How it Became "The House With the Aqua Door."

I have never been one for blending in. I like to set myself apart from others, not in an odd way that leaves people scratching their heads in disbelief, but a unique way that leave others thinking, "why didn't I think of that" or "I love that, but I could never pull it off."

Our new community is lovely. All of our neighbors are diligent about making sure their lawns are manicured on a regular basis, their driveways are gleaming from the fresh power-washing, their flowers are perky and rarely wilted, BUT...all of their homes are practically exact replicas of the one next door.

Enter, the Sharp Family...more specifically, Ginne. I needed that one thing that set me apart from the other neighbors. A fresh piece that screamed, "I AM A CALI GIRL!!!"

I found the piece that would speak to the neighborhood and give them a little peek into the soul of our home. It makes me smile every time I pull into our driveway. It certainly was the buzz around the neighborhood for a while. It also makes our house more identifiable! It is unmistakeably our house, which is quite possibly the coolest and my favorite element of my experiment!
"Which house do you live in, Ginne?"
"The house with the aqua door!"
"Oh, I love your door!" '

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to OUR DOOR!

Before and After

I chose a Behr paint for the job. It really is one of my absolute favorite brands. Great coverage!!! The color I chose is Cool Jazz. The crazy thing is that I already had a can of Cool Jazz mixed that I had intended to use to paint my daughter's room. However, we decided against it in favor of a more muted aqua color. Well muted wasn't what I was looking for to apply to the front door. I tested a little on the door and loved it! Unfortunately for me, I was still unable to use the can I had because it was not the right paint type or finish. If anyone needs a can of Cool Jazz for an indoor project, I still have an unused can, even though I keep trying to use it ;) I used an Exterior Semi-Gloss Enamel (for good clean up). I didn't cover all of the windows before I painted because...well, what a pain that would have been. I simply took a straight edge razor and scraped the paint after it had dried. Soooooooo much easier than taping it off! I am all for the easy way out, provided it garners the same quality results. I didn't even take the door off of the hinges!!!

The Wooster brush with the blue rubber handle is the brush that I use in the majority of my paint projects. It provides great control and excellent coverage. I always get mine at The Home Depot, but here is a link for more info: http://www.thepaintstore.com/Wooster_s_Shortcut_Angle_Sash_Brush_p/q3211.htm

Here is our door a little over six months after her fresh new look:

With all of the dust and pollen The Woodlands is often covered in, this door cleans up beautifully with a hose or a damp rag.

I could not find black hardware for the door. I picked up a flat black spray paint and gave the old hardware a makeover!

This is how we became the family who lives in The House With the Aqua Door!