Front Door Paint Colors: First impressions are everything! For most people who drive by or visit your house, your front door is their first impression. It gives them a little preview of what they might find inside–whether it’s a bold color, a traditional color, or adorned with some kind of seasonal decoration. So it’s the perfect place to make the first impression you want (and it’s easy and inexpensive to change!)
FRONT DOOR PAINT COLORS
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Below, you’ll find the best traditional and non-traditional front door paint colors. I’ve broken down specific paint recommendations from top designers in each of the color families and shared the meaning behind why some door colors are more popular than others. Plus, you’ll find a handy sheet on all the things to pay attention to when you are picking a front door paint color!
Related: Best Paint Colors for Selling Your Home
BEST FRONT DOOR PAINT COLORS
The most popular paint colors for front doors are listed below. I’ve broken down each color into the top paint colors recommended by interior designers and architects, and provided real life examples, so you know what they look like!
- Red
- Navy Blue
- Gray
- Yellow
- Teal or Greenish-Blue
- Green
- Black
- Pink
- Off-White
Ultimately, which color you choose depends a lot on the style and character of your house, and the overall mood you want to portray. If you want a more laid back and informal entryway, then a bolder choice might go better (like the teal shown below!)
Other times, you might want to tie your front door paint color in with the prominent colors of your house, like the blue windows and shutters on the house below. With such a bold choice of colors, it is best to stay with the same thing, or do a complementary color like black which looks good everywhere!
HOW TO PICK A FRONT DOOR COLOR:
When you are picking out a front door color, think of your house as a whole. What style is it? If it’s a traditional colonial, chances are you will want to either stay with a classic look–or you might want to add a bold front door color to spice things up! If you have a craftsman, you might opt for more non-traditional colors like teal, green, or even bold hues like orange or yellow!
Classic (No-Fail Colors):
- Black
- Gray
- Red
This classic white colonial with black shutters is timeless with its glossy black front door which matches its black shutters. A red door, a green door, or a blue door would look equally as lovely as the white siding is such a blank slate.
This tudor style house above shows an unexpected punch of personality with its classic blue (with a tinge of teal) front door. It draws attention to its unique shape, and adds a pop of color.
Universally flattering but non-traditional front door colors are:
- Teal
- Green
FRONT DOOR COLOR FACTORS:
As you choose your front door color, consider these points below–it will save you time, energy, and possibly repainting your front door (something no one wants to do!)
Architecture and Historical Preservation:
What style is your house? The overall style of your house (and the colors traditionally associated with it) should be taken into account whether you want to accentuate its history or update it with a trendy paint color.
HOA and Historical Neighborhood Rules:
Do you live in a historical neighborhood? Is your house of historical importance? Many towns have dedicated historical neighborhoods to maintain the character of their town. You may want to pay heed to their rules, regulations, and recommendations for historically accurate colors.
Likewise, many HOA (home owner associations) require advance permission to change the exterior of your home–including what color your front door is painted.
Materials and Other Exterior Design Elements:
What is your house made of? What other design elements are present? Do you have shutters? Do you have a prominent chimney? Tieing in these other design elements will help you make an informed choice for your front door paint color.
Light and Exposure:
What kind of light does your front door get? Do you have a porch and will it be protected from the elements? Our front door is a Southern exposure, so it gets a lot of light. Because we knew that it would fade significantly over time, we opted for a darker hue to start off with. Also, in bright light, many colors will seem washed out–so generally speaking, go for one or two shades darker than you want on the exterior.
WHAT TYPE OF PAINT TO USE:
Latex exterior paints are best since they provide weather-resistant paint coverage and will wear the best through the elements. In the past, many painters used oil-based paints; but, recent paint technology has gotten so good that latex paints perform equally as well (and are a lot easier to work with!)
What finish for a front door?
I like using a high gloss finish–they are the most robust but will show knicks on a door. Semi-gloss is more forgiving but still is very resilient.
Do I need primer to paint my front door?
YES! Use an exterior primer first and use one specifically for your front door material–metal, fiberglass, wood.
Should you paint your screen door?
It’s not easy, but if you do have a screen door, it will look best if it matches the paint color of your door. Again, make sure you use paint for this purpose.
RED DOOR PAINTS:
What does a red front door mean?
In America, a red door historically meant welcome and neighborly. Feng shui, an ancient Chinese design doctrine says that red is a symbol of health, money, and luck. However, if you want to follow the feng shui principles, a front door that faces northwest or west shouldn’t be painted red. And finally, lore has it that in Scotland when you paid off your mortgage, you would paing your door red, proudly displaying to your neighbors that you are “debt free.” It appears that this isn’t accurate; but, it is a nice story (and hey, who wouldn’t want to proclaim their mortgage free house!)
Benjamin Moore Red Front Door Paint Colors:
- Sun-dried Tomato
- Umbria Red
- New London Burgundy
- Heritage Red
- Exotic Red
- Caliente
Sherwin-Williams Red Front Door Colors:
- Real Red
- Heart Throb
RED FRONT DOOR PAINT IDEAS
Looking for some inspiration for stunning front doors? These showstoppers show that no matter what style your house is, a red door looks elegant!
BM Umbria Red front door design by Katie Ridder and Peter Pennoyer
BM Caliente by Benjamin Moore
BM Sundried Tomato front door by Love Your Home
BM Heritage Red front door by Ken Fulk.
SW Showstopper red front door. Photo by Nikreates/Alamy
BLUE FRONT DOOR PAINTS:
What blue doors mean?
According to feng shui principles, north-facing doors should be painted blue or black. Supposedly, a blue front door has a variety of meanings including prosperity and positivity (royal blue), or calm and grounded (navy blue). Traditionally, many Amish houses have had a blue front door which was speculated to mean that the house in question had a daughter available for marriage; but, this has been unanimously denied by Amish representatives, who claim it just is in response to tradition.
What type of blue?
There are very different shades of blue that you can paint your front door depending on your aesthetics–navy blue is a classic, light blue is very pretty (and very on trend), and teal/ aqua is coastal or tropical. Which one you pick, depends on the look you are going for and your general taste. Our front door is painted a classic but bold navy blue–SW Dress Blue!
SW Dress Blues
Related: See how to paint your fiberglass door here!
Benjamin More Navy Blue Paint Colors:
- Hale Navy
- NY State of Mind
- Admiral Blue
- Newburyport Blue
- Stunning
- Gentleman’s Grey
Sherwin-Williams Navy Blue Front Door:
- Commodore
- Dress Blues
- Naval (full review here)
- Anchors Aweigh
Related: See the best navy blue paint colors (for any room) here!
DARK BLUE FRONT DOOR IDEAS
Like I showed above, we have a dark blue front door. It goes well with the style of our home–a white saltbox colonial. But, blue is a color that goes with any architectural style as you will see below. Wherever possible, I’ve named the exact paint color used for your reference!
Are blue doors out? See the 2020 paint trends here!
BM Hale Navy front door by Debbie Daniele
BM New York State of Mind design by Gary McBournie via House Beautiful.
SW Indigo photo by Hector Manuel Sanchez
SW Naval front door with ferns by On Sutton Place
BM Gentleman’s Gray front door design by Heather Barrie and photo by Hector M. Sanchez
BM Stunning front door design by Christine Markatos Lowe.
TEAL AND AQUA FRONT DOOR COLORS:
Teal and aqua (or blue-green) front doors are a lovely coastal and bold look that work in a variety of homes. Whether you have a craftsman-style house that you want to update with a fun teal front door, or a coastal shingled house that you want to add quirkiness too–teal might be a good color for your front door.
BM Teal Front Door Paints:
- BM Lafayette Green
- BM Largo Teal
- BM Teal Ocean
- BM Caribbean Blue Water
- BM Boca Raton Blue
- F& B Ballroom Blue
- BM St. Lucia Teal
- BM Hazy Blue
- BM Maritime Blue
- BM Wythe Blue
- BM Turquoise Haze
- Yorktown Green
- BM Hamilton Blue
Sherwin-Williams Teal Front Door Paint Colors
- Raindrop
- Aquatint
- Sea Salt
- Hazel
- Waterscape
- Watery
- Venezuelan Sea
AQUA AND TEAL FRONT DOOR IDEAS
BM Hamilton Blue dutch door. Design by Gary McBournie.
BM Cayman Lagoon front door design by Gene Meyer and Frank De Biasi
BM Pacific Ocean design by Peter Dunham via House Beautiful.
BM Turquoise Haze design by Toddy Nicke and Amy Kehoe
BM St. Lucia teal front door from House of Turquoise
BEST GRAY PAINTS FOR FRONT DOOR:
Meaning of gray front door:
A mix between black and white, gray symbolizes neutrality. According to feng shui, gray is an ideal color for a west-facing door. Gray paint goes with anything, and just because it is a neutral–it doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack a design punch! See how beautiful and classic these gray paints look below.
Related: See all the best gray paint colors here!
BEST GRAY PAINT COLORS FOR FRONT DOORS:
- BM Copley Gray
- BM Dove Wing
- BM Kendall Charcoal
- BM Chelsea Gray
- BM Galveston Gray
- BM Platinum Gray
GRAY FRONT DOOR IDEAS
BM Copley Gray design by Bill Ingram
BM Dove Wing front door design by Kristin Panitch.
BM Chelsea Gray front door via
BM Galveston Gray front door via
BM Platinum Gray front door by Benjamin Moore
PINK AND CORAL FRONT DOORS:
I’ve always wanted a pink front door. Something about it is so incredibly Southern, romantic, and whimsical. When we spent time in London, I had the best time photographing all the pink front doors! And I just wish that we could paint our front door pink (it’s not approved by our HOA.) Alas, I will just have to keep dreaming!
Meaning of pink front doors:
If your front door is painted pink, does that make you a romantic? Typically, pink front doors have been associated with nurturing, affection, and youth. The front doors shown below demonstrate that whether it’s a light pink, a bold pink, or a coral tone, pink front doors are always in style!
BEST PINK FRONT DOOR PAINTS:
- BM Dusk Pink
- SW Coral Perfection- Nesting with Grace
- Behr- Beloved Pink- At Home with Ashley
- Behr Bubble Shell
- Behr Angle Kiss- Most Lovely Things
- SW Eros Pink
- SW Rachel Pink- Our Fifth House
- BM Bird of Paradise- Addicted2Decorating
- BM Coral Gables
- SW Exuberant Pink
BM Dusk Pink colonial via JessAnn Kirby
SW Coral Perfection by Nesting with Grace
Behr Beloved Pink design by At Home With Ashley.
Behr Angel Kiss front door by Most Lovely Things
SW Rachel Pink by Our Fifth House
BM Bird of Paradise front door by Addicted 2 Decorating
BEST GREEN FRONT DOOR PAINTS:
What does a green front door mean?
Green symbolizes finances and ambition and is a popular front door paint color because it is also associated with health. Supposedly, green is a good color for an east facing door acccording to feng shui principles. Whatever the meaning of it, the examples shown below demonstrate that green looks good anywhere!
BEST GREEN FRONT DOOR PAINTS:
- BM Hunt Club
- BM Vintage Vogue
- Farrow & Ball Green Blue
- BM Devonshire Green
- Farrow & Ball Card Room Green
- FB Folly Green
- BM Mohegan Sage
- SW Parakeet
- BM Billiard Green
- SW Alexandrite
- BM Crete Countryside
- BM Clover Green
GREEN FRONT DOOR IDEAS
BM Green Meadows front door by Benjamin Moore
Farrow & Ball Card Room Green front door
BM Devonshire Green design by Lindsay Reid.
BM Forest Green by Benjamin Moore
Farrow and Ball Green Blue
Farrow and Ball Folly Green
BM Sullivan Green via
BM Mohegan Sage via
YELLOW FRONT DOOR COLORS:
Meaning of yellow front doors:
Yellow front doors are cheery and bright and are associated with happiness. It’s a bold and fun-loving color for your front door. Many of the houses below are in warm climates or are summer houses–but don’t let that deter you! If you want a yellow front door, find a color and make it your own!
BEST YELLOW FRONT DOOR PAINT COLORS:
- BM Sunburst
- BM Hawthorne Yellow
- FB Citron
- BM Bright Yellow
- BM Sunny Jonquil
- BM American Cheese
Farrow & Ball Citron. Design by Madcap Cottage.
BM Hawthorne Yellow front door via Real Simple.
BM Sunburst via Annie Selke
Farrow & Ball Citron
BM Bright Yellow via Benjamin Moore
ORANGE FRONT DOOR PAINT COLORS:
Orange Front Door Meaning:
Optimism and creativity are two characteristics associated with orange front doors–I would also add boldness and originality!
BEST ORANGE PAINT COLORS FOR FRONT DOOR:
- BM Citrus Orange
- BM Festive Orange
- SW Osage Orange
- SW Obstinate Orange
- SW Navel Orange
ORANGE FRONT DOOR IDEAS
SW Navel photo by Peter Murdoch via.
SW Osage Osage photo by Casey Dunn via
In conclusion, whichever paint color you want to use for your front door says a lot about your personality, your design vision, and your overall aesthetic. Remember to use the right type of paint (scroll up for the directions on what type of paint to use), and to bring your paint chips outside so you can see them in the light!
Now, what color is your door currently (and what color do you want to paint it?)
