How to Choose a Front Door Color For Your Home

Changing the color of your front door is a quick way to enhance curb appeal, can instantly transform a lackluster facade and is an easy do-it-yourself project that adds a touch of your personal style to your home’s exterior.

Your front door color is a big part of the first impression guests have of your home and gives visitors and passersby a little hint of what they might find inside.

While the color of your front door certainly does not need to match the colors found elsewhere inside or outside of your home, your color choice just might give away more than you think about your interior decor choices — or even about the type of person you are.

Unlike the paint you choose for your living room, bedroom or the exterior of your home, picking a front door color is where you can get a little wild and really go for it with a color you love or that will really stand out in your neighborhood.

Just as a pop of color brings together the perfect outfit, your front door can provide that little something extra that makes all the difference.

 

Choosing a Front Door Color: Initial Considerations

 

Before you start poring over paint swatches at your local home improvement store, there are a few things you should consider to help you choose the best color for your home.

First, if you live in a neighborhood with a homeowners association or Codes, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs), you will need to make sure there are no restrictions on front door color options.

Some communities determine which exterior paint colors can be used on homes in order to maintain a cohesive, uniform look throughout the neighborhood.

Once you have determined whether or not there are any restrictions that determine your color choices, the next step is to consider the overall look of your home’s exterior.

After all, while the color of your door does not at all need to match the primary or trim colors of your home, you certainly do not want it to clash with the other colors on your home’s exterior or the colors in your hardscapes.

For example, a stately paving stone driveway or walkway will go with any color, but colored concrete may conflict with certain choices.

Next, you will need to consider your porch situation.

For example, if you have a dark porch that lacks natural light, you will most likely want to avoid painting your door a dark color and might, instead, opt for a light color, bright color or white.

Alternatively, if you have an uncovered entryway that is open and filled with light, you can get away with a darker, deeper hue, which may also provide a nice balance.

Keep in mind that a light color is usually best if the materials surrounding your door are dark, and a dark or bright color is usually best when framed in white or a light color.

Finally, when choosing a color, keep in mind that this should be an accent color that pulls together the rest of your home’s exterior or throws in a pop of contrasting color.

This means that you should only use the color on your door and, in most cases, you should not paint your door and trim the same color (although some homeowners going for an understated look choose this option).

 

Choosing a Front Door Color: Why You Should Care About the Color

 

Here are 10 reasons you should care about the color of your door:

1. Your front door is the entryway to your personal retreat and the color that will welcome you home at the end of the day.

2. Changing the color of your door is an easy, inexpensive way to refresh a porch or entryway that needs a little help.

3. A guest’s first impression of your home comes from the facade, including the entry.

4. Choosing the right color immediately enhances your home’s curb appeal.

5. The color you choose says something about your home and what people can expect to find inside.

6. The color you choose says something about you, your personality and your personal style.

7. Your front door color choice makes your house blend in or stand out in your neighborhood.

8. This is your chance to be playful in a way that adds a touch of whimsy without going overboard.

9. Your door color can evoke feelings of warmth, tranquility, generosity or luxury, depending on the color you choose.

10. If you are considering selling your home, a welcoming or bold color can make your home more appealing to potential buyers.

Front Door Color

Choosing a Front Door Color: Color Meanings and What They Say About You

 

If you have ever noticed that you feel more relaxed in a blue room or more cheerful when the walls are painted yellow, than you have consciously experienced the influence colors can have on our mood and well being.

The meaning of the color of your front door is a bit different than the way colors can be used to create physiological or emotional reactions, but the psychology of color does come into play and should be considered when selecting your perfect shade.

Here are 10 of the most popular options and what each color might say to passersby and guests.

1. White – White symbolizes simplicity and purity. People with white doors usually keep a clean home and are well organized. This is a classic color choice for traditional homes.

2. Yellow – This cheerful color is full of optimism and a zest for life. It is sure to draw people inside, even if only to see what other surprises you have in store for them.

3. Orange – It might seem a bit adventurous to choose such a bold hue, which makes sense, since orange is the color of spontaneity and is perfect for uninhibited, confident, extroverted homeowners.

4. Blue – This calming color will let guests know that they are about to enter a peaceful, tranquil home with an easygoing homeowner.

5. Indigo – When passersby see this bold choice, they will know that a strong, devoted person dwells within. They might also notice just how beautiful this deep shade looks as it changes with the light of the day on a traditional home.

6. Purple – This whimsical shade is sure to make your guests smile as they enter your home where they will likely find a free-spirited, fun daydreamer.

7. Red – This bold choice is sure to make your home stand out and is considered good luck in some cultures.

8. Black – Sophisticated, traditional and elegant, a black door lets passersby know that you mean business and that they will likely find classic furnishings inside that represent your refined taste.

9. Green – Green doors open to harmonious homes with homeowners that are likely known as the neighborhood peacemakers who are the first to volunteer for a good cause.

10. Turquoise – Turquoise is a hot accent color for homes right now, particularly in Southern California. This relaxing, inviting hue welcomes your guests inside to spend time with reflective, eclectic homeowners who are grounded in reality but enjoy a bit of whimsy from time to time.

Inviting Entryway

Choosing a Front Door Color: Feng Shui

 

You may have heard of the principles of feng shui being used when designing buildings, interiors or landscapes in order to achieve a positive flow of energy (chi) throughout the space.

Front doors are of particular importance in feng shui and are often referred to as the mouth of chi.

According to feng shui practitioners, this is where energy enters your home, and it is also the boundary between you and the outside world.

In this practice, the type of door you have, the direction it is facing, the shape your door is in, its color and its position in relation to the other elements of your home are all important.

However, if you are considering which color to paint your front door, that probably means you already have a door in a particular position and facing a particular direction.

While you cannot do much about the direction in which your door is facing or where it is located on your home’s facade, you can do something about the color.

Folks who are somewhat familiar with feng shui probably are aware of the popularity of red front doors in this practice and might be wondering why we are even discussing other colors.

It is true that red is the most common front door color of feng shui practitioners; however, that is because homes built to feng shui specifications have south-facing doors.

Since most of us do not live in homes built with feng shui in mind, most of us are not going to have doors that face south.

Therefore — unless you happen to be lucky enough to have a south-facing front door — red is probably not the most auspicious color choice.

If you would like to include feng shui principles in your decision-making process, here is some basic information to help you choose the most auspicious color for the direction your front door faces.

North – If your door faces north, your best choices are colors that represent the element of water, such as blue or black.

Northwest – The element of metal rules northwest-facing doors, so white, silver and gray are all good options. You can also go with earth tones for this direction, which go with the element of earth.

West – You are also dealing with the element of metal if your door faces west, which means white, silver or gray might be the best color choice.

Southwest – Colors that represent the element of earth are best here, such as earth tones or a pale yellow; however, you can also safely bring in a fire element color, such as orange, red or purple.

South – South-facing doors are ideal for homeowners who want a bold front door in red, purple, pink or orange, all of which are perfect for the element of fire. If these feel a bit too bold for you, you can also go with the wood element colors of brown or green.

Southeast – We are working with the wood element when painting doors facing southeast, which means greens and browns are good choices, but you can also go with the water element colors of blue or black.

East – This is, again, the element of wood with the backup element of water, which means blues, black, turquoise, greens and browns are all fair game.

Northeast – Homeowners with doors that face northeast can get a little bolder with their color choices and opt for yellow, orange or purple hues. Since this direction corresponds with the element of earth, you can also use earth tones.

 

Welcoming Entryway

Choosing a Front Door Color: Final Thoughts

 

Every interior and exterior color you choose for your home is important, but the color you paint your front door is of particular significance.

It welcomes people to your home, gives them a hint of what to expect inside, and says something about your personality and personal style.

Whether you choose to go with an understated, classic white or a vibrant, bold orange, your front door color should reflect how you want to be perceived by the world and should be a color you will be happy to come home to every day.