Yes to a new door with at least a glass top.

And yes to painting your hall tree (aka coat rack). Maybe the same color as your fridge? Or a matte red?

ML

My votes:

1. yes, looks like that spot was made for that rack and you always need hooks for something at the beach.
2. always yes to more light in a North facing room (could you even go double French and incorporate window?)
3. yes to shallow bookshelves as long as you leave a good amount of room to elbow your way through the vestibule (like 42-48" maybe?)

Could you have glass put in the panels of the existing door?

I think the coat tree would look very nice painted in a color from your color pallet (still liking the plum idea too).

Donate or sell the coat rack if you don't want to keep it without painting it.

Another Donate or sell the coat rack if you don't want to keep it without painting it.

1. Paint the coat rack---and Is that some kind of round ornament that could be painted a contrasting color? Gray and yellow for the round?

2. French door, def.

3. No bookshelves, but would like a pic to understand why they are really necessary.

1. Part of me is screaming NO Don't Paint That Coat Rack! And part of me is shrugging and saying absolutely paint it - perfect size and so useful, just make it fresher. Tough call.

2. I would have the top 3 or all panels on that kitchen door replaced with glass in a heartbeat And since I'm so adept at spending your money i'd make it beveled glass :-)

3. Can't wrap my brain around what you are considering. I feel accomplished enough answering 2 of 3.

I would keep the coat rack as is.

Yes to a glass door in the kitchen.

No to bookshelves. That would make it harder to move furniture in and out, harder to help someone in and out of the room if they have a sprained ankle, and make it feel more closed in. I would do art or mirrors on the walls.

Yes paint the coat rack a wild color (orange, red, purple....) with black enamel hardware...or push it to extreme kitsch a la Mackenzie Childs

{{!gwi}}

Yes on the door with more glass, if in keeping with the spirit of your unfitted kitchen. Perhaps something coordinating with the other doors...

No to the bookcases....

If you change your door, check out architectural salvage first so that you can get one that is appropriate to the age and quality of your home. old growth wood is irreplaceable. In any case, save the current door for the next owner of the home. Do that with windows you replace as well. People like me would rather have the originals.

Hm, I'd probably hold off on painting the coat rack until that yellow paint has been changed. Then maybe a nice cushion. You're painting the floor white, right?

The glass door is a great idea, but make sure to tuck away the original one, in case you ever have a use for it -- it will be difficult to replace.

I vote against painting the coat rack. Use it in its original finish as a little bit of whimsy.

Lovely detail on that coat rack. Paint it turquoise.
I'm ambivalent about the door to the outside. How often will it be used?
Will you be painting the woodwork in the kitchen?

Yes to the glass in the door in the kitchen.
No its an ugly coat rack, call me and I will come and remove it for you.
Maybe to the shelves, I lean to the claustrophobia end.

1. I vote for French door or put transom bulls eye windows in door. Also agree that you hold on to the original door.

2. Paint the coat rack in one of the colors from your palate.

3. If the closet is wide enough- yes to the shelves. It would be something fun and unexpected.

Love all your thoughts along the way...

Yes, to painting the coat rack -- either the turquise of your refrigerator or something bright, just have some fun with it! (I'd feel sorry for it too).

Yes, to the french doors.

I'm not so sure on the shelves. For some reason I think it might be too much -- maybe trying too hard for charm when simplicity might be best.

Thank you, NosoccerMom,
I had never even thought of a cushion! That is a great idea to tone down the wood without putting my grimy paws on it; it's at least worth a try. Yes, the yellow walls are already long gone, and the walls are primed and the floor will be.

JMC01,
Well, in fact, we were trying to use the "salvage" from our own home; we own two doors that were misspecified, and others that came off the pool room when we added. However, none of them were exactly the right size and we'd spend 400-500 on labor reworking the opening. We would def save the original door.

As for preferring the originals, I so agree. Sadly, the PO put in all new windows. Worse yet, they got rid of the old ones. I try not to think about it.

Annie,
This is me, mtn. Are you crazy?
If I'm replacing the door, it's not gonna be half-assed. I mean half glass. ; ) I know the visual weight would be better but if I am doing it I want a LOT more light not just SOME.

Crl, OMG, who sprained their ankle? And how did they get up two flights to my room? All kidding aside, it will still be the width of a normal door.

DLM, LOL. And Jterrilynn, I thought about "inserting glass' but with thermopane not sure if they can do that? Plus it prob would be more than replacing.

KSWL, In the diagram below, you see the doorway from the hall into the MBR? It goes thru what was once a closet. I want to put shelves in kind of like you see in the photo. They will be largely decorative.

Here on the floorplan, see the single door entry into the MBR suite? See the dotted lines? They are the old hall closet foot print. The idea is to put shelves 10-12" deep on either side of the doorway as you enter.

kind of like this, but only one section not three:

Pal, well, I will try it with a cushion and it in its new environs. But if I donate, i can just imagine the next person will paint it!

Robo, Maddie, thanks!

Mojo, Beachpea, thank you

Local, you are too kind.

Chibimimi, thank you

Suero, All of the trim, walls and floors are being painted simply white. The built in hutch and doors stay as is.

I would imagine the back door will be the primary means of ingress and egress. It will probably be open 90% of the time; the 1st floor does not have a/c and we will be there mostly in summer.

Hold onto the coat rack until the painting and decorating are completed. Then look at it in a different light once the French door has replaced the current one. Things look better in the morning or not. Morning is when all is done but the unnecessary things like painting the hat rack.

Get big jobs out of the way and reevaluate.

Book shelves? ? ? It's kind of busy right now but it could be the draining yellow color making it feel that way. Another, get it painted and see. Can we do that?

This post was edited by patricia43 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 19:44

Hahaha! Just wait til I get you fabric shopping!!!

With the trim and walls and floor all painted white, sure, replace the outside door with a glass door.

As for the bookcases, Not on the left behind the door opening. Maybe on the right, but then, you'll be making the world's smallest vestibule even smaller. OTOH, I love having books in a room.

1) Yes, hold off until all is done. First thought is - that fabulous barn door/ outer door red you see occasionally and which you know is the RIGHT red. Oh it's a bright red and most possibly will clash dreadfully but if it worked, so satisfying.

2) Fun, antiquey glass replacing the panels?

3) Love the idea of bookshelves.

4 - Meant to offer this on your mirror thread. I'm head over heels with this glass. Figured you'd find a use for it. I'm seriously considering it for my linen closet, mirror in family room (not up yet) and glass doors in kitchen.

Bendheim - Restoration Glass. $50/square foot.

Thanks for that floor plan mtn, it helps to see how much space is there. I would not put display shelves on the sides of the MBR entry. Can you find a lovely seascape and hardware in a picture light above it? I'd probably do this only on one side, and install a nice sconce on the opposite wall, like this:

Mtn'dux, that door needs glass like a bald man needs hair(well, maybe the hair is a personal choice), but you know what I mean. Same for the hall tree, paint, for sure~looks like someone threw up a can of stain and it landed all over the place! The 'tree' is definitely worth saving, but 'do it proud' with a couple of coats of paint, maybe your turquoise. When it's finished, I know you're gonna knock our socks off!

Obviously not this style, but what about a dutch door? I just love dutch doors....

If you are going to paint it anyway, just put something like this there and paint it the color you want.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hall Tree

Here's the one nosoccermom posted after it's painted ...

Wow, I actually like the unpainted version better.

Hmm, it's a matter of taste, but I think it looked like an antique before an now it looks like something from Ballard Designs tarted up with some extra trim. There isn't anything the matter with Ballard Designs, but in this case it kind of reminds me of Dolly Parton; "I paid a lot of money to look this cheap".

Oh, we could have a Dutch captain, but I like a French captain. French doors can be all glass except a wooden perimeter. You could keep the door you have now, but keep it pushed back and use a French door with all glass except a matching wood color (to the original door) for light and sightseeing. French doors don't have to have muntins and/or mullions in them.

Try cleaning off the dark varnish and leftover wax from that hall tree, and polish up the hooks. It might clean up real good. If not, it will be ready to paint.

Can you have that door rebuilt with glass in at least the top 3 panels? If not, any period-appropriate door with glass would \definitely luight up the kitchen.

If there's room, keeping the wood door and adding a full length glass door seems lovely.

As I think I said above, I have decided (for now) not to paint it, but give it a light color cushion and "style"it with some of those cute straw hats from NoSoccerMom's posts, (thus rendering it far less useful, but it'll look good doing it!)
Thanks for the photos!

That said, if I am not happy I will most certainly paint it. I think it's pretty silly to suggest I go spend $400 to buy a new one, still have to paint it, and then go donate the first one. Odds are the Goodwill patron will paint it too, if not worse!

Great point raised above --- if the door will be open most/much of the time, then the issue is not this door but the screen! Which I cannot even describe to you. So I need to check that out when we go up next. If that fails, I cannot retrofit the door by adding glass .... new doors are mass produced and cheap, a one-off job to get someone to change what is there would require a highly skilled pricey craftsman; and I actually would rather keep the door intact in case I ever decide to switch back.

Oh, but you and your female guests could wear those cute straw hats and for the gentlemen something like this:

I stopped at my local consignment store today right before closing. They had just brought in a coat rack bench, very similar to yours...yes, stained - no paint. The shop hadn't priced it yet, but they called a little while after closing with a price.

I'll be heading back there tomorrow when the shop opens to buy it. And to admire the stained finish for years to come!

Today was my lucky day!

I vote yes for a french door in the kitchen. More light is always nice and you do have a few more of the same doors in the kitchen.

I was going to vote yes to painting the coat rack (to match your refrigerator) but then read that you're painting the walls and floors. I would hold off on painting it until you're done with that to see how it looks after the changes.

I can't picture your doorway with the bookshelves but I do like the picture you posted.