Raise your hand if you love a good before and after.
Oh, good.
Me, too.
I just knew that you love them as much as me. That’s why I can’t walk away from a Hallmark movie. I know the ending in the first five minutes. I figure out pretty quickly that the real-estate developer is going to help her save the coffee shop. Or the smart-talking sassy big-city girl will transform the street-wise guy into the candidate. Or the high school prom date will help the awkwardly shy accountant to become the guy that everyone wants to date.
I get it.
I’m smart like that.
But even though I know the ending, I always stick around to see it.
Why?
Because I love a really good after.
Kind of like this laundry room.
We made ONE simple change and the room looks so different. But I won’t make you sit through the entire movie—I’ll start with the after.
Which looks exactly like this.
Please tell me you gasped.
Oh, wait.
Maybe you didn’t.
We haven’t added the doorknob yet, so that might have made a gasp difference.
All we did was change out the door.
And the best part?
The door was FREE. It was just sitting up in the attic. It came with the house.
This door used to go to this room.
This was my room in college.
It’s actually not even that much of a room.
It has three doors and people just generally walk through it to get where they are going.
This built-in is right outside the room and you can see where the door used to hang.
The previous owners (between my mother and myself) took it down.
I can understand.
It was a lot of swinging door that got in a lot of way.
You can actually see it leaning against the wall in the dining room.
This is where we found it when we bought back the house.
We didn’t put it back in the upstairs room, we just put it up in the attic.
I think my husband was hoping I’d forget it was up there.
Except.
I never really did.
I knew it had potential.
And then one day I was looking at this space and wishing I had more light in the kitchen.
The door that leads from the laundry room to the kitchen is amazing for keeping the cold out and the heat in.
But when you close it?
You lose all that sunlight and it makes the kitchen kind of dark.
And then last week I had a brilliant idea.
What about the french door from the attic? It would keep the cold out and let the light in.
So we brought it down from the attic. It was in super rough shape.
It had five broken panes and it was white on one side and wood on the other.
We ordered glass from a local glassmaker cut to size.
They cut the bottom off the door to fit.
And then my husband and his dad replaced the glass and added the new wood pieces to hold it in place.
He sanded off the white paint and added a coat of clear finish to seal the wood.
I left it the original wood.
I liked it better against all that white in the kitchen and laundry room.
We added the laundry room sign back to the door.
And my father-in-law is fixing the doorknob to match the rest of the doorknobs in the house.
They hung the door back in place.
And now?
With one simple change, the room went from this……
Whew.
And it’s just in time for the cold.
We are supposed to get into the freezing tonight.
Good thing I have the new door to keep the cold out….
…and let the sunshine in.
PS Have you ever made a simple change in your home that made a big impact?
I’m always looking for new ideas. 🙂
The new/old door is a Success! Congratulations!
GASP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What a great idea and what a difference it makes with the light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love a reuse story...enjoy the light streaming into the kitchen!!!!!
Love,love,love the new door! What a Huge Wonderful change!! All that light flowing in and just making the room(s) feel bigger and brighter. Great recycle, KariAnne!
Wow! Good move! My hubby and I once hauled a giant (HEAVY) door from the basement of our old Victorian home upstairs to make it into a sliding barn door for our laundry area (to partition it off from the kitchen). It became a highlight of the room and a great place for a wreath, of course!
Beautiful door and love that it was original to the home! (Where did you purchase the lovely wreath?)
Terssa, I bought it at Hobby Lobby! It was only $24 (50% off)! Happy day friend!karianne
Those wreaths are $180 at my Hobby Lobby...you got a deal!
Thank you Karianne, I was planning to ask the same question.
That, my friend, is a FABULOUS before & after! So much better. The 6 panel door was a modern interloper. The old French door looks like it’s right where it belongs. Love it!
Noticed the DOOR immediately - it speaks volumes! Didn't even notice the handle missing till you mentioned it - yes I gasped - it is so charming and so perfect. Super KA genius strikes again. Surely hubs agrees. : - ) Enjoy your weekend and telling yourself over and over that you aren't wrong when you call yourself a rock star. This is simple rockin' stuff right here, ma'am. Let me know if you find a spare door lying around not being used anywhere, I could really use some charm over here. ♥
i absolutely love it!!!!!! ( oops... there I go with the exclamation points.. 😉). I'm with ya, gal.. I want my sunshine flowing through my windows!! ☀️🌞. I hate blinds and thus pulled them up and secured them when I moved into this new apt. last summer. If I use draperies, I use semisheers as well, to let the sun in and to allow for some privacy. Since my bedroom faces a well traveled road and the blinds are up, I used those decorative, adhesive (removable) sheets that you can cut to fit your window. They are lovely and shimmer when the sun shines through. Then I used inexpensive valences. I love the look!! Anyway, your door is really quite lovely and it really does change the look. I also love your wreath. Did you make it?
Denise, I bought it at Hobby Lobby! It was only $24 (50% off)! Happy day friend! karianne
I love it. My parents old home had a French door in the hallway. I have regretted not bringing that door with us when my Mom sold the house after my Dad passed away. I would love to have that door now.
That’s a perfect and stunning change! Another brilliant KA make over. Glad I got to see the end! Please let us know about that gorgeous wreath. Did you make it? Buy it? Where? It makes the door even better. Stay warm and light.
Donna, I bought it at Hobby Lobby! It was only $24 (50% off)! Happy day friend! karianne
Way to re use and this door is wayyyyy better! Love the natural finish and love that it’s original to the house. 😊 Now, what will you do with the door you took off?? I’m sure there’ll b a great project sometime in the future 😜
What a beautiful change your new/old door made! You are brilliant!
Genius!
I noticed the new door in a split second!!!! It’s gorgeous!!!!!!! What a difference! We just made some small changes in our kitchen and it feels like a brand new kitchen!!!! We used light colored ceramic wood look floor tiles for a backsplash and changed out the hardware- plus we took down the nasty microwave which was over the cooktop. Viola!!!! A brand new look for not much money!!! Woohoo!!!! :)
It's perfect!!! I have the same problem. People keep closing the door between our laundry room and kitchen and I lose all that LIGHT! Hmmmm . . . . We have a spare french door, too . . . ;) Happy Friday, and stay WARM!! We have our gas logs going already!!
Lucky your menfolk are so clever. We think of the ideas and they figure out a way to do it.The door looks great and makes the tedious chore of laundry a little more pleasant. Our weather has turned cold also but after the brutal su.mmer I am loving it. Great baking weather. Going to get a jump on some Thanksgiving pies and freeze them. Have a wonderful weekend.
It’s beautiful but now you have to keep the laundry room neat all of the time!!
Love the change .... gasp!!!! I love that your attic holds such treasures! I don’t have an attic, but dream about one..... the old walk up kind like at Grandma's house. That’s how I picture yours!
Beautiful and perfect change KariAnne! And I so love the before and after story - that's exactly right! :)💗
What a great idea! I just love the warmth wood brings to a space, and it looks perfect there!!
KariAnne, you did it again. Just when I think your home couldn't get more lovely, you prove me wrong. That door looks amazing!
I keep showing my husband ideas for our doors but he keeps saying we can't just pop in another door it's not that easy. Everyone else does it. It looks easy..well as long as the door frame is of same/similar size so adjustments aren't too difficult..right? He says the door frame has to be changed. I love the door change KariAnne. Looks fabulous. Did you have to change your frame? Lol??
Better than a Hallmark movie!! Truly! I love, love, love french doors!!
The door looks great but I am in love with that wreath!! Beautfiul!
We just did the same thing on an addition to our house. We added a room off the kitchen that has windows all around and we needed more light in our kitchen. It looks great! I never thought to hang a wreath on the door. Thanks for the idea!
I love the French door and I’m not even French 😘 The change is a little bit genius and bravo to those hardworking men too 👏
Wow, the door is beautiful and I love how it looks cold with all the glass. What a great idea. Hope your well, Sweet Friend!
I did gasp!! Beautiful!!
Totally gasp worthy!
Gasp! A clean laundry room! Gasp gasp gasp! Door looks fantastic; but Some of us require that opacity- and less laundry.
I love it! So glad you left it wood! Makes it so striking! 💜
Love your new/old door, its a beauty with all that wonderful wood and windows to brighten up those rooms.
Perfect....love all the light without all the drafts.,,and best of all the price. :)
Another one of your amazing talents-the ability to visualize potential. Bravo!
Beautiful door! How wonderful that it belongs to the house. I agree with you--the wood against the white is so striking.
Wow, I love it! So pretty!
I love it! But more importantly - what is your favorite Christmas Hallmark movie so far? I loved Two Turtle Doves.
Yes, it looks pretty and I like the wood contrast with the white. I just know if I drove past your house and there was a man with a halo it would be your hubby. (ok, fine. They all have devil horns once in awhile, but you know, in general)
Yes, I gasped! Was it the super organized and tidy laundry room or that fabulous wood door?! I love this so much. Quick change in the kitchen was painting the wood cabinets and adding new hardware. It’s a happy clean space, seeming larger than it measures!
Oh yes, I see it! That wreath is gorgeous. Ohhhhh, you meant the doorrrrr! That's gorgeous, too! (And I LOVE the Nine Lives of Christmas... maybe my fave Hallmark Christmas movie, even though I'm not a cat person.)
I love the simplicity of your change and the big difference it has made.
I hope you know how much your husband and father-in-law worked on that door!!! Been there done that and it's a booger! I painted my dark wood kitchen cabinets white and added brass knobs--Boy, was that a room brightener (and brightened the inside of the cabinets, too.) It can be done and I'll be trying it again, only this time in grey!
Gasp! Brilliant! Genius! LURVE!!!
It's a great door. A big house with an attic. My dream. With maybe a basement, a huge garage, a barn with a haymow and a silo!
I love it!! Such a simple change makes a huge impact! Have a wonderful weekend! xo
It is gorgeous for sure. I would like to do that with my master bathroom door. I think it would a nice simple change. If only I had one sitting around! Thank you for sharing, Miz karianne!
Love it...You are so lucky to have a handy husband and Father in law..Love the wreath as well. I love having lots of light in my rooms , just makes you happy.😍
A perfect door again! You just upped the charm factor a 100 times, and friend, that wreath!!! Do tell where you picked that find up. I'd love two for my double entry!
Love it! We took our old door from our cabin when we built our lake home and used it as the sliding barn door pantry door. We left the original green paint on it and stenciled pantry on the window. Brings back memories and looks awesome!
I love that you able to reuse that door...it is perfect. That should be Perfect with a capital P! Since you asked....the best thing we’ve ever done to our home...and we’ve done lots of renovations...is putting solar tubes in two windowless bathrooms. We let in the light big time! Now, we don’t need to turn on the lights until late in the afternoon...even on a cloudy day. Enjoy your day! ;)
I love when you find treasures like that! How lucky that the prior owner didn't sell the door- I guess the House wouldn't let her! Anyway it's great that the House (and the door) waited for you to bring your family back home! Happy Holidays my friend!
Thanks for sharing. Your home is charming...just like you!
KariAnne, so glad that you remembered the door in the attic! Love the glass door and it looks like it was meant to be there! It's even ready for Christmas with that beautiful wreath hanging on it! Always great to see all those wonderful changes you make to your gorgeous home! Have a blessed week-end with your family!
You can never have too much light in your kitchen. When we put a door between our very chilly mudroom (we snowshoe in the winter so there is a lot of going in and out), I insisted on a door with lots of glass. Good choice, KariAnne, and the final results are beautiful. Please post a picture of the door again once you have the knob on. Have an amazing weekend~
Where did you purchase the Laundry sign. Love , love the door!
This. Is. FABULOUS!! Door envy!!! xoxo