Thursday, August 5, 2010

French Door Dress Up

Seriously guys, I am only half way through my "Blogger for Dummies" book, still trying to figure this blogging thing out, and, oh my goodness, Layla Palmer from The Lettered Cottage, liked my project, AND showed it to all her friends on facebook and twitter -- I am on cloud 9!  Thank you all for your nice comments and for being my very first followers!  And thank you Layla!


Now, back to earth...

There's a pair of french doors leading from the dining room to the kitchen in our little house.  I moved them there from another location in the house -- because I'm bad that way.  They do work better for me here, giving me a little privacy at night if I choose to close them.....which I hardly ever do.....but I can.....if I want to.....

They were a little plain if you can believe anything "french" could ever be "plain" as well.  I wanted to cover them with something that was not too fussy but still a little different from the solution I've used a dozen times before -- sheers on rods at the top and bottom.





I started by putting four tiny knobs under the top row of glass on each door.  In a previous life these sweet little knobs were drawer pulls on a chest belonging to my aunt. 
She never knew what hit her.


Attaching the knobs - it's easy
  1. I used a small screw whose head would fit up inside the open end of the knob and still stick out about 1/2".
  2. I used epoxy glue to attach the screw to the knob. 
  3. I pre-drilled the holes in the door so I didn't have to put too much pressure on the knob when screwing it in.
One other time (when I didn't think I would ever want to remove them) I just screwed the screw into the door and THEN I glued the knobs on. That worked just as well and was a little easier.



Aren't they the cutest little things?



The panels were ready mades I found on a clearance rack at Walmart 
and restyled to give them dressmaker like details.
 




This is how it looks with the doors opened back into the dining room. 
I'd love it if you shared some of your solutions for
covering interior french doors with me.

*To see the parties I link to and to join in the fun, CLICK HERE!


If you enjoyed this post (and, gosh, I hope you did) please BECOME A FOLLOWER!

22 comments:

  1. You seem to really have fun, Lindy, and not take your projects so seriously. You do a wonderful job and I am looking forward to your new posts. ~Susan

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  2. I never would have thought to do something like that! Like I said, you are so talented!

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  3. Aw - I love Layla. I know that must have made your day!

    Love your ideas! I have interior French doors and we have drapes on one side and love the look but this is so darn cute! We're putting in some single French doors so I'll be sure to keep this in mind. I do want privacy on one of them!

    I wanted to thank you for taking the time to comment on my exciting news earlier too - I'm a bit nervous so seeing the comments gives me reassurance! :)

    Have a great weekend!

    Roeshel

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  4. Great idea!! I'm curious as to how you attached the knobs? I'd love to do this to my Aunt's windows in her old home (they open just like your french doors) but I don't think she'd like me putting a screw hole on the outside of her window.

    Tam

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  5. Hi Tam,
    Good question. I wish I had included that info.

    I used a small screw whose head would fit up inside the open end of the knob and still stick out about 1/2". I used epoxy glue to attach the screw to the knob. I pre-drilled the holes in the door so I didn't have to put too much pressure on the knob when screwing it in.

    One other time (when I didn't think I would ever want to remove them later) I just screwed the screw into the door and THEN I glued the knobs on. That worked just as well and was a little easier.

    Hope this helped. Good luck with your project!

    L.

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  6. Lindy - that is such a great idea...my sister has one of those doors on her back porch, and wanted to let the light in, but provide some privacy as well...now we know what to do! Thank you!! I am still in awe of the satellite dish / chicken coupe. That is the best recycling initiative I have ever seen! So glad I found your blog!

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  7. I think these look terrific. The only idea I have to share was on a pair of French doors in a Paris apartment that we stay in. A sheer pannel was on a rod at the top of the window part. It had a wide ribbon running down the center that when pulled caused the pannel to drape at the bottom. It was a lovely look. I may have a photo if you are interested.

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  8. I love French doors and yours are just gorgeous. Great details!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha.

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  9. The curtain looks wonderful. I love the brads what a great idea.

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  10. Oh, I love this idea! We have french doors leading outside and in the summer the morning sun beats it the glass and heats up the house something terrible. Anyway, this would be a fabulous way to cut down on the heat without losing the look of the doors. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. What a clever solution - very elegant.

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  12. I just looked at your entry post, too. Girl, you are unstoppable. Thank you for sharing (@ Fabric Fun Thursday) these French window "dresses" with us. I'm swooning over the vignette in the corner :).

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  13. Very clever - so elegant!

    Have a great weekend,

    LOLA:)

    PS Mine this time is OVER HERE! Hope you can stop by.

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  14. What a pretty solution! Thanks for linking up to the “Cheap Thrills Thursday” party at Black Kats Design. I hope you had fun and will join in again next Thursday!

    Kat

    www.BlackKatsDesign.blogspot.com

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  15. What a great idea! Using knobs is totally ingenious. Looks fabulous!

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  16. What a clever thing to do! And just lovely!!

    =)

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  17. This is such a beautiful solution. So much more elegant and interesting than sheers on rods, which is the best I've ever been able to come up with:)

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  18. Hi Lindy. I have french doors I've never been able to figure out. This is an incredibly clever and charming idea! this would work on mullioned windows as well!

    It was fun seeing you linked to Alphabe-Thursday. When you link to the meme be sure to put a "link back" somewhere on your post. That way others can get back to the linky a lot easier.

    Just toward the bottom write:

    This post is linked to Alphabe-Thursday's. Click here (and put a hyper link there) to visit other Rainbow Summer School links?

    Does that make sense?

    I think you're doing great with your blogging. It's charming and interesting here. And that's all that counts!

    Thank you for sharing your talents with us this week!

    A+

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  19. love this. it looks like your home has lots of awesome little architectural details.

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  20. What a great job. I love the look. I have French doors at my shore house, and use sheers for a dual purpose of privacy and as a screen when they are open wide and it is a little bit of a buggy day. I weighted the hems with sea glass so they dont' billow too much in the breeze. At night I close them for some privacy. I used a drapery rod above the doors and large loose curtain rod clips so they open and close real easy. My post is called A french Door Dilemma,.. http://freshcutfabrics.blogspot.com/2010/07/french-door-dilemma.html

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  21. Love this idea! Thanks for linking @Creative Itch's "sew Cute Tuesday"!

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I'm excited you're leaving a comment. I can't wait to read it...L.