Confession

Okay, so I have a confession. Jason put different closet doors in the entry way closet not too long ago. If you've read my "Fixer Upper" page, perhaps you remember them. Here is a picture:



Well, I hate them. I don't like the color stain and I hate that they have a lacquer finish. I must admit, they are a huge improvement from what they once were:

So obviously, I feel bad complaining because I know how hard Jason worked to fit these doors on this closet. We received the doors from a family member who understood our dilemma when we first moved in: We needed replacement doors FAST. The doors had to be cut to be re-sized and all sorts of other work went into making them fit. I don't remember all of the details, I just remember how miserable Jason was getting them just right.

Did I mention that the previous owners of our house used oil-based paint to paint all of the walls and trim? They weren't exactly neat painters either -- there were giant gobs of dripping paint that had dried on every surface, so repainting the old doors wasn't an option. This is the only reason we have 1970s brown lacquer doors in the first place: we were desperate.

In any case, we never finished the banister because I wasn't sure what to do. Should we match the banister to the color of the closet, even though I hate it? Should we just paint it white? So we did what we always do when we can't decide: we leave it alone.

Last night, I thought I had the perfect solution. I looked around my sitting room and liked the black end tables against all of the white trim and soft colors.

Here is the furniture (ignore the fact that we haven't decorated the mantel yet!)

And some shelves on the wall:

And a console:

It looks similar to this photo, with the black accessories, white chairrail and shadow box trim, doesn't it?

eclectic living room design by other metros interior designer Seaside Interiors

Well, when Jason came home from work last night, I told him I had another project for him. I told him I wanted to paint the front entry closet doors. He seemed intrigued. "What were you thinking, white?" he asked. "Nope. Black." I said. I went on to explain my idea: black closet doors with stainless steel hardware and a black banister to match.

The look on his face told me this was not going to be an easy sell. He wasn't budging. He is convinced it will look terrible. He doesn't think the doors are as ugly as I do. After all, they do sort of match the wood flooring in the room. But, if you know anything about me, you know I am not giving up.

So I decided to search around to find some pictures that might convince him. Here is what I found:

I love the black accent wall in this white living room:

home design by 2.bp.blogspot.com

And here is another example that shows how beautiful black can be:

home design

On Starter Home to Dream Home, Mikael shows how she refinishes a banister in black. The finished staircase looks so much cleaner and crisper to me.

And here on Cote de Texas blog, if you look through to the next room, you'll see my exact vision: black closet doors and a black banister with white posts. Isn't it beautiful?

So what do you think? Should we take the plunge and paint the door and the banister black, paint them white, or leave the closet door as is and stain the banister to match? HELP! I need your opinion!