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The Pocket Door: Our Holiday Homework

Are we all out of the holiday fog yet?

We’re getting there, although Scott has always been much better about getting back into the swing of things than I am. Maybe it’s because I read too many blogs with lists and resolutions, and maybe it’s because I feel that we should have those, too? In any case, we have nary a resolution (although every year, we do promise to say and do things with love, which works out! Mostly!), and we spent almost our entire holiday break eating and drinking, eating more and drinking more. We binge watched television, the days went by in a blur, and I’m not totally sold on entering January – yet. Perhaps jumping back into routine will help?

But! I say almost because we did check off our holiday homework – the pocket door! Our kitchen contractor suggested that we should have our pocket door ready to go with hardware before they begin, at which point, they’ll swoop in, add the brackets, and most importantly, hide it in our walls:

pocket-door-01

Our old door was picked up from Rebuilding Exchange, and we moved forward with our refinishing under the assumption that somewhere, sometime along the way, there would likely be lead paint in the existing finish. Not wanting to go through the process of stripping again, we decided that we were totally okay with a slightly weathered finish (charm?), and so we chose to go the encasement route – simply meaning that the current finish would get coated in clean latex paint.

We did, however, (want and) need to caulk the door panels (on the left, below), close up the holes from the doorknob, and lightly spackle any deep cuts. The previous knob was remedied with a paint stick on the edge, and repair putty + scrap wood filled the gaping hole. I went over only the touched-up areas with our orbital sander, but I do pinky-promise that I did so while outside, wearing a full suit, respirator and glasses. And, most importantly, you bet that the sander was attached to a HEPA filter on our shop vac.

pocket-door-03

The door was brought back inside to get primed and painted, and having had such great results on our closet and front doors using Sherwin William’s Peel Bonding Primer (neither door has a chip or scratch!), I used the same here. For the color, we chose a very, very soft minty green: Swept Away by Benjamin Moore in a soft gloss finish.

pocket-door-05

We wanted something that felt classic and clean for the hardware, and after going back and forth, we ultimately decided on these New Yorker pulls in oil-rubbed bronze. Scott used a Dremel bit and chisel to prep for install, and we are in love with the results!

pocket-door-07pocket-door-09pocket-door-10pocket-door-11

You may have noticed in the first side-by-side photo that we also swapped the clear glass for this textured, frosted panel. We had originally thought that we would use frosted film on the existing glass, but wanting something more permanent, we had Ace Hardware replace the glass completely! It was a $50 fix, and we definitely made the right choice by going this route instead. We’ve tossed around the idea of adding painted gold letters that lead you into our first floor Work Room (saying, get this, Work Room), and with the kitchen-facing-side being smooth, we’ll have the option to do so! Note: We had the glass replaced before we painted the door, and we taped it off to do the finish work.

pocket-door-12pocket-door

Okay, to be fair, I suppose we did a little more than just prep our pocket door over the holidays. We also emptied our cabinets and stashed everything away in boxes so that our contractors can do their job more efficiently. They start – fingers crossed! – this coming Monday, and our cabinet maker has already taken down our uppers and has begun the refacing and building!

We’re on the hunt for an island, we’re still waffling over counters, and we’ve been debating wall colors for the kitchen and living rooms, which’ll be the same once we’re done. My goodness, we cannot wait to see everything fall in place.

Alright, 2015! Let’s go, let’s go!

PS: The Pet Shop is now accepting custom orders as usual! And a big, huge thank you for being amazing – with your support, we donated more than $2,500 to our animal rescue partners in 2014. Yes!

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  • Franky1.6.15 - 7:02 AM

    I don’t know how you made a post about a door so interesting, inspiring and beautiful, but you did! It looks stunning! I can’t wait to see more of the kitchen come together.

    xxxReplyCancel

  • Rachel1.6.15 - 8:18 AM

    My husband gave me a very similar door for Christmas and I had plans of just swapping out one of our existing doors for the new (well old) door. This post may have just given me the push to look into having it installed as a pocket door on our VERY tiny master bathroom. Gotta love those old houses!

    On an unrelated note I absolutely love your home. I live in a 1920s bungalow and it is so nice to read posts from someone striving to keep the historic feel of an old house rather then to go in a gut everything.ReplyCancel

    • Kim1.6.15 - 9:02 AM

      Whoa, best Christmas gift ever! And thank you!ReplyCancel

  • Debra1.6.15 - 9:28 AM

    How very pretty that minty green is and I love the hardware you’ve paired with it. Ever since the last post about the countertops I’ve been mulling your statement about the old house speaking softly to you and you listening. Just beautiful.ReplyCancel

  • Valerie1.6.15 - 9:30 AM

    I didn’t think doors could be that beautiful but that one surely is, great job!

    Unrelated- where did you get those booties in the first picture? They are gorgeous!ReplyCancel

    • Kim1.6.15 - 9:38 AM

      Ha, thanks, Valerie! I actually got the booties at TJ Maxx this past fall – Franco Sarto. I was so happy when I saw them in my size! (The only pair!)ReplyCancel

  • Erin@Suburban Bitches1.6.15 - 10:37 AM

    The door looks great! The color is perfect! Can’t wait to see your kitchen progress happen. FYI- pertaining to both of our dilemmas over bulkheads vs. empty space above cabinets, I ended up finding a carpenter who is going to build upper cabinets for my kitchen at a ridiculously reasonable price. Hopefully they will turn out! My kitchen is design resolution #1 for me in 2015: http://www.suburbanbitches.com/2015-design-resolutions-erins-goals/ReplyCancel

    • Kim1.6.15 - 10:59 AM

      Oh, great goals! But I must admit, I love your kitchen RIGHT now! Looking forward to seeing the tweaks you make this year.ReplyCancel

  • Jamie1.6.15 - 7:05 PM

    Looks amazing! Does the pocket door lock by chance? Looking for locking hardware for my own pocket door, and I love those pulls.ReplyCancel

    • Kim1.6.15 - 7:19 PM

      Thanks, Jamie! If you check the link for our pulls (House of Antique Hardware), they do carry pocket door hardware with locks, but maybe not for our exact style. Similar ones though!ReplyCancel

  • Julia@Cukoo4Design1.6.15 - 7:18 PM

    Love what you did with the door and that you were able to donate that much money!ReplyCancel

  • Allyson1.6.15 - 11:49 PM

    Love, love, LOVE the color!ReplyCancel

  • […] from the pocket door, one of the things we really wanted to hash out over the holiday break was deciding on paint colors […]ReplyCancel

  • Amanda1.10.15 - 11:02 AM

    The door color and hardware look great! Can’t wait to see it installed.ReplyCancel

  • Monika1.14.15 - 10:48 AM

    Big kudos to you both for your continued support of animal rescue groups. You guys rocked it! P.S. Can we in animal advocacy clone you? :)ReplyCancel

    • Kim1.14.15 - 10:50 AM

      I wish we could clone our donation ten-fold. Thank you so much!ReplyCancel

  • […] are mildly obsessed with our kitchen’s pocket door. And when I say mildly, I actually mean super, ultra, crazy. (Wildly, even?) Not only do we love […]ReplyCancel

  • Jessica Fielhauer9.22.16 - 8:37 AM

    Question about the pocket door hardware, did the end latch come with the square side pulls, or did you have to order a separate piece for that?ReplyCancel

    • Kim9.22.16 - 8:57 AM

      The latch was purchased separately.ReplyCancel

      • Jessica Fielhauer9.22.16 - 9:34 AM

        Gotcha, thanks! One more question, did you have to order 2 pulls for the one door? I can’t tell from the listing if it’s sold as a set or a singleReplyCancel

        • Kim9.22.16 - 9:42 AM

          I double checked my old receipt, and it looks like I ordered 2, so they must have come as singles!ReplyCancel

      • Amy4.26.22 - 10:54 AM

        Hi, can you link the black latch “lock” you used for the door. I am seeing the side pulls x2 I need, but not the latch.. And then once you buy the latch, so you also need the other sie for whatever it latches to? Thank you!ReplyCancel

        • Kim4.26.22 - 10:56 AM

          Latch was bought at Rejuvenation! I don’t see the exact one anymore, but they have a good selection.ReplyCancel

  • Sarah11.2.18 - 1:29 PM

    Hi!
    Where did you get the actual pull for the pocket door? On the hunt!
    SarahReplyCancel

  • Jennifer11.18.18 - 5:40 PM

    Hello, I LOVE your pocket door! I searched your site but can not find the color of it anywhere…please share : )ReplyCancel

  • Tracy7.22.20 - 7:22 PM

    Thanks for the inspiration! I love where your door handle is placed on the door. How tall is your door and where does the top of the pull lay when measured from the bottom of the door?ReplyCancel

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