But with a world of colors to choose from, it can be daunting to narrow down your top picks—especially since we generally don’t repaint our exterior doors all too often. Michelle Bray, co-owner of Five Star Painting of the Philadelphia Suburbs, says “Your front door is not an entrance into your home, it’s the entrance into your home. Think of it as a gateway, not just for guests but as a reflection and continuation of your individual style that you hopefully created or intend to create inside your home. Nothing is more welcoming than that!” If you’re struggling to reach a decision when it comes to your front door color, we’re here to help. “Picking a front door color is not necessarily hard; however, like every decision, it’s easy to overthink it,” Bray adds. Keep reading for tips from home improvement experts who weigh in with their favorite color choices for front doors and share other tidbits to keep in mind during the decision-making process.
Go Saturated
Morris notes that many front doors are dark and saturated. “This allows the color to absorb the elements and gives your door a presence,” she says. And note that a saturated color may complement the exterior of your home wonderfully. “If you have painted your house a white, taupe, or gray, don’t be afraid to use a bit of color,” Morris adds. “A red, deep yellow or navy blue could go well with all the above.” Have a red brick house? Morris suggests using a deep green or black to balance out the red and orange tones. Don’t be afraid to embrace some contrast, notes Annie Elliott of Annie Elliott Design. “My house is very light green, and we have a bright pink door,” she shares.
Paint Just the Door
Keep in mind that as you select a hue for your front door, you’ll only want to use it in that spot. “The trim around it should be the same color as the window and door trim elsewhere on the house,” Elliott explains. “Garage doors generally should be the house’s trim color, except in rare cases when the garage doors take up more visual space than the main house.” Why is this rule the case? As Elliott states, doing otherwise would simply result in too busy of an exterior. “Picture a house that’s stone on the bottom with blue-gray shingles on top, lots of windows, a dark orange front door, and an attached two-car garage,” she says. “Painting the garage doors orange would put all of the focus on the garage, which isn’t where you want it! In that case, I would recommend painting the garage doors and the trim around them the blue-gray of the shingles. All the other trim on the house would be white.”
Consider Your Landscaping
You’ll of course want your front door to complement the rest of your yard. “If you are lucky enough to live in an area of the country that experiences four seasons, you have opportunities for coordinating the bright yellows of daffodils and the autumnal warmth of chrysanthemums that are in your landscape to create a bold, welcoming, and cheery front door statement with warm yellows or golds,” Bray shares. “Do you live in a coastal community? You can easily get away with ocean blues, blue greens, and fun watery hues.” Even if this advice doesn’t directly apply to you, designers agree that you shouldn’t pass up on the chance to paint your front door a playful color. “In general, my motto is, ‘Friends don’t let friends have a boring front door,’” Bray says. “Have fun with it,” Elliott agrees. “The one color I never recommend for front doors? White! What a missed opportunity!”
