Your Front Door

There was a wonderful old home I used to drive by every few days. It was being restored, obviously by caring, thoughtful owners.  It was set back from the road on the site of a small dairy; the dairy barns were painted that glorious red that is typical of dairy barns.

When I drove by, I could just see the red barns through the trees, but the color was intense enough to draw my eye away from the white house. I stopped one day just to admire the house and could not, for the life of me, figure out where the front door was.

I finally found it based on the location of the front steps.  The door and the trim were painted the same color — white — as the siding.  I remember thinking how sad that the design had faltered and how important the door was to the look and feel of the home.

If you can’t find the front door, how welcome do you feel?  The red barns took over because of the high contrast color (sound familiar?) and I just so wanted the front door to be that wonderful, welcoming red too. It would have balanced the red barns and welcomed visitors to the home site. 

But, it never happened.

I went by the house a while ago and I still feel the same way. They were so close, and instead of being fabulous, the facade of the house is confusing and appears unfinished.

So how do you pick a color for your front door? Consider that the front door is the focal point of the front of your home. Therefore it should be of enough contrast to draw the eye to it, without overpowering the rest of the house.

Look at the colors of the home from the street. You have the siding, the trim, maybe there is brick or stone.  And don’t forget the roof. It is probably the largest block of color on the facade. Pick a color that works with the colors you already have, but one that can, perhaps, be used in a brighter value than found elsewhere.

For example. Brick tends to have an orange undertone. (Undertone, undertone, undertone….) A burnt orange door is spectacular on orange-toned brick.  Add a few large terra-cotta pots and some greenery and the front door becomes the statement focal point, supporting and embellishing the facade. 

If you have a pathway leading up to a gray house with charcoal shingles, consider pink. Why not?  A pink door could be spectacular.

Some things to think about. Lets see some color out there!!