Once upon a time I was at a flea market shopping when I came upon a lovely blue door. It was old with wide planks and I envisioned cutting it down and using it as a coffee table. I had a wrought iron frame and had put a piece of furniture grade wood on top of it per my MIL’s suggestion. But, thought it could be even cooler with a barn door. So, I tore off the price tag, as one does at these types of sales, and held onto it until I was ready to pay. When passing by the door again I saw a girl lifting it from it’s resting place and getting ready to put it in her car. I try to avoid confrontation most of the time, but when it comes to the rules of flea market ettiquce I cannot bite my tonge…and I wanted that door! She said she had just paid for it at the counter and it was hers. I proceeded to remind her of the rules and held up my ticket. It did no good and she drove away. Fuming.
I got over the incident, but not over my love of old doors. I have them all over my house. In my hallway, my study and one in my master bathroom leaning against the wall near the tub. All chippy & wonderful.
Doors are a great example of adding a bit of rustic-love into your home without going overboard. Lean it against a blank wall. Make sure it has character, peeling paint, an old lock, broad boards, etc. I don’t even mind if it’s a bright color as long as it’s chipping. I also have a way to adjust a color if it’s not the exact shade you want that I’ll be talking about next week. So buy the door!
A white door always works as long as it’s OLD.
I find it very hard to pass by an old door without wanting it. I was at an estate sale last week and all I wanted were the doors off their hinges! Unfortunately, they were not for sale 🙁 And, yes, I did get some funny looks for asking.
Awesome, I am now on the look out for some old doors! 🙂 Cheers!
Oh man, the flea market story! People who don’t follow usual protocol for those sales make me so mad. We are fortunate enough to have a wonderful antique dealer in our area who also hosts a monthly estate sale, where the rules are strict, and they WILL remember people who don’t play by them. But at regular estate sales…. I can go a little crazy with making sure the person running it knows what I am getting, ha!