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Beauty content creator Sarah Bryant updated the inside of her Brooklyn rental’s metal front door with blue paint, a rounded pediment and a yellow-and-white peel-and-stick tile border mounted on magnetic sheets. Apartment Therapy reports the project took two days and cost about $200; the magnetic backing lets Bryant remove and reuse the border, though the report does not detail the landlord’s approval or the door’s condition afterward.
Beauty content creator Sarah Bryant refreshed the interior of her 1910 Brooklyn rental apartment’s metal front door with blue paint and a yellow-and-white tile border attached to magnetic sheets, according to Apartment Therapy. The renter-friendly approach allowed her to make a bold change while keeping the border removable; the publication reported that the project took two days and cost about $200.
Bryant told Apartment Therapy that the door was a steel model that had been painted repeatedly. It also had an unused chain lock and a beige peephole-and-doorbell combination. She wanted the entry to feel happier and had hoped to give it the look of an arched doorway. The story describes a makeover of the door’s interior face, not a replacement of the entry door.
After removing the chain lock, Bryant filled the holes with metal filler and sanded the accumulated paint. She said ordinary sandpaper was not enough and that she used a metal file to get through the layers. She then painted the door Farrow & Ball’s Bothy Blue and hung a rounded pediment above it, carrying the paint color onto the pediment to create the appearance of a taller, arched entrance.
For the border, Bryant attached yellow-and-white peel-and-stick tiles to magnetic sheets and placed the sheets on the metal door. She also used Rub ’n Buff in Antique Gold on the doorbell cover. Bryant initially tried thinner magnetic backing, but said it did not hold the tiles well; she switched to backing she described as 30 millimeters thick. Apartment Therapy put the total cost at about $200, but did not provide an itemized budget.
A Door Makeover That Can Come Down
The approach addresses a common constraint in rentals: tenants may want to personalize a space without making a permanent change. Because the tile border is held by magnets rather than applied directly to the door, Bryant said she can remove it without a separate removal process and reuse it later. That makes the method different from attaching tiles directly to a surface with adhesive.
The project also shows the limits of calling a makeover removable. Bryant painted the door and filled holes left by a removed lock, so not every part of the work is described as reversible. The magnetic border is the element specifically presented as removable. Renters considering a similar project may need to check their lease and discuss changes with their landlord; the report does not say whether Bryant sought or received permission.
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From Repeated Paint to Bothy Blue
Apartment Therapy framed the project as a before-and-after update to the inside of a rental’s front door, an area the publication described as often left plain by renters concerned about changes to their homes. Bryant’s apartment is in a building dating to 1910, and the door itself was a steel model with multiple layers of paint, according to her account in the report.
The makeover combined several separate updates: paint for the door and pediment, a gold finish for the doorbell cover, and a magnetic tile border. The source identifies the paint as Farrow & Ball’s Bothy Blue and the metallic product as Rub ’n Buff in Antique Gold. It gives a project duration of two days and an approximate total cost, but does not list the price or quantity of each material.
““The magnetic sheets used for backing the peel-and-stick tiles were easily the best hack.””
— Sarah Bryant, as quoted by Apartment Therapy
Landlord Approval and Durability
Apartment Therapy’s account does not say whether Bryant received landlord approval, whether the paint can be returned to its prior condition, or whether any changes affected her security deposit. It also does not report how long the magnetic sheets have stayed in place, whether the tile border has shifted, or whether the door’s surface and magnetic strength would suit other renters’ doors.
The reported 30-millimeter backing specification is attributed to Bryant’s description; the story does not provide product details or independent testing of its holding strength. The roughly $200 figure is an approximate project total, not a verified itemized cost, and the source does not break down labor, supplies or any tools she already owned.
A Reusable Border, With Conditions
Bryant’s stated plan is to remove and reuse the magnetic tile backing rather than leave it permanently attached to the rental door. Apartment Therapy’s report does not give a date for her move or say when she will take the border down, so there is no reported follow-up on the removal or the door’s condition afterward.
For renters weighing a similar update, the next steps depend on the lease, the door material and the products used. The source supports the basic idea that magnetic sheets held tiles on Bryant’s steel door, but it does not establish that the same setup will work on every door or that paint and filled holes can be restored without landlord approval.
Key Questions
How did Sarah Bryant attach the tiles to her rental door?
She attached yellow-and-white peel-and-stick tiles to magnetic sheets, then placed the sheets on the metal door. Bryant said thinner backing did not hold the tiles well, so she switched to sheets she described as 30 millimeters thick.
How long did the front-door makeover take?
Apartment Therapy reported that Bryant completed the project in two days.
How much did the project cost?
The report gives an approximate total of $200. It does not include an itemized breakdown of the materials or other costs.
Was the whole makeover removable?
The magnetic tile border was designed to come down and be reused, according to Bryant. The project also involved painting the door and filling holes left by a chain lock; the report does not say those changes can be reversed without additional work.
Did Bryant have permission from her landlord?
The Apartment Therapy report does not say whether she obtained landlord approval. Renters considering paint or other alterations should check their lease and local requirements before starting.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
