19 Bold Colors for Your Front Door
If you're looking to power up your curb appeal, changing your front door color is an easy way to boost interest and charm. Front door colors can also say a lot about your personality as well as your personal style. Bold, bright reds are vibrant and fun; cool blues are soft and inviting; and classic neutrals feel familiar and cozy. With a few hours and a can of paint, you can mix-up your home's style in just one weekend. Check out some of our favorite front door colors to see which is right for your home—and don't be surprised when neighbors come knocking.
Blue Skies
This cheerful blue looks good anywhere, especially on a white exterior or on a lighthearted Dutch door. It promises an instant smile from neighbors as well as curious house hunters. Need advice on going Dutch? Check out Jeld-Wen Model 1242; customize it with small, plain hardware.
Paint It
Greek Isles (P510-1); behr.com
Defining Elements
Double up on pots. Keep the plantings equally loose and casual with baskets and a smattering of mossy terra-cotta containers.
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Deep Plum
This rich purple is best for Georgian architecture. These houses' roots go back to a style popular during the reigns of four British kings named George. Nod to your home's royal connections with a stately shade of purple.
Paint It
For similar, Piccadilly Purple (106G); prattandlambert.com
Defining Elements
Leave the trim light. Break up the dark eggplant door and red-brick exterior with white on the pediment and pilasters.
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Lime Green
This citrusy color is best for a simple white cottage. A small dose of a daring hue, such as this surprising chartreuse tone, creates a dramatic look-at-me-now presence.
Paint It
Sassy Green (SW 6416); sherwin-williams.com
Defining Elements
Make a modern play and select house numbers in a sans serif font style to keep this cottage grounded in the present.
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Brilliant Blue
This saturated shade is best for craftsman-style homes. Their blocky millwork and deep porches have historically been associated with muted earth tones. Consider a new approach with a shot of cobalt to brighten your bungalow.
Paint It
Indigo (SW 6531); sherwin-williams.com
Defining Elements
Stencil the floor. Paint a calm, tonal geometric pattern across your front porch.
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Pale Pink
This pale pink is best on a blank canvas. Without any shutters or a front porch for competition, this ballet pink takes center stage of this historical colonial. Bursts of pink flowers add to the sweetness without feeling too precious.
Paint It
Sugarcane (1185); benjaminmoore.com
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Grass Green
Bring the liveliness of your lawn and garden all the way to your stoop with a shot of green on the doors. This versatile shade works with both gold and silver hardware.
Paint It
For similar, Eco Green (SW 6739); sherwin-williams.com
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Apple Red
This traditional red is best for Tudors. Whether stone or stucco, big or small, these homes have a naturally imposing attitude. Counter that with a welcoming front door that looks like it could have been pulled from the pages of a storybook.
Paint It
Heritage Red (HC-181); benjaminmoore.com
Defining Elements
Skip delicate flowers around the entryway, and pick shapely boxwoods for easy impact.
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Classic Black
A black door—like a little black dress—adds instant distinction to your home, whether it's a small cottage or a big manse. Dark shades work in two ways: Offset them with plenty of white trim for a crisp look or surround them with dark grays for a romantic moody look.
Paint It
For similar, Mopboard Black Iron (CW-680); benjaminmoore.com
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Zippy Coral
Looking to add a quick pep to your exterior? Look no further than this cantaloupe hue. It's a little unconventional, but not too out-there to get anything other than, "I wish I would have done that" sentiments from the neighbors. This shade works best on homes painted white or gray
Paint It
Gumdrops (P210-3); behr.com
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Bright White
It never gets old—the uplifting power of a fresh coat of white paint. That well-known fact aside, white also works to neutralize a door with elaborate carving or to brighten up a dark exterior. If you're going for the white-on-white exterior palette, choose a slightly deeper white for the door than the shingles to give it some dimension.
Paint It
Cloud White (OC-130); benjaminmoore.com
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A Shade Between Blue and Green
People typically fall into two categories: blue lovers or green lovers. Make everyone happy with this pleasing shade that's equal parts of both—and it looks just as good on a shingled house as it does on a stone one.
Paint It
For similar, Seabourn (PL238); prattandlambert.com
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All-American Red
A shot of this happy hue brings to mind Coca-Cola (the original, not the diet version), a great picnic-table gingham, and neighborhood bicycle parades. If you want to be known as the house with the best barbecues, this is a surefire bet. It looks best against a crisp white, and avoid pairing with bits of navy—lest you want to be known as the flag house.
Paint It
Real Red (SW6868); sherwin-williams.com
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Plaster
Not quite white, cream, or gray, this shade is a mix of all three. It's just the color to add some grittiness to a pastel exterior without hijacking the overall effect of lightness. Keep this in a matte finish.
Paint It
Toque White (SW7003); sherwin-williams.com
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Denim Blue
Take a color cue from your oldest, softest pair of old blue jeans for your front door. It gives your home an instant welcoming warmth. Just like your jeans that go with anything and everything, this color will too: try it on a white shingle house, a log cabin, a hacienda, or even a stately Tudor. Select a finish with some shine to give your door some liveliness.
Paint It
Daydream (26-8); prattandlambert.com
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Taxicab
If you're searching for one color to invigorate your entire house, look to yellow. The shockingly happy color will make your house the easiest one to find on the block: You'll simply say, "It's the one with the yellow front door." This hue is such a statement that it's best paired with simple colors like white or dark gray/black. If you match it with too many other colors, you'll get a Crayola effect.
Paint It
For similar, Sunshine (2021-30); benjaminmoore.com
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Vermillion
Embolden your home with a complicated, dramatic door color like vermillion. It's not quite red and it's not quite orange. Rather it's somewhere in the middle. Keep expressing your wild side and outfit the rest of your door with atypical things like planters filled with sculptural agave plants.
Paint It
Blazer (No. 212); us.farrow-ball.com
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Ginger Jar Blue
Have you amassed a sizable collection of ginger jars? Even if you're just wishing that you had one, proclaim your classic Southern aesthetic with a door to match your china or your ceramics. Avoid using a matte finish with this color and accessorize with deep greens.
Paint It
Gentleman's Gray (2062-20); benjaminmoore.com (this door has been given a high lacquer, which adds blue to this gray paint color)
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Hot House Tomato
Complex and soothing at once, this soft red orange changes color depending on the time of day. With direct sunlight it will read like a coral. In the shade, it will read like can't-quite-put-your-finger-on-it red—similar to the lighter tones of a hot house tomato. Play up the color's warm tones with brass or gold hardware.
Paint It
For similar, Hot Spice (2011-30); benjaminmoore.com
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Mahogany
Don't force a painted finish on a beautiful wooden door. Try a rich stain instead that will bring out the wood's grains. Surround it with loose and lush green plantings to loosen up the stain's stately vibe.
Stain It
Rosewood Water-Based Stain; minwax.com