I like old things...old, chippy, falling apart, barely held together type things. So when Tyler and I went shopping for home stuff, I knew the place to go - Old House Depot. I've blogged about this place once before, so you can only understand my obsession.
A slew of old doors later, we found these two beauties. When I laid my eyes on them, I began to imagine where they've been - some 1950's farmhouse or an old post office. That's the thing about antiques - you pick the place, the time, the era. And we're absolutely smitten with these!
Our bedroom is coming along wonderfully. There is still so much to add, but that's the fun part about decorating - you're never done! I'm thinking of adding a rug, curtains, wall decor+frames, and maybe some wallpaper. Striped duvet is from West Elm; Tassel pillows are from Anthropologie; linen bed is from a local furniture store; End table is from Anthropologie 2 years ago.
The funniest thing about these doors is that they look nothing like they did when we bought them. Keep note: when buying old doors, it takes preparation. You don't just move them into your home. They need to be cleaned first to get rid of mold, dirt and mildew. It doesn't take long, but here's what you need:
- Pour the Murphys oil into a bowl of warm water. Read the back of the label, it will tell you the oil to water ratio.
- Dip the sponge into the bowl and start scrubbing! The dirt and mold will practically fall right off. It's amazing how well this stuff works. No need to wear gloves. The oil has a pleasant scent.
- Leave the doors in the sun for an hour to dry. Once they have dried, begin to scrape your door any which way you please. The toughest thing about using the scraper is knowing when to stop! Our door had a beautiful turquoise color underneath, so we scraped a good bit of paint off.
We found these galvanized sconces (below) at Home Depot and spent about $40 for two - a great deal! To add the finishing touches, we added old fashioned light bulbs. It totally makes a difference!
The project total:
- Two doors priced at $85 a door = $170
- Murphy's Oil = $5 at the local Home Depot
- Galvanized sconces = $40
- Light bulbs = $16
Total: $231
Using sconces on old doors is an awesome thing for apartment living. No need to drill holes in the wall, and you can move the doors around with no problem. Good Luck!
