DecoDreams, Issue #005, Painting Ideas for Doors and Doorways

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DecoDreams
Your Guide to Creating Beautiful Spaces, FAST!
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May 21, 2003
Issue #005
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THE MISSION...DecoDreams is the home-decorating-made-
easy.com e-zine that delivers interior decorating tips,
ideas, and solutions to enhance all rooms of your home.
Staying on top of what's hot in decorating has never been
so easy or fun!
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DON'T FORGET Your Friends!...If you like DecoDreams, please
do a friend and me a huge favor and "pass it along"...

...or ask them to subscribe by visiting
Home Decorating Made Easy.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***********************ACKNOWLEDGEMENT********************

Diversity of creative ideas has always been the hallmark
of home decorating. That's why I've asked designer,
artist, educator and writer, Marney Makridakis, to share
her own unique brand of decorating advice in our "Ask the
Decorator" column. I think you'll enjoy her wit and
original insights.

Submit your questions to Marney by clicking here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> TABLE OF CONTENTS

o News

1) FREE eBook

2) Answers to More of Your Decorating Questions

3) New Decorating Bookstore

o Featured Article

1) Painting Ideas for Doors and Doorways

o Turning Ideas Into Action!

1) Ask the Decorator
- The DecoDiva Answers Your Question On Using
a Fabric Treatment to Spice Up a Small Bathroom

2) Ask the Decorator
- The DecoDiva Answers Your Question On
Painting Underneath Archways

o Today's Quote

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEWS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I trust that you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and
that you have some great family fun planned for the
upcoming Memorial Day(in the U.S.).

I can't believe it's been a month since the last issue
of DecoDreams. I guess it's true what they say. Time
really does fly when you're having fun!

Since the last issue of DecoDreams, there have been
some changes to the Home Decorating Made Easy web
site, but I think you will enjoy them. And since
there's so much to tell, I'm going to get on with the
great news.

-News--
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-News--

FREE eBook

Even though we can't immediately answer every question
that you submit, it sure pays to ask. Here's why.
Several people have sent us questions asking how to
start a decorating or craft business.

We thought it was a great topic because many people
are looking for ways to earn a part-time income...or
even to change careers. So, we decided to write an
eBook called "From Passion to Cash: How to Make Money
with Your Love of Decorating and Crafts".

But rather than sell it, we're giving it away! If you're
interested in downloading this insightful eBook, click here
to get your FREE copy.

-News--
---2---
-News--

Answers to More of Your Decorating Questions

If you've submitted decorating questions to us, you
just may find the answers in an article that we
recently published on our Web site. We decided to put
our eBook, "Awaken Your Interior Designer", to the
test. Click here to see how well the book performed at
addressing some of your toughest decorating dilemmas.

-News--
---3---
-News--

New Decorating Bookstore

I want to thank everyone who purchased "The Awaken
Your Interior Designer! Collection". The positive
feedback has been tremendous! Even a few of you who
were skeptics about eBooks were won over.

That puts a huge smile on my face...

Now, for those of you who are still sitting on the
fence, we've made it easier for you to get the
information you need to tackle your specific
decorating dilemmas. We've done that by opening an
eBookstore on our Web site.

This means that you can now purchase individual
decorating books that are included in The Collection. So, no
matter what decorating challenge you have, you'll find the
perfect solution in our new eBookstore. Click here to check
it out.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FEATURED ARTICLE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Painting Ideas for Your Doors and Doorways

Many questions have been submitted to us concerning
color choice for painting the doors inside your home.

The purpose of this article is to take the mystery out
of choosing colors. And also to give you some ideas
for making your interior doors actively contribute to
a room's décor in unique and effective ways.

The following suggestions are tried-and-true
techniques for decorating your doors. Some of them
involve solutions for keeping doors neutral and
unassuming.

While others take doors to the next level, allowing them to
really stand out and shine.

Should you stay neutral or go bold? The choice is
really up to you and your own personal taste. There
are no "rules" for decorating doors, but the following
10 ideas should get you going in the right direction.

Idea #1
Paint your doors to match your trim. This is
definitely the most conservative option. But, if you
want to keep your doors visually "quiet", this is a
great way to go.

Idea #2
Feel free to experiment with individual doors in the
house. There is no rule that all interior doors have
to match. If you want some of the doors to match the
trim, but have one or two stand out with an
alternative treatment, go for it!

Idea #3
Paint doors in a solid neutral color that will blend
with adjacent rooms. Going neutral does not
necessarily mean going with white.

Neutrals include browns, tans, whites, off-whites,
creams, and grays. If you know you want a neutral
look for your door, open yourself up to all the
possibilities.

Idea #4
Wood is a timeless look for doors in any decorating
style. If you like the idea of having wood doors in
your home, consider applying a faux finish to them.

You (or a professional you hire) can paint a door with
a faux wood finish ranging from the redwood (shown in
the photo below), to maple, oak, mahogany, and all
woods in between.

For faux wood painting ideas and techniques, I
recommend the book, The Practical Encyclopedia of
Paint Recipes, Paint Effects & Special Finishes by
Sacha Cohen

Idea #5
Be bold and paint your door in an accent color. If
your room's color scheme consists of one or two main
colors, pull in a third coordinating color and use it
to paint the door.

If you can throw in some accessories that use that
color, it will tie the whole room together.

For example, use a collection of navy vases to match a
deep blue door...or a couple of throw pillows that
include the door's color.

Idea #6
To add a soft look to a doorway that does not have an
actual door, hang a curtain from a small rod above the
doorway and pull it back to one side with a decorative
tieback, as shown in the photo above.

In addition to adding a unique decorative touch, you
also have the option for privacy by letting the
curtain down between the two rooms.

Idea #7
If you have an open doorway without an actual door,
consider highlighting the doorway by painting the trim
around the door in a different color than other
woodwork in the room.

Paint the trim in an accent color, or even do a wood
faux finish (mentioned in #4, above) on the trim. If
your open doorway does not have trim, you can install
trim yourself very easily.

Purchase a thin molding from your home improvement
store, such as half-round molding. Three mitered
planks of wood framing the door is another classic
choice. For instructions on installing moldings, I
recommend the step-by-step instructions on the Lowe's
Web site , as well as the book, Grand Finishes for
Carpentry: A Step by Step Guide Through Molding
Installation Projects, by Matt Nikitas.

Idea #8
Create a paneled look to add interest to the doors.
You can apply thin molding strips to the actual
surface of the door to create faux panels. You can
also create a paneled look with faux painting techniques.

Idea #9
You can tie a room together by taking fabrics used
elsewhere in a room (throw pillows, window treatments,
etc.) and using them on the door, itself.

You can create a quick and easy fabric treatment for
your door with a staple gun or small upholstery
tacks. Just staple or tack the fabric along the edges
of the door.

If the tacks show through and are distracting, you can
cover them up with a thin piece of cording. Or hide
them with trim that can be applied using a hot glue
gun.

If your door has glass panes, you can cover one side
with fabric or long curtains for a cozy look. See the
photograph below of a door that separates a kitchen
and informal dining area.

Idea #10
Don't be afraid to put different finishes on either
side of the door. Just keep in mind which side is
revealed when the door is open, and which surface is
shown when the door is closed.

For example, if a door is between a bedroom and a
hallway, and the hall and bedroom are painted in
different colors, the surface inside the bedroom needs
to work with both the bedroom (when the door is
closed) and the hallway (for when the door is open).

If the hall and bedroom are painted in dramatically
different colors, a safe way to go is to select a
neutral color that coordinates with both rooms (see
#3, above).

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Ask the Decorator
DecoDiva, Marney Makridakis, Answers Your Question On
Using a Fabric Treatment to Spice Up a Small
Bathroom

QUESTION: I am designing a small bath and would
appreciate some design advice. I want to conceal a
shower door with a fabric treatment on a swing arm
curtain rod mounted to the wall.

I'll do a floor length gathered rod pocket style
mounted at ceiling height. This allows ease of use for
the door yet covers the glass.

My question is this: The bath is small and adjoins a
bedroom. So I've taken this bathroom door off the
hinges. But this is my teenage daughter's bed/bath and
she wants privacy in the bath for herself and her
girlfriends that visit.

Is it too much to do the same or a similar fabric
drapery over the doorway to the bath? This doorway is
looking into the room's window and the shower is
immediately to the right in view.

ANSWER: Your idea to use drapery over the doorway is
a great solution (see #9, above).

However, since you say the bathroom is small, I'd
suggest that you use two different fabric designs for
the shower door and the doorway to the room.
Repeating patterns are a wonderful way to tie a room
together.

But since they pull the eye inward, it can make a
small space look even smaller. I'd suggest that you
use a patterned fabric for the drape on the shower
door, and select a coordinating solid color for the
drape for the doorway.

When selecting your color, be sure that it also
coordinates with your daughter's room, since it will
be seen from that view, as well.

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Ask the Decorator
DecoDiva, Marney Makridakis, Answers Your Question On
Painting Underneath Archways

QUESTION: I have a dining room and sitting room
divided by an arch doorway and would like to paint
them different colors. Can you tell me what to do with
the archway as far as where to stop painting with one
color or another.

ANSWER: I suggest that you choose one color or the
other for the surface under the archway.

Choose whether or not you want the archway to "belong"
to the dining room or sitting room, and paint the
entire area under the archway in that color. If the
sitting room is green and the dining room is taupe,
you may decide that you want the archway to be taupe.

In this case, use the green in the sitting room all
the way across the wall until the archway begins.
Make sure you use painters tape to get a very clean
line at the point of the archway.

An alternative is to use an accent color for the area
under the arch. If the arch doorway is dramatic and
you'd like to call attention to it, this is a great
option.

Using the above example, you might paint the area
under the doorway in a rose color to give it some punch.

You then should tie in that color somewhere else in
one or both of the rooms; for example, in upholstery
on the dining room chairs.

(Note: If you're finding it difficult to select
coordinating color schemes, our book, "Awaken Your
Interior Designer", offers 135 ready-to-go paint color
palettes, including the paint brands/manufacturers.
Click here to learn more.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***************** TODAY'S QUOTE ***************************

"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the
thrill of creative effort."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Wishing you all the best,

P.S. Don't forget your fr*ee chapters of Awaken Your
Interior Designer. You'll get 72 pages, filled with
lots of ideas and photos to put you on the right
decorating path.Click here to download your copy right away ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~