came that colour – prefinished and i just love it!
This is amazing!!! I don’t know how you got your walls this color but they look amazing!!
After reading this I went straight to the paint store and bought a sample of Edgecomb 50% lighter and, not joking, it looks almost TANGERINE Beige in my living room. ???????????????????? the life of paint is so hard!
WHAAAAT! Hmmm, at no point does it look tangerine beige in my home and I do have a variety of light sources/products. Have you tried sampling it on a canvas with 2 coats of paint on it. Try it. You can buy cheap canvases at the dollar store (the bigger the better) and leave about a 2″ white border around the edge so you can get some separation from your old wall colour. The old colour can TOTALLY skew your perception of the new one! That is SUPER weird…
Hello Kylie!
What are you thoughts on painted doors (OTHER than white)? I LOVE your RP doors and am thinking about the same. I have just re-painted the WHOLE house and the white doors are KILLIN’ ME – LOL. The main areas with the white doors are the hallway , stairway and office. The hallway/stairway is SW Oyster White. The office is BM Classic Grey. As you can see both very light colors. We changed from Revere Pewter walls to Oyster White – MUCH better – I have an on again off again love affair with RP and just CANNOT seem to let it go completely – which is WHY I LOVE your RP doors! Thinking RP might look nice with OW walls – possibly same in office with CG walls. What are your thoughts? I have had accent front or back doors, but never interior closet/access doors. LOVE to hear your take 🙂
Thanks,
Nancy
Hello Kylie!
What are you thoughts on painted doors (OTHER than white)? I LOVE your RP doors and am thinking about the same. I have just re-painted the WHOLE house and the white doors are KILLIN’ ME – LOL. The main areas with the white doors are the hallway , stairway and office. The hallway/stairway is SW Oyster White. The office is BM Classic Grey. As you can see both very light colors. We changed from Revere Pewter walls to Oyster White – MUCH better – I have an on again off again love affair with RP and just CANNOT seem to let it go completely – which is WHY I LOVE your RP doors! Thinking RP might look nice with OW walls – possibly same in office with CG walls. What are your thoughts? I have had accent front or back doors, but never interior closet/access doors. LOVE to hear your take ????
Thanks,
Nancy
Hi Nancy, oh I dooooo LOVE my Revere Pewter doors! I like white doors in some homes for sure, but this home wasn’t calling for them, particularly because I didn’t do a white kitchen. And the Revere Pewter doors are actually RP 50% darker, just to add that wink more contrast. Really, my lightened Edgecomb Gray isn’t THAT different from Oyster White and it could be quite pretty with Classic Gray, but could slightly enhance the purple in it (maybe). I think it could be lovely from the sounds of it!
Thank you Kylie! I really like the contrast of your door against the EG :). I value your input and LOVE your design blog! CANNOT wait to see the rest of your new home! Patiently waiting your pics 😉
Hi Kylie, Your blog is wonderful and SO helpful! My question – did you use BM White Dove (flat) for your ceilings? Thank you!
Yes, we did – and it’s just AMAZING how most ceilings naturally shade themselves – White Dove is so LOVELY and subdued – not as much in our living room, but definitely in our kitchen/entryway! (I have blog posts on those other spaces too if you want to see more…)
This home is beautiful! I love the darkened RP doors! I am looking for stock doors ( less expensive than custom) , just like yours. Are these a custom profile door? Thanks
Wow! What an amazing transformation! Would you mind sharing where your cabinet is from in the entry?
Hi Christen, thank you! That was from a store called Muse and Merchant, but I don’t think they carry it anymore!
Hi Kylie,
I looove your sense of design, colour, etc… This home is uber beautiful! I love the darkened RP doors! I am looking for doors just like yours but I can’t seem to find doors with 2 recessed panels like in your Shaker style doors. I can find only one panel or three. Did you have these made or can I find these in a store? Thank you for your blog and videos. You are so kind to share your vast knowledge.
Hi Kylie,
I looove your sense of design, colour, etc… This home is uber beautiful! I am looking for doors just like yours but I can’t seem to find doors with 2 recessed panels like in your Shaker style doors. I can find only one panel or three. Did you have these made or can I find these in a store? Thank you for your blog and videos. You are so kind to share your vast knowledge.
What paint color is on your stair banisters?
Hi Tess, that’s SW Urbane Bronze, which is is the same colour that’s on our kitchen island ;).
Hi, can you please share the color of your trim in your house? I am considering painting my walls 50% Revere Pewter and having trouble finding a trim color. Thanks and your remodel is gorgeous!!
Hi Kendra, it’s BM White Dove. I’d also LOVE SW Pure White with the lightened Revere Pewter.
Hi Kylie! I have design question – I noticed the plant/tree near your table. Is that real or faux? I have a dining room corner that is empty and am contemplating a faux tree – is that a designer no-no or is that a trend that is back “in” ? Any and all suggestions appreciated 🙂
Are the inside of your doors RP as well? Looking to do this color for my trim and doors, but for the bedrooms I would like to add some color. Do you think it effects it if the side of the doors are different? Love the house!
Hi Camille! Yup, the doors are the same colour all around. I TRY to do that as much as I can and only break where I HAVE to. If it were ME, I would do the bedroom doors a different colour, if your layout allows. I have some key doors in my home painted different from RP and love it! (My office door/powder room/family room door/front door).
Hi Kylie! I have design question – I noticed the plant/tree near your table. Is that real or faux? I have a dining room corner that is empty and am contemplating a faux tree – is that a designer no-no or is that a trend that is back “in” ? Any and all suggestions appreciated ????
I wanted to do an accent wall in my living room painted with edgecomb grey. Do you think revere pewter would be a good option or are they too similar? If they’re too close, would perhaps darkening revere pewter by 25% or 40% be a good option for the accent wall? Struggling with this decision and would really appreciate any suggestions !
Hi Reanne! I would DEFINITELY darken Revere Pewter – go for 50% – it sounds more drastic than it looks ;). I have RP darkened by that in my own home and LOVE it and that will give you a bit better contrast :). You could also look at SW Amazing Gray which is similar but has a bit more depth.
Thanks for confirming, our builder just proposed using flat version of trim color on ceiling and I’d never considered that before. High fives for the inspiration 🙂