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Beauty content creator Sarah Bryant refreshed the inside of her 1910 Brooklyn rental’s metal front door with blue paint, a rounded pediment and a border of peel-and-stick tiles attached to magnetic sheets. Apartment Therapy reported that the project took two days and cost about $200; the magnetic tile panels can be removed and reused.
Beauty content creator Sarah Bryant turned the inside of her 1910 Brooklyn rental’s metal front door into a colorful entryway feature using blue paint and peel-and-stick tiles mounted on magnetic sheets. Apartment Therapy reported that the project took two days and cost about $200, with the magnetic tile border designed to come off without a removal process and be reused.
Bryant told Apartment Therapy that the door was a steel surface covered in layers of old paint. It also had an unused chain lock and a beige peephole-and-doorbell combination. She said its appearance made her feel negative emotions when entering and leaving the apartment, so she wanted the makeover to make the entry feel happier. Her plans included an arched look and replacing the doorbell’s appearance.
To prepare the door, Bryant removed the chain lock and filled its holes with metal filler. Sandpaper alone did not remove the accumulated paint, she said, so she used a metal file before painting the interior with Farrow & Ball’s Bothy Blue. A rounded pediment above the door, painted to match, gives the doorway the appearance of a taller arch. Bryant also used Rub ‘n Buff in Antique Gold on the doorbell cover.
The tile border is the project’s most removable feature. Bryant attached yellow-and-white peel-and-stick tiles to magnetic backing, which adheres to the metal door. She said thinner backing she tried first could not hold the tiles, so she switched to sheets reported as 30 millimeters thick. The account does not provide a separate price breakdown; the total reported project cost was about $200.
A Door Upgrade Without Permanent Tile
The makeover offers renters an example of decorating a metal door without applying tile directly to it. Instead, the magnetic sheets hold the tile border in place, and Bryant said the panels can be removed and reused. That approach may be relevant to renters seeking a change they can take down when they move, though the report does not establish that every metal door or magnetic sheet will work in the same way.
The project also shows how several small changes—paint, a pediment, a refreshed doorbell cover and a border—can give an overlooked entry a coordinated look. The practical appeal is not only visual: a removable feature may avoid the need to scrape or peel adhesive from the door later. Bryant’s account is a single home project, not a tested guide or guarantee of damage-free removal.
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From Blank Steel Door to Blue Entry
Apartment Therapy framed the project as a before-and-after makeover of the interior side of a rental apartment’s front door. The report describes the door as a typical steel door that had been painted repeatedly. Bryant wanted to address its appearance while adding design elements she liked, including an arched shape and a warmer-looking doorbell detail.
Her sequence combined fixed changes and removable decoration. She removed and filled the chain-lock hardware, prepared and painted the door, then added the pediment and magnetic-backed tile border. The distinction matters for renters: paint and filled hardware holes are not described as removable, while Bryant specifically said the magnetic tile panels could be taken down and reused.
“It had chain locks still fastened to it with no chains to actually secure it, and a beige peephole and doorbell combo that made me want to cry.”
— Sarah Bryant, as quoted by Apartment Therapy
Limits of the Magnetic Tile Method
The report does not say how the magnetic sheets were secured to the tiles beyond describing them as backing, or whether the border has been tested over an extended period. It also does not specify the exact brand or product details for the magnetic sheets. Bryant reported using backing sheets 30 millimeters thick after a thinner option failed to hold the tiles, but the account gives no weight, door-surface condition or other measurements that would establish how broadly that result applies.
It is also unclear whether the paint or filled hardware holes were approved by the landlord, whether the door’s exterior was changed, or whether any deposit or inspection requirements apply to this apartment. The report describes Bryant’s results, but offers no independent assessment of the installation or of possible effects on the door’s finish.
What Renters Should Check First
Apartment Therapy’s account does not announce a follow-up test or later update. For renters considering a similar project, the next steps depend on their own lease and door: they would need to confirm whether painting or filling holes is allowed and check whether the magnetic backing holds securely to their particular metal surface. Bryant’s experience suggests that backing strength matters, but does not establish a universal thickness requirement.
The reported panels are intended to be removable and reusable, but renters should not assume that every adhesive tile, magnetic sheet or painted surface will behave alike. The article provides no broader performance data, landlord guidance or independent safety review. Any further information about how the border holds up or how the door looks after removal remains unreported.
Key Questions
What did Sarah Bryant change on her rental’s front door?
She painted the interior of the metal door Bothy Blue, added a matching rounded pediment, refinished the doorbell cover in Antique Gold and made a yellow-and-white tile border using magnetic backing.
How were the tiles attached?
Bryant attached peel-and-stick tiles to magnetic sheets, which held the border against the steel door. She said a thinner backing did not hold the tiles, so she changed to sheets reported as 30 millimeters thick.
Can the tile border be removed and reused?
Bryant said she could take the magnetic-backed panels down without a removal process and reuse them. The report does not include an independent test or long-term results.
How much did the makeover cost and how long did it take?
Apartment Therapy reported a total cost of about $200 and a project duration of two days. It did not provide a detailed cost breakdown.
Did Bryant change the door without making permanent alterations?
Not entirely. The tile border was designed to be removable, but Bryant also removed the chain lock, filled its holes and painted the door. The report does not say whether the landlord approved those changes or whether they can be reversed.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
