This was a fun door to do. The client wanted to access the light provided by the back door, but without having to see and hear the laundry room all the time.
Since it was going to be painted, the plywood inserts didn’t have to match the door–or each other.
This is wood from an deconstructed barn in Shiner, Texas. The reds and white you see are authentic, but we added and then distressed some turquoise to accent an antique family furniture piece by the door.
As with most projects, this idea was hatched from a picture on Pinterest. It looks awesome in this modern home with many rustic touches.
The door is largely going to serve a visual purpose in the house, but I wanted the other side to be functional–particularly for small kids in the house. So I used chalkboard paint to make a giant canvas on the back side. I routed out a finger pull, which we decided to paint the same turquoise used in the door as a little accent “pop”.
The artist-client did me the favor of some advertisement as the first chalk masterpiece to be drawn on the door.
I’ve done enough doors now that I thought it was finally time to be able to move the doors out to my “finishing booth” (aka the woods) by myself. So this door got to be the first to ride the wagon out for its clear coats.
Also, although I didn’t get a good picture of it, I fabricated a door stay that mounted to the wall since this door and floor type weren’t conducive to routing a groove in the bottom of the door for a guide. I also put together the pipe door handle.
The Pintrest picture that started the vision.
Laying out the pieces to be sure there was enough…barely.
Building the “wagon”.
The wagon at work in the “spray booth”.
The chalkboard side.
Attaching the side trim.
The pipe handle.
The inspiration for this door came to my client via Pintrest (see the light colored door pictured below). They had just done a master bedroom/bathroom remodel and wanted a door to the bath that made an elegant statement, but also had the functionality of the full mirror on the back.
The door was so big and heavy–and the mirror so fragile–that most of the assembly and finishing occurred on the shop floor. It was a real challenge.
The finished product was made even better by the great hardware the clients chose to blend with current fixtures in their beautiful home.
What a great way to make art functional–a barn door. This belongs to another Pinterest-inspired client.
