Making a splash is a good opening move
Paint your front door an unconventional colour to upgrade curb appeal
Your front door is like your calling card to the world. Its colour reflects your personality and gives a hint of your style.
So the quickest and most economical way to make over the front of your house is to paint that door a glossy new colour.
Sure, you could go with traditional but boring black, white or red. But why not choose something that will make your place stand out from the crowd?
“Painting your front door is a fast and easy way to upgrade and freshen up curb appeal. All you need is a quart of paint and a brush,” says Jill Waage, executive editor of the Better Homes and Gardens brand.
She says many consumers are choosing colours for their doors that are different from the walls, trim or shutters. “This speaks to the personalization that people are doing all over their homes right now,” she says.
In a recent survey, about 48 per cent of Better Homes and Gardens readers said their front door is painted a colour other than white, black or a wood finish.
On its website, Benjamin Moore warns DIY painters to check the weather forecast before painting anything on the exterior of a house. The company’s advice: Don’t paint when the temperature drops below 10 degrees C, and avoid painting when rain is in the forecast, as that could ruin your finish.
We asked some designers and bloggers, which front door colour they love. Many suggested choosing a high-gloss finish. Here are edited excerpts of their responses:
• Designer Stuart Nordin of Alexandria, Va.: Magenta by Benjamin Moore
“I don’t usually care for a crazy colour because I think you can get sick of it quickly, but recently a client and I decided to go for a deep magenta, and it turned out beautifully. It’s close to red, but more fun and playful without being too trendy.”
• Designer Shazalynn CavinWinfrey of Alexandria, Va.: Basil Green by Benjamin Moore
“This is the colour of my office front door and goes with virtually every exterior colour. Green identifies with harmony and growth. I like to think every entry should invite both of those things to those who enter.”
• Boston designer Erin Gates, blogger at Elements of Style: Wasabi by Benjamin Moore
“This is a wonderful chartreuse that looks incredible on my white house with black shutters. It also makes brass hardware absolutely sing.”
• New York designer Alexa Hampton: Chase Green from Darryl Carter Colors for Benjamin Moore
“It’s traditional and not cocky, but it has more personality than just a black door and certainly more softness.”
• Better Homes and Gardens East Coast editor and blogger Eddie Ross: A Cappella by C2 Paint
“I’m really loving this colour. I am thinking about it for our new house on the historic Main Line of Philadelphia. It’s the hue of my favourite French blue opaline glass, and it reminds me of gold-monogrammed Paris porcelain plates.
“My vintage, octagonal, brass door knocker will look very chic against the colour.”
• Silver Spring, Md., designer Iantha Carley: Pelt by Farrow & Ball
“It’s easy when you are giving directions to your house. You can say, ‘It’s the one with the aubergine door.’ Your front door is the heart of your home. It should be something that sets it apart.”