Using Hume Doors creatively

To many, an internal door is a practical piece, opening up or closing off adjoining rooms. But to @hausofhimonoonna, it was an opportunity to be creative. When we saw her work on Instagram, we had to reach out to the name behind the account, Ella.

The account name comes from the Japanese term meaning “unmarried, single woman, in her 30s,” Ella jokes in her Instagram bio. She created the account to post about her home renovations, and we came across her after she tagged @humedoors in her photos.

“This has been my first real DIY home improvement project. I have always been very creative and interested in working with tools, but apart from some minor dabbling in furniture restoration, I have not really taken on anything quite at this magnitude,” Ella says.

Her first home purchase, Ella knew she’d be getting a place that hadn’t been updated in a while. A place like this meant it would work for her budget, and she’d be able to put her own creative stamp on it.

“I have a huge love for colour, Japan and mid-century modern design, and it was important to me to find a balance where I could really represent these elements in what is hopefully a cohesive style!” Ella explained.

So far, Ella has undertaken some major renovations including removing existing walls, redoing the kitchen and installing a walk-in pantry, restoring the original timber floors, painting and skirting the main living areas, and stripping back then expanding the bathroom – the room in which she uses her beautiful feature door.

Such a grand bathroom, complete with stylish black and white motifs, makes the perfect host to Ella’s patterned door.

“I used the Hume Flush Primecoat door because I wanted something economical and solid, but also lightweight as I knew it would be hanging vertically,” Ella explained.

Again taking the chance to be creative, Ella went outside the box when it came to hanging the door.

A door is most often used as a traditional swing opening fitted with hinges, but Ella changed things up by installing it on a sliding track. Rather than risk the bold geisha pattern clash with the styles outside of the bathroom, Ella chose a hanging method that kept the feature door in the room she intended it for. Tying it back into the overall mid-century modern design and finishing off the look, she picked a black barn door track from Bunnings, one of our trusted suppliers.

It was at this same Bunnings that she discovered Hume, while looking for the perfect door to bring the idea to life.

“I have used Hume products in a few places in my house (cavity slider frames) and will be using Hume doors again soon to complete renovations to some of the other rooms in my house,” Ella says.

The geisha pattern is one Ella digitally designed herself. She projected the pattern onto the door and transferred it using pencil. After taking care of the painting and sealing, Ella added her own mark with a custom designed Hanko.

The Hanko, an eastern Asian concept referring to a stamp, was specially made for Ella in Japan and sits near the bottom right corner of the door. After the intricate design was complete, Ella flipped the door and painted the outer side a solid colour to match the rest of the home’s decor.

“I would encourage anyone to give something like this a go. While I have experience in drawing and painting the ultimate key to success, like with most things, is a positive attitude (for when things go wrong), patience (to ensure a good result) and trust in yourself (because you have to be proud of what you do),” Ella says.

Whether it’s from our range of clever door systems, or a product in our internal and entrance ranges, there’s sure to be a Hume door perfect for your place. And with plenty of encouragement and inspiration from Ella, even DIY novices can try their hand at a feature door of their own. Don’t forget to tag us in your progress shots on Instagram!

To find out more about the products Ella used, or to chat to the team about our door options, get in touch today.

DISCLAIMER: If you choose to do a design or image on one side of any Hume door, we recommend painting the reverse side in a colour that matches the tone/colours in the image/design.