Curb Appeal?
From the very first minute of planning The Warehouse, my biggest concern was how bad the building looked on the outside — especially at the front door and main entrance. To say it was uninviting is an understatement. It looked more like the entrance to a haunted house than a shop.
After much thought, hours spent going through magazines, scrolling Pinterest, and many trips to Home Depot for paint samples, I decided to paint the building gray. But I still really wanted to do something to make the entrance pop. I knew an awning would add dimension to the front — the struggle was deciding what kind. If you've never realized how many awning options exist, just type "awning" into Google or Pinterest.
Back in April, I went to Scott's Antique Show in Atlanta — if you've never been, you have to go; it's held the second weekend of every month. I found a pair of incredible black metal sconces in a beautiful scroll design. The seller didn't know much about them other than that they were custom made. I wasn't sure exactly how I'd use them, but I bought them knowing they could help with the much-needed curb appeal.
I incorporated them into the awning by mounting one on either side of the door. My first attempt used barn wood and metal roofing, but the brackets, wood, and roofing didn't work together, so I took it down and started fresh. I built a new roof, covered the top and sides with cedar siding, closed in the underside with bead board, and painted it all black. It looked great — I was so proud of it. The final coat of paint went on Monday night.
Tuesday afternoon, while I was at home taking care of a few things, I got an upsetting phone call. A truck making a delivery to the plant shop next door had somehow torn the new awning clean off the building. The brackets — the piece I cared most about — were the only salvageable part.
With Grand Opening just a week away, I knew I couldn't rebuild it myself in time. Fortunately, I found someone through Angie's List, and a new awning was up and finished by Thursday.
A new front door with a single glass panel was added, painted red, with shutters on either side. A large shutter planter — made from a vintage shutter — and our signage will be added over the weekend and should really complete the look. Maybe it no longer looks like the entrance to a haunted house!
