Searching for the perfect front door color?

The front door is often the first thing people see when they visit your home. And finding the right color can be tricky—not too bland, not too crazy, wanting it to reflect your family’s style… My advice? Just go for it! You can always repaint it if you decide you don’t like it. A quart of paint and some paint supplies are all it costs if you do it yourself. I can’t tell you how many doors I have painted—and repainted. Sometimes I just want to liven things up a bit. Sometimes they just need a fresh coat of the existing color. The photos on this page show a few of the doors I have painted—inside and out.

A friendly welcome! Yellows are tough, but the right one can be warm and cheery.

Pro-tip: Pick a yellow that almost isn’t a yellow—more tan or gray. It will look more yellow up on your door.

The interior of the yellow door above is a deep turquoise. It blends with the green-blue accents throughout the great room and adds life to the neutral wall color.

Often times, I pick a door color that’s a version of a color that’s already visible— a color from the stone or brick, or a color off the roof or surroundings. Sometimes I choose a color that compliments the siding.

A warm, red front door welcomes visitors. It plays off the red flowers, brick walkway, and contrasting green foliage.

I liked the color so much, I used it on all the exterior doors! It sure brings the patio to life!

Interior front door of our flip house—It was white originally, but this soft blue/green/gray gives it a subtle punch of color.

When leaning toward a bold color, use caution. An orange or purple might be obnoxious in the wrong shade. Perhaps a merlot color instead of bright purple could give your home a pleasant vibe. Or a pumpkin, as seen below, instead of a bright orange.

At this house, I choose a spicy pumpkin-like color. It contrasts the gray contemporary exterior (and coordinates well with our Bernese Mountain Dog, Murphy!)

I chose a simple black for the inside of our front door. The original white seemed a bit dull, while the black isn’t too busy for the rest of the house.

Sometimes the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule applies. I was helping a good friend with her door color. We didn’t want to make the exterior too busy, since she already had nice siding, trim, and brick. Her colors looked fantastic, so when it came to the front door, the best answer was to keep it the same. A crisp, fresh coat was all she needed!