Do you have any suggestions for non-seasonal apartment door decor?

June 11, 2014 11:52 AM

What can I add to my apartment door that is NOT distastefully preppy, hideous, ghetto fabulous, arrives with an invisible "steal me" voice, or requires a million screw holes? I never thought that I would struggle to come up with a decorating idea! But I am. I like colorful, but minimalist designs, but otherwise I am open-minded. Feel free to post links to galleries of door decor(not pinterest unless it's a specific diy), photos or make suggestions based on your own projects. Sometimes a touch of inspiration is all that's needed.

My landlord is "ok" with anything as long as it does not create a gigantic hole in the door.

I do not want someone to be able to steal it, whatever it is. No one stole my $20 dollar Christmas wreath, but then again it was made of bells. Someone would hear it being stolen. Perhaps I could incorporate bells into a non-seasonal design? It's not a high crime area, but there are passers through who stole a package from a porch recently.

*** Is there a way to securely attach something on a door that can be removed in the future?***

I can be vaguely creative and am open to painting items. The walkway is bland, dingy and hideous--perhaps my door decor could brighten it up? My budget is <50 dollars. I am tired of the bland door, my apartment has a few Van Gogh prints, cartoon animal illustrations, rustic kitsch, floral photography throughout. Currently I have birds, fish and cats incorporated into my decorating scheme.

I could get a doormat, but I can't shell out even $10 for a rando to snatch it away. If there were a way to secure the doormat and not ruin the vinyl I would be open to getting a decent one.

So, suggestions? I decorate and craft when I'm stressed out.

posted by bibliophilia to Home & Garden (18 answers total)

You could wrap your door in fabric. Use Crafter's Companion, or simple starch to adhere the fabric to the door.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:58 AM on June 11, 2014

Best answer: If you find an all-season wreath you like, you could use an over-the-door wreath holder, and instead of resting the wreath on it, glue the wreath to it or tie the wreath onto the holder with several go-rounds of fishing line.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 11:59 AM on June 11, 2014 [7 favorites]

Can you post a photo of your door? I can't tell if your door faces a hallway or the outdoors, if you have a roof over your porch, if you even have a porch, if you have a screen door, if your door is white or not, etc. Those details would help.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:06 PM on June 11, 2014

I don't know if this would qualify as distasteful or hideous (and frankly I suspect it might), but: my college roommates and I decorated the outside of our college house with sidewalk chalk. It looked awesome and was easily removed.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:07 PM on June 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Hotel Vitale in San Francisco has tiny flower holders next to each room, on which is the room number and in which they keep fresh lavender. It's pretty, subtle, not worth stealing, and it smells fantastic. Lavender is calming, too, so there's that.
posted by janey47 at 12:09 PM on June 11, 2014 [4 favorites]

What color is your door? Is there a window?

Sounds like you enjoy playful things, eh? Check out your local thrift store for interesting bits and pieces! And then maybe you'll end up with something like this upcycled spool wreath or heart? Or a cool button ornament? Or a really colorful button wreath?
posted by travelwithcats at 12:13 PM on June 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'd do a plain wreath and swap out fresh/seasonal flowers and/or herbs as an accent. If you tie a string/wire around it, then loop that over the door and to a nail (or whatever) on the inside of the door (similar to how an over the door hook would work, but requiring less clearance), then it would slow down a thief. Yes, someone could cut the string, but they'd have to come prepared and be really committed to stealing the wreath. Kind of like this.

For a doormat, you may want to try FLOR tiles. Again, not permanently affixed, but maybe affixed enough to slow down lazy thieves.
posted by melissasaurus at 12:42 PM on June 11, 2014 [2 favorites]

You should be able to find a wall decal that you like (that's just one of the first sites in the search listings, but there are many other companies). Most of them are removable but not reusable, which should reduce the odds of theft.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 12:43 PM on June 11, 2014 [3 favorites]

What if you painted it in a pattern, like a chevron? Something clean, minimal, but with pretty popping colors, like a cool cyan and a muted yellow, or orange, gray, and white.
posted by suedehead at 12:59 PM on June 11, 2014 [4 favorites]

You could paint it a bright cheerful color, like red or green, and then add a wreath made of succulents or a mini living wall.
posted by three_red_balloons at 1:10 PM on June 11, 2014 [3 favorites]

What if you painted it in a pattern, like a chevron? Something clean, minimal, but with pretty popping colors, like a cool cyan and a muted yellow, or orange, gray, and white.

This could also be accomplished with washi tape, which is far more removable.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:17 PM on June 11, 2014 [2 favorites]

Check out this Pinterest tag for non-seasonal wreath ideas.
posted by amaire at 1:50 PM on June 11, 2014

Washi tape is only really a good option if your door opens to an indoor corridor... it's a paper-based tape and wouldn't hold up well to the elements.

We have a doormat made of river stones (like this one). Not especially cheap, but sturdy and pretty, and the weight of all the stones makes it something no one is going to steal casually. You could also make one yourself.
posted by polymath at 4:01 PM on June 11, 2014

I love the idea of the peelable wall/door decals. For example, there's a cheerful "hello!" or "welcome". Or you can just get completely wild and go with a full-door image/pattern.

If you want a more "DIY" option, and you've got some extra cash, consider picking up a die cutter - like a Silhouette Cameo - and some peel-and-stick vinyl. Then you can create, cut, and apply your own designs to suit your taste (and easily replace them).
posted by VioletU at 4:55 PM on June 11, 2014

Some cool nursery decals? They're not easy to just walk away with like a wreath would be, but you can peel them off yourself at the end of your lease.
posted by penguin pie at 1:11 AM on June 12, 2014

I have a ba gua mirror on my door, it's a feng shui thing to reflect bad stuff away from your house. You can fing them cheaply at Asian markets and they look pretty cool
posted by genmonster at 11:13 AM on June 12, 2014

Instructions For a geometric wreath made out of drinking straws.

Looks cooler than it sounds.
posted by MadMadam at 10:18 PM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Wow, thank you for all of the wonderful ideas. I was finally able to check this thread and I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of suggestions.

**********
I have decided to glue a wreath to a door hanger as well as try FLOR tiles for a doormat and the tiny flower holders as an option for when the wreath is not part of the door.

Thank you so much Bentobox, janey47 and melissasurus, in particular. My doorway will shortly be reflective of good good taste and creativity!

**********
And I do honestly wish that I could paint my door, because that would truly be an excellent simple, but noticeable option, but unfortunately my landlord would definitely not be a fan. It's also an inside doorway, but my other neighbors sometimes leave the main exterior door open.
posted by bibliophilia at 7:52 AM on July 7, 2014