Speaking of Red, What’s the Best Front Door Color?
February 26, 2023 § Leave a comment
Quick answer? Not red. Necessarily.
Red is a traditional door color that is steeped in history and folklore as it symbolizes a welcoming home, a safe haven for travelers, a harbinger of good luck, and protection from ghosts and evil spirits. And it certainly is striking, particularly on a white house.
But before you run out to the paint store, a study done by Zillow in 2022 found that buyers would pay $6500 more for a house with a door color they found desirable and conversely would pay $6500 less for a house with a front door they didn’t like. The door color that brought the highest offer? Black.
Now black isn’t for everybody, but red obviously isn’t either. The same study found that Slate Blue and an earthy Olive Green came in second and third. (Note the stone and brick on these two houses — we’ll come back to that.)
Colors to be avoided? Pale Pink and Cement Gray as they were described by respondents as “shabby and dated.”
Not to be contrary, but only a year later another trend study found Soft Rose (aka pink) and Dark Charcoal (aka gray) to be two of the recommended front door options for 2023.
Okay, let’s unpack this because you cannot pick your front door color based on folklore or some conflicting color trends. It just doesn’t work.
A front door color should be chosen based on your
- House color. Do you have a neutral house color or is it already making a color statement? Obviously you don’t have to have a red door for luck or a black door to sell your house, but there are some color combinations that are better than others.
- House style. Is your house from a particular style era? Colonial? Mid-century? Modern houses can support bright crayola colors. Traditional homes sometimes match shutters to the door color and might even keep them light for a blended, softer look.
- Landscape colors. Do you have flowering shrubs next to the entry? A big rhododendron or lilac bush? There may be a color opportunity just steps away.
- Materials. Is your house brick or stone? Natural materials on the front of a house often present challenges to picking a door color because there may be multiple colors already in that brick or stone, and the house may appear busy. Choosing a door color to complement that stonework is tricky.
- Roof color. Sometimes it plays a pretty big role in the overall house palette. (I’ll talk about roof color another day.)
HOUSE COLOR
If you have a white house…
You have a rainbow of choices before you. But tie that front door color in somehow so it doesn’t look like a random walk through the crayon box.
What if my house already makes a statement — it’s red?
If the front door is under a porch overhang, I suggest keeping the door light. With all that house color, a creamy white works, and you can still find the door without the porch light on.
What if my house is black?
All door color options are open to you — even black. And keeping the whole house black lets the greenery take top billing. But the door color I like best for a black house is a natural wood door — it totally warms up the house and is very inviting.
What if my house is not black but it’s still dark — like navy blue?
There is nothing fresher than a splashy sunny yellow door on a navy blue house.
What if my house is charcoal gray?
You really cannot beat the warmth of wood. Or the color of wood — a rich gold paint color.
What if my house is light — like this gray-blue?
This house picks up some of the warm peach tones from the front porch and gives this more traditional house color a fresh look.
What if my house is green?
Omgosh… try a regal shade of purple. And plant some irises. It’s a stunning combination.
HOUSE STYLE
Here’s where a nod to regional trends and a tip-of-the-hat to history play a part in color choices. I’ll just pick two examples. The soft blend of tones on this neo-European style traditional home speaks to the part of the world where shutters actually function. The pink house waves from Palm Springs. Note the choice of door color — to calm the perky exterior. House styles have some parameters. After that, it’s all about your taste.
Now back to reality…
LANDSCAPE COLORS
Notice how the landscaping dictates the door color? It is such a great trick, and it really pulls the curb appeal to a higher level. Will it bring in the highest offer on your home? Maybe not, but if you’re not moving, then it’s not an issue.
HOUSE MATERIALS
What if my house is brick?
Solid dark colors like navy are classic door colors with brick. As is black, of course. One color to avoid? Red because bricks are not actually red and trying to match them for a door color is a challenge.
What if my house has multiple colors or stone textures?
My absolute go-to color for coordinating front door and stonework without introducing another accent color is Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze! It is a miracle front door color!
If you need help with color, feel free to comment below, hit the button for a Color Consultation, or shoot me an email at yourcolorcoach@gmail.com.
I would be happy to help you.
Hope you have a Colorful Day!
Barbara, Your Home & Color Coach
Add Color Here but Please Not There
February 23, 2023 § Leave a comment
Color is back in season as we watch the light neutrals fade off into the distance. Here are 5 areas of your home where you can add color with a paint roller or a brush. But scroll to the bottom for a gasp of OMGosh please do not do this!
ADD COLOR TO STAIRS
I am a huge fan of painting the stairs — pretty much anything but white. The ombre effect on the stair risers creates a fresh relaxed look and is a great way to bring in an accent color. Or you can paint the whole stairway. The stained wood treads look spectacular popping off the dark gray woodwork.
ADD COLOR TO SHELVING
This color application has been around awhile, but I am still a fan! Painting the back of your display shelving is such an eye-catcher. And it can highlight your collections. What an opportunity to add color — and so easy! Or you can paint the whole inside of each display cube a different color for a playful focal wall.
ADD COLOR BEHIND THE TV
It doesn’t have to be black, but camouflaging the TV is a great idea. Any dark color will help. Or if you rather like a large touch of black, make the TV wall a colorful focal point.
ADD COLOR TO THE CEILING
Whether you want to paint just the ceiling and molding around it as an accent or go up over the ceiling with the wall color to enlarge the room, painting the ceiling will add drama. But white in the room offers a fresh contrast and keeps the room from feeling like a cave.
ADD COLOR TO A WALL OF BOOKSHELVES
Your painter will love you (oh, that’s you?) if you decide to paint the entire wall of bookshelves the same accent color. For one thing, the sheen on the paint will stay the same. And there is no cutting-in or taping-off required. In a light-filled room or a library, this color application will set the mood for sure.
WARNING! DON’T DO IT!
OMGosh… please do not try this last one at home UNLESS you are a designer, your ceilings are high already, and you have enormous windows. Yes, it’s dramatic, cool, and trending to paint walls, trim, and ceiling all one dark, dramatic color. And yes it’s quicker and easier when it’s all the same. But here’s what happens:
- You lose all architectural detail (moldings, fireplace, wainscoting — if you don’t have any, you might not care).
- You lose all contrast that helps you see color (because say it with me, “white makes colors pop”).
- You add reliance on light — either from windows or lamps — to see anything in the room.
- You risk the wall/ceiling color influencing the colors of everything else in the room.
- You risk making your furniture look drab.
- You risk triggering your seasonal depression on a daily basis.
- And the elephant in the room: If you want to sell your home anytime soon, dark-and-moody just doesn’t sell. It will cost a fortune in primer to paint over all that surface area.
But as they say in the biz… it’s just paint!
If you need help with color, feel free to comment below, hit the button for a Color Consultation, or shoot me an email at yourcolorcoach@gmail.com.
I would be happy to help you.
Hope you have a Colorful Day!
Barbara, Your Home & Color Coach
Curb Appeal Refresh: The Front Door
May 22, 2019 § Leave a comment
Some of you may remember when the fashion industry changed the skirt hem length every year — from maxi to mini to midi and then back to comfortably above the knee.
Front door color has followed a fashion trend of its own. A decade ago, red was all the rage — and for some it continues to be the most welcoming front door color. Black with a metal kick plate has always offered a sophisticated read on the front entry. But what has followed in more recent years has been a busting-out of traditional exterior curb appeal. Here’s what front door colors we were talking about just 3 years ago.
So it is time to update those door trends again. No more copycat door-painting just to be fashionable. We’re stepping out of the shade of the porch to a bold new entryway that will set each house apart from its neighbors.
But first, let’s talk about house colors. What has changed:
–More white houses. It used to be that white fell to farmhouses and antique colonials. Not anymore. There is plenty of white new construction, which opens up a fan deck of front door options.
–More gray houses. Always a neutral that fits into almost any environment, the gray interior trend moved to the outside and remains. Gray also opens up a fan deck of front door options, maybe just a few fewer than white.
–More Crayola color and less safe beige. Dark and rich are replacing light and airy. Briarwood is moving to Hale Navy. Rich Cream is moving to Merlot Red. Even some developments are providing a rainbow of siding options instead of the light neutrals from years past. <<applause>> If you have a bold red house, you probably don’t need me to tell you what color to paint your front door (lol!), but I’ll offer suggestions anyway.
–More midcentury renos, both contemporary and ranch style. With a surge in client interest for open-concept living (uh-oh to that trend, but that’s another story), people have realized that it is easier to update an already open midcentury home with the high vaulted ceilings and the great-room flow than it is to modify a boxy colonial. Big surprise there. So we are seeing a plethora of exterior colors (even black) as a result of these one-story re-dos.
Back to the front door. Here are some ideas for redoing your front door color to refresh your home.
Teal and Turquoise — I cannot believe that I used to recommend turquoise only for tropical house locations or homes that at least had a pool. What used to be a quest to coordinate house colors with the local environment is now a challenge to ignore it. Where teal and turquoise work: on gray, white, black, yellow, red, okay almost every house color except blue. Where they do not work: on dirty or faded house siding (the bright color makes the house look worse) and on other blues like colonial blue.
Yellow and Orange — not everybody’s favorite colors but they are so happy. I love them on a front door. Where they work: on dark house colors like navy, green-browns, dark and light grays, neutral gray brick, and white. Where they do not work: Again, on any color that looks faded, aged, or dirty.
Lime Green — fresh and springy and a wonderful coordinating color for your landscape. Where it works: dark gray, navy blue, even red brick, chocolate brown, black. Where it does not work: any other green or dirty beige.
Pink and Purple – always beautiful on a white house with coordinating landscape trees but also on a dark house for a real pop of warmth in the neighborhood. Where they work: white, gray, navy. Where they do not work: on yellow beiges and orange beiges because of the undertones and on anything that has a faded or dirty appearance.
If the bright colors will not work with your house color, try natural or even white.
Natural Wood or wood-look – always a classic. Where it works: navy and red, for sure. And just about every other house color.
White — yes white! What white does is make the whole entry area look larger since it blends with the white trim color. It also creates a blank canvas for holiday decor — wreathes, flower pots, etc. There is nothing quite like white as a backdrop to a variety of color palettes around the entryway. Where it works: especially good on a house with a lot of color already and crisp white trim. Also works on neutrals when you want to maintain a soft neutral palette throughout — be sure to add textures though with lots of greenery and baskets or wicker furniture. White also works on aged or faded houses where the bright colors do not. Crisp white perks everything up.
I hope these ideas dazzle your thinking and inspire you to head to the paint store. Happy painting, everybody!
What Color Brings You Joy?
January 23, 2019 § Leave a comment
As I type the title into this blog post, I am struck by how nearly impossible that question is to answer for somebody like me who loves almost all hues. How would I ever pick a favorite? But some people have no problem.
In the latest House Beautiful (Jan/Feb 2019 issue) amidst the usual articles about paint color trends and new wallpaper patterns, a spread jumped out of the magazine when I turned the page. Designer Kristen McCory and editor Emma Bazilian lay out a color palette that I would not expect to see in a Connecticut home.
There in a high-gloss fuchsia fiesta was a fireplace surround and mantel popping out of the living room wall. And there was more! A hot pink antique secretary and a raspberry velvet settee left no doubt as to the intentions of the designer. The homeowner wanted Pink. (That’s Benjamin Moore’s Gypsy Pink on the mantel.)
But the story gets so sweet when we discover that the pink is a tribute to the homeowner’s 99-year-old grandmother whose favorite lipstick was Revlon’s Parisian Pink. And that is what brings me to ask “What color brings YOU joy?”
For me? I guess I’m kind of in a Pink frame of mind these days — it’s bitter cold outside and that warm pink hue brings joy to my heart when I stare at it long enough. Witness my Facebook page yesterday —>
But by Spring I know I will have put all the warm colors into the closets and brought out blues to cool the house down and bring me newfound joy. I’m not sure what it is about turquoise, teal, and aqua that I love so much but maybe it’s what those colors represent to me: in this case, last year’s vacation with my precious sister! When I see ocean blues now, I think of her and it brings me joy.
Whatever color brings you joy (always or maybe just right now) … embrace it. Wear it, decorate with it, and share it with others. Don’t worry about keeping up with trends that make others happy. When clients tell me they want a color for their kitchen that is the same color as their best friend’s kitchen, I always push back a little. It never fails. What looks good in somebody else’s house is inevitably a big fail somewhere else. Don’t pick a yellow front door because your neighbor has one. As we say so often these days… You Do You.
What Color Brings YOU Joy?
How Do We Pick Colors?
May 23, 2018 § 1 Comment
We are attracted to colors that are pleasing to us, and nature provides the best inspiration. Color palettes are everywhere, but not everything we see is pleasing to the eye. Why do some colors whisper sweetly at us whereas others, when combined, seem to claw at each other for dominance?
As color enthusiasts, we are all familiar with the color wheel as the foundation of basic color theory and the resource for learning the characteristics of various colors (or “hues”) and which colors work together.
Hue Value: Besides the obvious differences between the colors in this rainbow wheel, one of the easiest characteristics to see is the value (whether one color is lighter or darker than another). Color professionals and other color lovers know this, but just in case… if we look at the second ring in from the outside, we can see that moving toward the outside of the wheel (adding black) makes the hue darker (a shade of the original). Moving toward the center of the wheel (adding white) makes the hue lighter (a tone of the original color).
Color Clarity: The clarity, whether a color is Crayola-crayon clear or kind of muddy looking, is another color characteristic that contributes to our particular color taste and definitely influences which colors go together and which ones fight.
Clear colors are vibrant and are used not only in packaging and advertising because they attract so much attention but also in some modern decorating and architectural color schemes.
On the other hand, the same color (green) when altered by mixing its opposite color with it becomes quieter and more subdued and can blend easily into a landscape. That’s why “grayed-down” colors work well on an exterior – at least for the siding (doors are a different story!).
TIP Mixing clear colors with grayed-down colors (especially if they’re in the same color family – say green) does not work. The clear color suddenly looks garish, and the grayed-down color suddenly looks dirty. It is probably one of the biggest decorating mistakes I see.
Undertone: One of the hardest color characteristics to identify is a color’s undertone, but every neutral has one. And what may on its own look like a simple beige or gray may actually reveal another color (for example, pink, green, yellow) when placed next to another color (or white).
In large quantity (like a floor), either tile above might read “beige.” But the tile on the left has a pink undertone, and the one on the right has a green undertone. It is important to decipher the undertones particularly in carpet, counter, tile, and other materials and avoid mixing undertones when you add fabrics, paint, and furniture, and other surfaces. The kitchen below is an expensive mistake.
There are whole books and courses on undertones alone. I refer you to Maria Killam who literally wrote the book on Undertones. Professional designers, decorators and color experts need to be very familiar with undertones before specifying color.
TIP Don’t Mix Undertones!
So How Do Colors Work Together Successfully?
Almost any color will look good by itself or mixed with white. But we don’t pick colors to stand alone most of the time. We choose color combinations. And that’s where the fun is – figuring out which color combinations work together and how to use each color effectively, whether you’re designing a magazine cover or a living room.
Using the color wheel again, here are some combinations:
A monochromatic color scheme is an easy way to decorate a room as it uses many different shades and tones of one color (hue) like you would find up and down a particular color strip in the fan deck.
TIP If you use a monochromatic color scheme, make sure that the clarity of the color is the same throughout. In the words of Maria Killam, “don’t mix clean with dirty.”
Complementary colors are opposites on the color wheel and they tend to have energy when they’re together. So using them in an application makes a big splash like on a magazine cover when you want it to leap off the shelf at you while you’re standing at the checkout counter.
Complementary Colors
More Complementary Colors
Analogous colors are side-by-side on the color wheel and tend to be either cool (blues and greens) or warm (red/orange/yellow).
Cool colors all used together actually create a calm feeling, and they are often used in high-stress settings like hospitals.
And what better color scheme when you want to generate warmth and draw customers into a hot coffee shop than to use analogous warm colors like pink and orange.
TIP When you are using an analogous color scheme, show those subtle color differences off by pairing with plenty of white! White makes colors pop!
Sharply contrasting colors like black and white provide the starkest contrast, but white with gray and a pop of vibrant neon can really look striking, both in packaging and in a room.
Neutrals are not always beiges and grays as you can see from this neutral living room, but they don’t always show up on a typical color wheel. Many of you may be in what we might refer to as the Gray Period of recent years (gray replaced beige of decades past as the neutral of choice).
TIP Add texture (nubby pillows, shiny metals, soft fabrics) if you decorate with a neutral color scheme to add visual interest in a room without a lot of color and contrast.
Whites — who knew — are so numerous that if you Google “shades of white” you get 982,000,000 results. So there are whites, and then there are WHITES. Unless you are painting an art museum interior, I suggest avoiding a chalky white for your wall color. That particular white is so vivid it practically glows in the dark.
TIP Choosing an off-white (a “white” that leans more toward a color like beige, gray, yellow, or blue) gets you more mileage and will age more gracefully than a pure toothpaste white.
Color trends may come and go, but it’s helpful to know why certain color schemes work and how to make adjustments in ones that don’t.
The World’s Favorite Color? Where Have I Been?
February 22, 2018 § Leave a comment
Late to the party here, but better late than never. At least that’s what I said to myself yesterday when I scrolled onto THIS beautiful hue and found out that it was crowned The World’s Favourite Colour. No great surprise since it represents some of the world’s most exquisitely beautiful treasures like Bali — an island so gorgeous its name alone sounds relaxing.
Last summer there was a questionnaire sent out — ’round the globe, as it were — to find out which color appealed to the most people. (I totally missed it! Arrrgh!)
“The competition organised by Hull 2017 UK City of Culture and paper merchant GF Smith invited people to select their favourite shade online by hovering over an infinite palette of shades with their mouse until they landed on the colour they found most appealing.”
The winner was this rich teal that nature inspires and artists incorporate to capture the beauty that surrounds us.
The closest paint color approximation I could find was a Duron Paints shade, Sea Sphinx. 
But there were others:
There are plenty of other ways to introduce the color into your decor — window treatments, accessories, and more art, of course.
On an accent wall of Marrs Green, this art pops!
And so does this one!
Though I have blogged about “teal” before, I guess there’s a reason. It appeals to vast numbers of people worldwide. It is a little bit blue, yet a little bit green. It’s the warmest ocean color and a color that appears in natural gems and plant life. It is rejuvenating in all its forms.
It looks great with the full green/blue spectrum and all its values, and it forms a calm backdrop to pops of heat. Marrs Green — The World’s Favorite Color.
Color Inspiration is Everywhere
February 19, 2018 § 2 Comments
While scrolling through the interwebs today I bumped into this tweet from Architectural Digest highlighting 20 cute items from Walmart. Okay, that I had to see. And I have to agree — there are lots of really “super cute things” that I had not noticed while shopping for cheap soap dispensers.
But the item that caught my eye and sent me off to color dreamland was a gorgeous ribbed glass bowl in the most deliciously subtle tones of green. It reminded me of the Farrow & Ball color palette — you know — those paint colors that look like velvet in shades and tones that no other paint company seems to match. There’s something about them (trade secrets, I suspect) that gives a room or a piece of furniture a hue that whispers sophistication. Not one of them will show up in a Crayola box.
Cooking Apple Green No. 32
There are two obvious things that distinguish Farrow & Ball from other more mainstream paint lines: the number of colors (way fewer) and the price (way more). And although many home projects and palettes of colors might not be worth the extra expense because the subtle tonal difference or undertone might not be noticed, I find that the blues and greens in Farrow & Ball are far superior for their soft, sophisticated richness.
Maybe it’s the largess of their English roots (Farrow & Ball is located in the United Kingdom). Or maybe it’s the fewer number of perfect colors (only 132) so that every color decision is a successful one. Or the fact that the company has maintained its original formulation. Or maybe it’s the mystique. But whatever it is … I love it.
What makes F&B different
Regardless of the paint line you prefer, keep your eyes open for color inspirations. They are everywhere — even Walmart.
Is Your House an EXtrovert? Paint It
February 15, 2018 § Leave a comment
In the next town over, there’s a purple house. And when I say purple, I mean PURple, but not just the front door as we see in the row house above, but also the siding, the trim, the doors, the shutters, and even the concrete foundation. The whole house is purple. (I would show you a photo of the house, but I don’t want to embarrass it.) The result is a house that draws everyone’s attention and not in a good way.
On the other hand, if your house is already an extrovert — one that has character and interesting features you want to show off in all their glory, then go ahead and use paint. This article from This Old House presents ideas for how to bring out the personality in your older home and shows not only colors that grab attention but also where to put them and which ones go beautifully together.
There are lots of ways to use color. This beachy turquoise, perfect for a cottage style home in a coastal community, uses one hue — a medium tone for the siding and a darker value for the shutters and door. White trim completes the cottagey look. The result is a house that displays its positive features without overdoing the palette. This strategy is especially good for a small house.
Dark colors are trending now, and this gray-brown ranch is a good example. But instead of keeping the whole house a quiet, conventional wallflower, the homeowner displays its cheerful personality with tangerine shutters, front door and striped awning. The white trim makes the colors “pop,” as we say, and you have a real looker!
Speaking of citrus, look how this bungalow shows off its architectural features with Juicy Fruit colors and — wait a minute — a lovely deep grape purple foundation. Now that works!
My favorite color combination, though, and perfect for this restored Italianate house, is terra cotta siding; a darker value for the window muntins, eave corbels, and column accents; a rich natural wood front door (and rocking chairs — nice touch); and cream gingerbread trim.
These are only a few ideas for how to embellish your older home with color. Spring outdoor projects are coming for many of us, and one of us at least has house color on her mind. Ha!
Think color, my Color Friends! And stay cozy.
Beat the Blues with a Beach Bathroom
January 30, 2018 § Leave a comment
Nothing quite like a beach scene to distract from the snowflakes drifting by my office window. So here I am scrolling through photos of the most beautiful beaches in the world and dreaming of what it would feel like to be barefoot in the sand. Arguably one of the most beautiful of all of nature’s color combinations, there is something healing about blues and greens together. Not a big surprise.
But the funny thing (to me) is that I find myself thumbing through the part of the fan deck that I rarely use — occasionally for kids rooms — the bright clear Crayola colors. Maybe it’s a reaction to years of neutrals and grays upon grays, but my eye and my spirit are drawn to the crystal clear hues that one encounters about three feet in as you wade into the water. That color.
The rest of the palette is just as lovely especially all together. Whether you pick one as the floor tile color and another, maybe in a lighter value, for the walls, the combinations for color placement are endless.
Add in the the sandy white for bathroom fixtures, and the other colors for art and accessories, and voila.
A little splash of paradise in the privacy of your own home.
Houzz
But I Love Grandma’s Furniture
January 20, 2018 § Leave a comment
Furniture that has been in the family for generations (or as long as you can remember, at least) carries memories of sitting around Grandma’s dining room table during holiday dinners and enjoying family and food and all that goes with that. So of course you accept Grandma’s dining room set when presented. Okay, now what.
Designer Stephanie Lees shows us how to marry traditional (whether inherited or acquired some other way) and modern styling. Yes, the two can co-exist nicely together.
Color is the most obvious creative solution. The navy grasscloth walls in that dining room contrast elegantly with the traditional white wainscoting beneath the chair rail. Camouflaged there is a white lacquer cabinet that showcases more family treasures that frame out the modern artwork above.
The green curtain panels in an unfussy simple treatment dress the windows with a pop of color that is carried over to the back of the traditional wingback chair. Wingbacks –whether old or new — are classic. But the modern fabric placement takes what might have been a studious, grownup, wingback chair and made it playful. Those bamboo side chairs — if not your grandmother’s then just like them — can be recovered very DIY with new coordinating fabric by unscrewing the seats, stapling fabric onto the seat bottoms, and screwing the seats back onto the chair. Instant update.
Another key update that sets a modern tone to the room is the contemporary rug, again keeping with the blue & white palette but staying clear of any traditional rug design. Random color placement in the rug keeps the room from looking too formal, and it is key to pulling off this style marriage.
But just short of replacing whatever shiny, old, yellow-brass light fixture might have hung from the ceiling before with a new contemporary brushed nickel version (gasp!), the designer opted for a vintage Italian chandelier in crystal. Dramatic, classic, and oh so stylish.
You’ve given us lots to think about, Stephanie, as we incorporate inherited pieces into our own homes. Thanks for the inspiration!
@StyleatHome, @YourColorCoach, stephanieleesdesign
Your Home & Color Coach 