One thing I told Doug was that I wish this old farmhouse still had its original doors somewhere in the home!  Doug said he remembers his grandmother telling him about two French doors his grandfather removed and burned in a brush pile out back.  She was sad to see them destroyed, and now my heart aches with her.  When we moved in all that was here were old hollow core doors throughout.  Not a thing true to the original era as this house actually dates back to 1863.

I chose these doors as I chose everything in this house. On a whim and with Doug anxious to get back home and get back to work.  We stood in the door aisle for a while as I told Doug I liked none of these choices.  I even asked some older gentlemen working “where can I get a door like this?” as I held out my hand showing him an image on my phone from some old farmhouse I had admired. He looked at me and laughed as I was soon to find out I was comparing apples to oranges and that this “dream door” didn’t exist on the shelves of Menards.  I next tried to convince Doug to use old wood doors I had hoped to gather from Craigslist, garage sale, etc., but Doug wasn’t having that idea in the least.

As this all happened in a matter of minutes standing in those aisles, I settled.  As I usually did because I learned quickly budget, reality, and dreams are all on different playing fields.

I ended up choosing solid pine doors in the colonial style from those lonely aisles.  They were not my first choice, nor my second, but somehow I feel we pulled it off and everyday I find myself loving them more and more.

How we did it- I lined all the new unfinished doors out on our patio on saw horses and got to work.  I stained them with Old Masters Wiping stain color provincial and finished them with an oil based polyurethane.  I love the richness a wiping stain can bring to the grains without making them seem “too rustic” if you ask me!

Hind site is always 20/20 and I surely do wish I could have located old doors at a similar historic time period as our home, but that is beside the fact.

This leads me to the next best thing- adding quality hardware. I never knew hardware could make such a difference. From the charm it adds, to the feeling of quality at your grasp, to finding that touch of character and history back to an old home!  Nostalgic Warehouse has been a love of mine for a long time.  I realized I can still find quality hardware I’ve always loved.  I fell in love with this egg and dart style plate with a porcelain knob in oil rubbed bronze to really tie in our home and bring out the details I was looking for!

The detailing in the plate and the feel of the solid brass truly takes these doors up a notch, or two! The little knob tucked just left of the porcelain door knob is the locking mechanism! I chose passage for our closet and basement door, but went with privacy for all bedrooms and bathrooms. Also, I am so happy to finally have a little privacy in this home with two little boys.

Thank you for stopping by and feel free to ask me any questions in the comments!  I will be looking out for those and getting back to you all!

Thank you all again and I hope this post is encouraging and helpful in making your house your home!