Bring Colour Into Your Home With The Painted Interior Door Trend

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Creative painted door interior trend

In the past three weeks I have painted two interior doors in my home a bold colour. The door in my young son’s bedroom I painted a cobalt blue, while our previously cream basement door got a lick of rich, red burgundy. Safe to say that I am a HUGE fan of the painted interior door trend. Painting an interior door in a deep, vibrant shade is an easy way to add colour into your home - without having to commit to painting all the walls in a domineering hue.

Last week I warmed up this bland area of our basement by painting the inside of the back door in ‘Bordeaux’ acrylic eggshell by Zoffany Paint.

Last week I warmed up this bland area of our basement by painting the inside of the back door in ‘Bordeaux’ acrylic eggshell by Zoffany Paint.

I painted my son’s bedroom door in a cobalt blue.

I painted my son’s bedroom door in a cobalt blue.

I first starting painting my interior doors last year when I gave my hallway a total refresh. As my hallway spanned three floors, using one colour on the walls had not worked out as I had hoped. The differing levels of light from the top floor to the basement meant that while the colour looked nice in one area, it didn’t work so well two floors down. To overcome this, I decided to paint-out all the walls in an off-white, but I was aware that this would strip all colour and personality from the space. To inject some colour back in, I decided to paint all the uninteresting cream doors that peppered the hallway. I took the plunge and painted the back of the front door in an intense teal shade - it totally transformed the space and became a huge focal point without having to add art or anything else in for visual interest:

creative painted door trend
The back of my front door before, during and after it going Teal. The colour is ‘Teal’ by M&L paints in a eggshell finish and you can read about the whole process of painting it here.

The back of my front door before, during and after it going Teal. The colour is ‘Teal’ by M&L paints in a eggshell finish and you can read about the whole process of painting it here.

As well as the teal door I carried on painting the doors upstairs in a pale pink to match the flowery vintage-style curtains - this allowed me to have ‘just-enough’ pink in this area of my home, without it feeling too overbearing and ‘sugary’.

Upstairs the doors in my home are painted in a soft, pale pink.

Upstairs the doors in my home are painted in a soft, pale pink.

Painted doors allow you to add exciting, rich, or bold colours that you may have reservations about using wildly on the walls. With a white or neutral base, your space retains a light canvas, while your door becomes the real feature.

You may choose to carry the colour around onto the skirting as well as using it on the door. Or, you can keep the colour contained to the door and section it off from the rest of the decor.

The interior designer Fiona Duke creates a statement by painting only these doors in Carolina Gull by Benjamin Moore Paint. Photo Credit: Anna Stathaki.

The interior designer Fiona Duke creates a statement by painting only these doors in Carolina Gull by Benjamin Moore Paint. Photo Credit: Anna Stathaki.

While designer Ben Pentreath takes this gorgeous green all round the skirting as well as the doors. Photo credit: Ben Pentreath Ltd.

While designer Ben Pentreath takes this gorgeous green all round the skirting as well as the doors. Photo credit: Ben Pentreath Ltd.

How To Paint An Internal Door

If you fancy giving this creative decor idea a go yourself, there are a few things to know about painting your internal wood. First of all, your doors should be painted in an eggshell or a gloss, which is a more durable paint than emulsion (which should only be used on walls.) Previously painted doors in these paint finishes will need to be prepped and primed before you paint them in order for you to get a no-chip finish.

My door painting method is to paint the frame, then paint any door details with a good quality, pointed-tip paintbrush. I finish by using a roller suitable for eggshell paint to paint the larger surface areas.

My door painting method is to paint the frame, then paint any door details with a good quality, pointed-tip paintbrush. I finish by using a roller suitable for eggshell paint to paint the larger surface areas.

Give your door a light sanding with a fine-grade sandpaper in order to get rid of the ‘sheen’ of the previous paint. If your door is bare, untreated wood, also give it a light sand in order for your paint to adhere to the surface. I like to use a sanding block for sanding doors, as this allows you to get into the crevices of any door detailing. Clean the dust away with a damp microfibre cloth and leave it to dry. In order to get a sharp, clean line between the colour you use on the door frame and your walls, apply a painters tape. I always use a low-tack tape which I press down firmly using an old credit card to stop any bleeds. Before you add any colour, apply one or two thin coats of all-purpose primer. A primer will adhere paint to your door while also stopping any stains or knots bleeding through your chosen paint colour. Once your primer is dry, apply a minimum of 2 coats of eggshell or gloss paint to your door, then remove the painter’s tape once dry.