apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hmmm. Black might depend on the vibe of the rest of the vibe of the space. And with the doors configured the way they are, it's really going to close in that end of the hall.

I'd actually do a two-shades deeper/grayer color than the walls.

And assuming you'd do doors/molding in the same color.

And PLEASE paint the sides of the molding the MOLDING color... not the wall color!

I love high gloss black doors. I think they look very classic but still modern and sophisticated. In this case, another wonderful color could be a high gloss inky dark navy? it could look blackish in the low lighting but be a bit warmer than actual black black.

I think high-gloss black would actually lighten the space--they would reflect light and act as mirrors. I've actually been thinking about doing the same thing in my house, although I don't have the light problem.

I would also recommend an inky-navy rather than a true black (Benjamin Moore Toucan Black is lovely; it's the color I used for some of the doors in my house, photo here). I'd also opt for a satin finish rather than high gloss, but that's just a personal preference.

Also, this concerns me:
"I'm painting the walls pearly high gloss white easy to clean"

High-gloss walls can be REALLY oppressive, especially in areas that don't get much natural light. Every tiny flaw in the wall's surface will be glaring, too. If you're concerned about being able to clean the walls, it's really not necessary to go high-gloss. I used Benjamin Moore's washable matte paint in my hallways and kitchen, and it truly is washable -- I regularly scrub the wall above my stove and sink, and it's held up beautifully.

My suggestion is:
- washable flat/matte white walls
- satin white trim
- satin inky-navy-black doors

Without being able to see your floor, it's impossible to give advice about door color; you should have framed the shot better.

no light and three doors together. i'd avoid black; it will look cavelike. how about a blue gray? it plays off your light yellow mustard walls which you may be able to keep (if you like them) and will also go with your floor and hardware.it also works if you go white(as planned). if you do go white on the walls i'd choose one with blue gray tones.
I'd keep the walls and white molding and change the door color. alternative: dark doors/white molding/pale bluegraywhite walls. i wouldn't match doors and molding here....again it would close down the space.

I second everything Anna said. I really like the washable matte paint. That toucan black is fantastic as well.

ps. Anna, I love your kitchen door knob!

I agree with Anna as well, especially about the high-gloss walls. My apartment was painted will all high-gloss white, and it is not attractive.

I love the green! I'm in agreement with choosing a dark color, but not black -- the slate/blue grey suggestion is great. Or maybe shade of brown? I have learned that you can get the feel of a dark color by choosing a shade 2 steps lighter on the color chip card. In reality, it will feel as dark as the dark color you wanted, but it will look a lot less cave-like.

Only paint the doors and trimwork black if you're intending to paint the baseboards throughtout black as well - otherwise it won't make sense (look at a post last week about black trim)

And don't paint the walls high-gloss - simply teach the daughter not to color on the walls...

The parquet floors of my apartment are stained ebony

Hejiranyc - the poster provided the info...

I think it would be more telling to see what your decor style is. Would bright red or bright blue doors match your style? A brightly colored door against white and black would be quite striking.

If you want to keep the look more subdued and your trim is still white....maybe a sophisticated pale grey color (think apple-computers grey on glossy white).

Personally I think dark doors with the white trim in a narrow space might be a bit claustrophobic.

Oy, do not do the doors a different color than the surrounding molding, unless surrounding molding ends up being a gloss version of wall color. But even so, it will chop up the space even more to introduce more contrast.

Are all three doors main circulation? If not, make the closet doors disappear by painting a gloss version of the wall color. Or if one door is the main entry, okay to treat that one differently as well.

hmm... I happen to love dark grays (like a 60% gray). A matte 60% gray on the doors & molding might be a nice contrast to the pearly high gloss. As for your artist daughter, I've seen quite a few posts on AT about chalkboard paint and oh the possibilities! Might be another thing to check out.

Painting the doors black would add great interest and drama to such an ordinary hall. It will draw the eye in and create a focal point. The one thing you do not want to do here is to paint the doors and the trim the same color. You want to avoid it looking like a giant black box. Rather, just painting the doors will create a much more professional look and help to define the space of each door. I would paint the trim work the same color as the wall. This will allow all the focus to stay on the doors.

Using gloss on the walls is actually very beautiful….a lot of work but beautiful and very Euro. Granted it will show the imperfections of the walls but I see that as pure character. It allows light to reflect and gives depth to the walls. Stay far away from flat paints. They add nothing. Keep in mind that you want to create contrast in this space. So don’t paint the doors in gloss if you are using that treatment on the walls. Try using an eggshell or a slight semi-gloss.

Must of all, go with your gut instinct!

Best of luck!

i second (or 3rd, or 4th) the inky navy instead of black idea... it would be a bit softer and not so ominous. good luck!

I have a suggestion. What if you only paint the end door and molding gloss black (or dark blue), paint the end wall the same dark color (or one or 2 shades lighter) in a matte finish, and paint the other 2 doors the exact same pearly white as the rest of the walls.

A word of warning about gloss - it really only looks great if its flawlessly applied. No brushstrokes. No drips. No flaws in the plaster or wood. For doors, ideally you would want to strip the old paint, sand and repair the door, remove the door and have a pro spray apply the paint in a paint booth. Dark gloss paint is particularly unforgiving.

I'm curious why white and black are the only options being considered. There are thousands of colour combinations that will be pleasing to the eye and easy to live with (though, with all due respect, I think you've got to take that crayon-wielding child in hand no matter what). Why not look at some decorating books and magazines for inspiration. Pick something unusual that expresses your personality, rather than defaulting to 'easy' choices, and you'll be happier with the outcome.

I love the idea of black doors... I've been thinking about doing the same in my place!

What about cobalt blue? It would go good with the existing colour and look almost nautical with white. Depends on the rest of the house, but I think a little hue would be nicer than black and white.

I also like RichardinLA's idea of painting the door at the end of the hall the dark colour and leaving the other two lighter. It would shape the space in a really neat way.

I agree with Patrick (the other one) It is absolutely important that the door and the frame are painted the same color. They are one - I HATE it when people have medium tone walls, dark or medium door and white frame - what's up with that.... Only in the US. The frame is an intergral part of the door - it is not an afterthought. An NO-NO to painting the frame the color of the wall - that is just retarded...

Dark paint over white..... children.... small space!! THINK paint chips

A beautiful treatment my end up being even higher maintenance than washing the whites. sorry :(
Alice