Creative Interior Hack. Plain doors to Awesome doors using Velvet Luxe and Warehouse Frames

So this is not an Artisan At Home NZ project, but one from our retailer in Masterton; Brushstrokes Studio inside a home and was  just way too good, we had to share it on here.  We love the absolute genius transformation of these wardrobe doors taking them from drab and dated to a very very cool feature. Creatively and effortlessly. 

So Here's the before of the doors, we all recognise it right, super plain, woody and can be found in so many NZ homes ... read on: 

FRAMES: With some frames purchased from the Warehouse, Lisa stuck these on the doors to create her own detailed panelling; Genius! There are so many frames you can purchase from The Warehouse, Kmart, or any where really, you can get super creative when it comes to this part; you're not looking for the colour or even finish all your looking for is one with the right detail.  Whether you want intricate detailed moulded types ones or simple multi bevelled ones like the one below and shown in this project, the choice is absolutely your's. But you want to choose one that  works in proportion to the sizing of the doors you are working with. 

Multi bevelled like the one Lisa used or you can go a bit fancy like the one below, the choice is yours

Note: depending on the frames you choose, some frames are known to have silica type  based coatings on them, if they do, any paint placed over it may "bead", so test a corner first, if the paint beads, give it a light sand and wipe down and use Artisan Lacquer over the surface to block this in before painting. 

PLACEMENT: Measure out and trace the frames on the door with a light PENCIL  (not a pen or pen marks will bleed through when you paint) , stand back and take a look; when you're happy with the positioning  glue them on with a strong non expanding glue, we're talking super glue type stuff, put some gloves on though you don't want to stick your fingers to the door...Frames are generally very light so a strong super glue will be more than enough to keep them strong and in place 

A LITTLE PREP: Doors are known to have a bit of oil and grease from use overtime; especially around the handles and edges, so give it a quick clean to remove any residue, oil or grease before you paint. Not many doors are super glossy so you should be good to paint  straight over with Velvet Luxe ( if by chance you do have glossy doors, you'll need to give them a light sand first before painting, just to help it key in, we're not talking about a full on sand to remove every ounce of varnish, just a light surface sand with 180 -200 grit sandpaper ) 

67 Colours to choose from Once the door is clean and the frames are on, use your chosen Velvet Luxe colour (67 to choose from) ; good news, this is a self levelling hybrid chalk paint that will dry smooth, matte and velvety, and you don't have to wax over it or lacquer!  It seals itself, so should be a pretty quick project from here. 

Brushes : For doors we recommend using  Staalmeester series 2023 Flat brush in size 20, from experience and customer feedback these are the best for projects like this, not to heavy to hold; easy to manage a good size for things like doors and great when used with Velvet Luxe to create a flat finish and if your doing detailed frames a Pointed Tip is also ideal, having the right tools just means you eliminate any challenges as your doing it, once you get started you want to get through it as easily and quickly as you can, having everything there, so we cant stress enough about having the right tools with Artisan Paints 

Staalmeester series 2023 size 20

Staalmeester Pointed Tip for going over the frames 

Application: With this project Lisa used Artisan Velvet Luxe in  Clubhouse Grey: and painted in two coats. If you want to see how to paint with it there's a video of Darrell painting the doors in our previous Artisan At Home NZ project, called Velvet Luxe on the doors : 

and then look at the amazing results, skirting around the doors painted in Artisan Crisp White Velvet Luxe which frames the entire thing so beautifully! and those plain doors are everything but plain. So very chic and gorgeous! 

Lets take a look at the before again

and after 

Awesome right? such creativity and thinking outside of the box. We love this project! so much so, we're pretty inspired to do it on some of our plain doors here at our home. No doubt if you've read this far, you're interested and inspired too.  We love our creative retailers and Lisa from Brushstrokes Studio if you're reading this... Just Creative Brilliance, thank you for letting us share! 

If you have an creative interior hack with Artisan Paints, make sure you email your pics through we would love to see and share the inspiration! 

- Dorophya