So, you say I should close off an original door?

I'm not a purist. I've learned that there are absolutely areas to be a purist and there are areas it's more important to be practical. For example, I plan on putting in a modern dishwasher eventually.

One thing that lots of people weighed in on relating to this was a door leading from the foyer to the kitchen.

When we moved into the House on the Isthmus, there was a stove in front of the door with a "spice rack" built into the door frame. I use the term "spice rack" generously.

My take was that:
A) It was an original doorway and almost certainly an original door. We don't close off original doorways in my house even if it would give me more counterspace and an easier-to-design kitchen layout. You're going to have to come up with a way better reason for me to close off a doorway (to date, I haven't heard one).
B) Walking around the entire house to get to the kitchen is silly if you could go straight from foyer to kitchen. Who wants to take the long route for a glass of water at 3 am?

My choice was clear - I wanted to see my foyer! - so I got to work moving around the kitchen.

 

This part had to come first because it's a bit of a reach for me to the top shelf

The spice rack was held together with a few nails and wood chips (two semi-peg-like chips for each side of each shelf) so it didn't take too long to dismantle.

 

Next, off came the rather hideous, rather flimsy paneling. Once I got my pry bar under it, I pulled the rest off with my (gloved) hands.

 

Yep, that's flat black paint. Sigh.

Getting the door open was probably the hardest part.

The mortise (the thing that a doorknob controls to open and close an old door) was still in the door so I had to steal a doorknob from my collection if I wanted the pin holding the door closed to move. Once I un-puttied the foyer side of the doorknob hole (seriously, I think it was sticky tac), I could insert the replacement doorknob to turn the pin.

Finally, after a few tries (because, usually, the door is open when you're installing a new doorknob to keep it steady), the door clicked open. Other than a few loose nails that were easily pulled and some weatherstripping that I'm guessing was originally added for sound insulation between units, it came open without too much difficulty.

 

Now, we can walk in the door and come straight back. It's already been a lot easier to move around the house and we can't wait to enjoy our new traffic pattern while entertaining in just a few weeks! If you're local, come on by!