Seasonal updates + Favorite Door Hardware: Emtek

|
front door on white house with lights and planters
Every season is a reason to update and make a few changes on the front porch and the side door on our black garage, and early fall might be my favorite. I think because it usually means not once, but several times I can make changes that include new plants and maybe even a color change on the door!  The biggest change was of course the new hardware from Emtek.  We used the flat black egg shape for the front door and a round knob for the garage side door.  We have always been big fans of Emtek using them on our last several houses for door hardware and kitchen and bath hardware. The Hello is simply writing on glass with A Sharpie water-based paint pen!

Our pink door continues to get lots of attention on Pinterest & Instagram

Let’s face it, I did it for Pinterest!  Sort of…I also knew Madeline invited friends for Easter, so a pink door for spring seemed like a great idea. By the time Patrick came home from Syracuse in May, he was not a fan of the pink.  Big surprise!  So now it’s Storm Gray and we love it!

When one project leads to another…

Don’t they all? When we painted our front door Storm Gray, of course the porch floor could no longer be gray.  So we painted the floor black. Sort of a reverse of this. We used Behr Paint from Home Depot.  It has proven to be the best quality and at a great price. We used it on our garage a few years back and recently needed to do a little touch-up and we were surprised how little it had faded.

Too early for Mums?

My friend Steve (An Urban Cottage) gives me a hard time every year about my need to replace summer plantings with mums the second they arrive in the stores.  I don’t know…It’s like grown up school supplies.  “If I knew your name and address, I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils.” My favorite movie line. Ever. Mums and fall plantings in the color of a Ticonderoga pencil?  Why yes, thank you! clear glass with pencils

Here’s how we keep our porch looking fresh

To keep the porch clean and fresh looking I use a small leaf blower almost everyday to get the dust off.  And about once a month I use this portable pressure washer that’s so easy to use and it makes everything clean again.  I use Sprayway to clean our glass door and a simple solution of vinegar and Dawn to wipe down the furniture and ledges.  Check out this:  70+ Wonderful Uses of White Vinegar.

Our favorite galvanized planters  ship free from Rejuvenation!

The ribbed galvanized metal planters from Rejuvenation ship free!    

Similar Posts

11 Comments

  1. Love all of the accessories and tips for transitioning over to fall. I am not really ready in full spirit to admit that summer is over, but, my front stoop would like me to “get over it” and start taking care of it again. Ha! I really need a new doormat this year. We still have my monogrammed “M” from Williams-Sonoma that we ordered when we first got married so many years ago! It’s stood the test of time, but really is worn. I have been spying the ideas from McGee and co, thinking of a layering a doormat over a striped outdoor rug. I love the simplicity of yours- no patterns. Where is it from?
    The galvanized planters are 100% on my list this year. Love all of this inspiration, and I love the new color on your front door and the porch itself. Looks perfect!!

    1. Hi Shawn-The house was built in 1900 and they appear very old and hand made. I would try Bevolo in Louisiana. They make gorgeous lanterns. Search copper planters on my blog where I talked about them. Hope this helps!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *