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A Door, A Closet and a Domino

Soon after we painted our entry closet walls a soft minty green, I got started on phase 2 of closet overhaul – painting the door itself! As we mentioned way back here, we were undecided between a true black, off-black or navy, but look – navy won! Scott and I have both been falling hard for navy lately – navy is the new black? – so much so that we’ve had to reel in some of our ideas for future navy choices (like a couch, some chairs or a rug). For now, our first bold dabble in the color is doing the trick; in the end, we went with Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue, color matched to Sherwin Williams exterior paint:

Unfortunately, our contractors wrapped up too close to the holiday season, which meant cold weather, snow and rain prevented us from also painting our front door (which will be finished in the same deep navy). But! We’re all about celebrating each small (and not-so-small) victory as it happens, so the closet door (oh, the infamous closet door!)? Painted! Check.

And in-between tiling and over the course of this last week, we were finally able to put this space to use. Considering that this house didn’t even have a foyer closet when we purchased it (instead, we reversed the ‘bedroom’ closet behind the shared wall to gain storage – it might make more sense here), we are loving the small addition.

It’s so gloriously organized and (feels) empty – empty, in a good way. There’s an entire second shelf with nothing on it but a dust buster with room to grow. As a bit of a coat hoarder myself (living in Chicago counts as an excuse, right?), only our heavily rotated coats are in this closet, and our ‘working’ jackets (you know, the ones you wear when you’re using power tools and painting outdoors?) are still being stored in the guestroom closet since they tend to muck up anything they touch.

We picked up all our storage bins at The Container Store (one of these and two of these), with the exception of our rolling crate for shoes. Our winter gear (scarves, gloves and earmuffs) are within easy reach on a lower shelf, whereas the top two jute bins hold vacuum accessories and – okay, we’ll admit it – Jack’s clothes.

And look – how adult of us! All of our hangers match! When Only Hangers asked us if we had any use for their sturdy, hunky hangers, we knew exactly where they’d go. We chose their dark bamboo coat hangers, which to be honest, was based purely on looks. But when they arrived? Well, they’re attractive, yes, but they’re also built to last. (Who knew you could be so excited about a hanger? Oh wait, these two.)

For the finishing touch (can you tell we’re excited about our closet yet?), we added a teeny surprise with every swing of the door. Right in the threshold, we replaced one piece of marble with an appropriately sized domino; we’re calling it good luck. (Or was it tiling-induced-insanity?) Scott chose a domino with our favorites numbers – 5 for me (it was my old hockey number) and 11 for him (from his favorite childhood athlete). You can only see it when the closet door swings open, but it makes us smile every time. And isn’t that what counts?

Okay, so now we’re up to… a painted door? Check! Storage? Check! Matching hangers and sweet little domino and sparkly, sequined bunny? Check, check, check! But as much as we are loving the way things are falling together, we can’t help but get antsy over our lack of baseboards and trim. Once we add the proper molding to this door frame – well, I’d whistle if I could. (Not to mention, our messy grout smears are all we can see!)

Consider that to-do bumped. Right to the top.

This post is in partnership with Only Hangers. We used their dark bamboo coat hangers and love, love, love them – and that? That opinion is all ours. 

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  • Anne @ Planting Sequoias1.17.14 - 7:40 AM

    An actual Domino!?! I’m freaking out over how great that is! Like an “easter egg” in real life.ReplyCancel

  • Kim1.17.14 - 7:55 AM

    Anne, when Scott suggested it, we were a couple hours into grouting and these old bones were aching… I thought, why not? We love the special added touch!ReplyCancel

  • Kris1.17.14 - 8:18 AM

    Love that color! The domino is a great touch!!ReplyCancel

  • Kim Schutte1.17.14 - 8:58 AM

    I’ve seen that color in magazines but I never realized how much I love it until now. Great choice!ReplyCancel

  • Julia [Chris Loves Julia]1.17.14 - 9:12 AM

    Head over heels for the whole thing. Especially that domino! Touches like that make it a home.ReplyCancel

  • ann1.17.14 - 9:34 AM

    love the color AND the door hardware – original, I presume.ReplyCancel

  • Amy Lynn1.17.14 - 9:35 AM

    Love it! And definitely approve of the domino choice …. 5 was also my jersey number growing up and 11/5 is our wedding anniversary! Hehe.ReplyCancel

  • Emily @ Our Waldo Bungie1.17.14 - 9:35 AM

    That domino! That handle! The door color! I’m in lurve!ReplyCancel

  • Kim1.17.14 - 9:41 AM

    Ann, yes! The door and the hardware came from Salvage One here in Chicago. We pieced it all together.

    Amy, this is why we’re friends! Great minds.ReplyCancel

  • Kim1.17.14 - 9:42 AM

    Also, Amy, that would have been a great domino to use as well – our wedding anniversary! 11/8 :)ReplyCancel

  • misie1.17.14 - 9:47 AM

    That door color is heaven. Domino = best.idea.ever.ReplyCancel

  • Rachel1.17.14 - 10:03 AM

    I love everything about your closet! It is so gorgeous and the color of the door is awesome. The domino is such a perfect thing too!
    I love that you said you would whistle if you could – I can’t whistle either!! (and something funny- our one dog, Amy, hates whistling, like seriously hates it and barks whenever she hears it in person or on tv. I’d like to think she feels my vibe – since I can’t whistle others shouldn’t either haha)
    Have a great weekend!ReplyCancel

  • Jodi1.17.14 - 10:39 AM

    it looks AMAZING!!!ReplyCancel

  • Kim1.17.14 - 10:49 AM

    Rachel, haha, glad I’m not the only one! I’ve tried and tried… but to no avail!ReplyCancel

  • Beth1.17.14 - 11:50 AM

    I love it all, but especially the domino!ReplyCancel

  • Amanda @ Our Humble Abode1.17.14 - 2:04 PM

    My inner organizing nerd is nodding and grinning like a fool. Love the fun color to make a statement. And, the domino is such a cute idea. :) You two are adorable.ReplyCancel

  • thelady1.17.14 - 2:57 PM

    such a happy coat closet to come home toReplyCancel

  • Katie1.17.14 - 3:08 PM

    This looks amazing! I love the blue door so much. It’s the perfect shade of Navy. Also, the domino idea is adorable. What a fun touch.
    KatieReplyCancel

  • Jeanie1.18.14 - 8:07 AM

    Love the domino touch but I wanted to say I completely understand about excitement over a foyer closet–our old (1920) bungalow does not have a front closet (or a foyer) but if we ever put one in…I can only imagine how over the moon I would be. Yours turned out beautifully!ReplyCancel

  • Amy1.20.14 - 1:31 PM

    I’m in love with the domino piece – that’s perfect! That’s the fun in doing a home renovation – you get to add personal touches!ReplyCancel

  • Julia@Cukoo4Design1.20.14 - 7:44 PM

    I thought you were kidding about the domino. That genius! So cool!ReplyCancel

  • SEM2.5.14 - 11:11 PM

    sold. i’m crushing hard on navy lately. and that pop of mint, the tile….and the domino (read: falls off chair). you two are too much. loving every inch.ReplyCancel

  • Michelle5.22.14 - 11:32 AM

    I’m late to this obviously but had a question…it says you used an exterior paint for the closet door…what made you do that? I’m about to paint our interior doors and just curious if I should go that route too…thanks :)ReplyCancel

    • Kim5.22.14 - 11:40 AM

      We’ll be using the same paint on our front door, so we bought exterior with that in mind. At the same time, we like to use exterior paint on doors and trim so it’s extra super durable!ReplyCancel

      • Michelle5.22.14 - 12:25 PM

        Awesome…thank you for such a quick reply :)ReplyCancel

  • […] Via Yellow Brick Home. […]ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer10.24.14 - 12:22 PM

    Love your blue and so want to copy! Do you happen to have the Sherwin match-up info? Thank you, thank you!!ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.24.14 - 12:55 PM

      Sherwin Williams has the information in their computer system. When I called them beforehand to check, they said that they keep all of Farrow & Ball codes in their system, so to come on in! Now, keep in mind that I’ve heard Farrow & Ball has a different paint formula/make-up that makes it hard for other brands to match them EXACTLY, but you can get really, really close!ReplyCancel

      • Jennifer10.24.14 - 2:49 PM

        Wow, thanks! I appreciate the reply. That is handy info!ReplyCancel

  • Sarah1.8.15 - 9:10 PM

    I am so excited to see this post about hangers! I have a few old ones that belongs to my grandpa, and I love them and have been looking for more. Everything I find that is new is cheap. I am excited to try these out!ReplyCancel

  • thefolia9.30.15 - 3:06 AM

    The navy looks brilliant. Great tidy and organized look. Happy Nesting.ReplyCancel

  • Sierra8.21.16 - 3:30 PM

    Where did you get the hardware to hold up the rod and shelf? And where did you find the shelf system for the smaller shelves on the bottom? Is the hardware readily available at hardware stores? My husband and I are going to re-do our closet that currently has ugly wire shelving.ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.22.16 - 8:34 AM

      Hi Sierra! The shelves and rod are part of a closet system you can pick up at ANY hardware store. I believe we got ours at Ace Hardware, but you can find this at Home Depot or Lowe’s as well! The smaller shelves are just a longer shelf we cut in half, and we put the exposed ‘cut’ edge along the wall so you can’t see the raw wood.ReplyCancel

  • Steph11.6.19 - 3:24 PM

    In Chicago, with all the seasons you too must have lots of footwear options I am guessing.  Where are you storing all your other footwear that isn’t in the rolling bin?  Tidy, accessible and organized footwear storage is probably the biggest problem in our front foyer closet that is roughly the same size as yours.  Have you done any updates to this closet system since this post apart from changing the paint colour? Think you might switch over to the handsome closet system you just put in the master bedroom at Tree House?  Sorry for all the questions! TIA!ReplyCancel

    • Kim11.6.19 - 3:54 PM

      We keep most of our shoes in our closet, and keep the seasonal ones in the coat closet or the shoe bin by our front door. We might need to upgrade that shoe bin soon though!!ReplyCancel

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