I’ll have to admit; I spend so much time thinking about interiors that the exterior of my house often looks like the set of Sanford and Son. Something about the thought of Spring really inspired me to change that.

I decided to approach the front door/porch area of our house as if it were an interior - space planning, color scheming…tackling all the details.

AFTER

In case you are new here, we live in a 1970s rental. But not in a midcentury-modern, cute way. Just an OMG-the-original-budget-fixtures-in-this-house-have-never-been-updated kind of way.

Most of the updates to this house have been because we have slathered our love and time on it, and this entry is no exception.

BEFORE (yes, this is the same house!)

The first thing we did was update the storm door. Since I actually love the darn thing for the light it brings into the house, I decided to give it a facelift (as opposed to removing it altogether).

So we removed the glass by unscrewing the screws on the inside of the door. We then used pliers to grab that ruffled edge and pull it off. EASY PEASY!

Since this was a metal door, we needed to prime it before painting. I had the person at the paint counter darken it a bit so it would be easier for me to transition from light to dark.

Because the door had an extra smooth surface, I used a foam roller to prevent any texturing.

With the primer dried, I could then add a coat of matte black. Okay, two coats.

I actually really love the detail on the bottom half of the door.

With the hard part out of the way, we could then move on to the fun stuff!

How cute is this felt wreath from Simply Seasonal Shop? The shape feels so modern to me and the color pallet is so inspiring. This will go behind the storm door window so it will be protected from weather year-round.

Each wreath is lovingly made by hand. I ordered the 20” wreath and it fit my door perfectly.

There are so many colors to choose from here.

I can’t tell you how many door mats I’ve purchased in my life, only to have to replace them after a short time. So, I was beyond thrilled to discover this mat from Infinity Custom Mats. Their mats have the appearance of coir, without any of the hassles. They don’t shed or shred, they are anti-bacterial, don't mold, mildew or hold water, and are soft enough to walk on but rough enough to catch the dust and dirt. And because they are inlaid, not printed, the pattern doesn’t wear away. A non-slip backing means they won’t constantly shift around. I was sold!

Since we modernized the door a bit, I wanted to update our number sign as well. I found this sign from Fall Mountain Workshop and it was just what I was looking for.

Their signs are handcrafted from solid steel and available in a variety of colors and shapes. I chose the medium round size in flat black to match the door color.

The quality is unmatched, made to last and very affordable!

I thrifted this slatted planter box for $6 - score! It just needed a fresh coat of paint, so I whipped up a slate gray color using the white and black paints I already had.

This simple wood trellis was purchased here. I painted it with a sample of Delicate Rose by Benjamin Moore to match the wreath. My hope is that this rose will start to climb it. Fingers Crossed.

We can’t forget that ol’ original light fixture (although we would like to). To help erase that memory, we installed this modern cone light. So much better!

For those of you wondering, I live and die by this sign LOL. I wanted to remove it for this shoot, but the fear of it not re-adhering was enough to dissuade me. If you have a small child and a dog, then you already get it.

Bless this sign. Amen.