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How to pick your perfect front door colour—when to use certain colours, and choosing by door type, building material and style of home

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{"pageStyle":"","cssClass":"advice-article-7606","articleTitle":"How to pick your perfect front door colour—when to use certain colours, and choosing by door type, building material and style of home","strapline":null,"straplineColour":"white","desktopBannerUrl":null,"desktopBannerWidth":0,"desktopBannerHeight":0,"tabletLandscapeBannerUrl":null,"tabletPortraitBannerUrl":null,"mobileBannerUrl":null,"carouselImageUrls":[],"featureBullets":[],"articleBody":"<p>Your front door is one of the first things people see when they approach your home. But can you say you&rsquo;ve devoted the same attention to the outside of your home as you have the inside?</p><p>This guide tells you:</p><ul><li><a href=\"#howtopick1\">what particular colours convey and when to use them</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick2\">why the look of your home matters</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick3\">what to consider when choosing a front door colour</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick4\">about colour theory and how colours work</a></li></ul><h2 style=\"font-size: 34px!important;\" id=\"howtopick1\">What colours express and when to use them</h2><ul><li><a href=\"#howtopick5\">Yellow</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick6\">Orange</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick7\">Red</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick8\">Green</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick9\">Blue</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick10\">Purple</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick11\">Black</a></li><li><a href=\"#howtopick12\">Grey</a></li></ul><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"howtopick2\">Yellow front doors</h3><p>Conveying happiness and warmth, yellow can be fun and make your home much more inviting from the outside. However, because it can be visually quite intense, it works best with more toned-down, neutral colours.</p><p><img src=\"https://origin-global.com/Media/Default/advice%20centre/Lincoln-1.jpg\" style=\"width: 35%; padding-bottom: 0px!important;\" /></p><p style=\"font-style: italic;\">Credit: Lincolnshire Bifolding Doors</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"howtopick6\">Orange front doors</h3><p>An attention-seeking colour that can be overpowering if handled in the wrong way. As with yellow, intense shades of orange need to be matched with calmer neutral colours, while lighter shades can struggle to stand out in some situations.</p><p>Earthenware oranges like terracotta can be warm and cheerful while blending with other naturally occurring colours in the landscape.</p><p><img src=\"https://origin-global.com/Media/Default/advice%20centre/Lincoln%202-1.jpg\" style=\"width: 35%; padding-bottom: 0px!important;\" /></p><p style=\"font-style: italic;\">Credit: Lincolnshire Bifolding Doors</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"howtopick7\">Red front doors</h3><p>We associate red with strength, passion and energy. It comes in many shades, from fiery orange-reds to rich, classic burgundies.</p><p>Red, orange and yellow are analogous colours so typically they can be combined with great success. (Read more on <a href=\"#analogouscolours\">analogous colours</a> below.)</p><p>Bright reds have been a popular front door colour for a long time because they pair well with many other colours. However, if bright red is too strong for the look you want, a deeper, more refined crimson would be the way to go.</p><p><img src=\"https://origin-global.com/Media/Default/advice%20centre/HBD-1.jpg\" style=\"width: 35%; padding-bottom: 0px!important;\" /></p><p style=\"font-style: italic;\">Credit: HBD</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"howtopick8\">Green front doors</h3><p><a href=\"#green1\">As you&rsquo;ll read below</a>, a green front door inspired by the surrounding landscape can make a lasting impression.</p><p>If your home is made of red brick, a green door can provide a really appealing contrast (the two colours are complementary on the colour wheel). (Read more about complementary colours <a href=\"#green2\">below</a>.)</p><p><img src=\"https://origin-global.com/Media/Default/advice%20centre/green-1.jpg\" style=\"width: 35%; padding-bottom: 0px!important;\" /></p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"howtopick9\">Blue front doors</h3><p>When asked to name their favourite colour, many people choose blue, claiming it reminds them of the sky or the sea, which they associate with happy memories.</p><p>That said, blue front doors tend to be rarer than doors in other colours&mdash;surprising when you consider that blue does match a lot of different hues and shades.</p><p>Using a vibrant blue means keeping other features on the front of the house understated and neutral. Darker, almost-grey blues fit any architectural style and can accentuate tones used in a lot of different types of stone.</p><p><img src=\"https://origin-global.com/Media/Default/advice%20centre/Lincoln%203-2.jpg\" style=\"width: 35%; padding-bottom: 0px!important;\" /></p><p style=\"font-style: italic;\">Credit: Lincolnshire Bifolding Doors</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"howtopick10\">Purple front doors</h3><p>While using purple inside the home can be a recipe for disaster, a purple front door can give a home an eye-catching, contemporary feel.</p><p>Purple interiors can feel gloomy and dark if the rooms don&rsquo;t have a lot of natural light streaming in. Outside, however, this isn&rsquo;t a problem, and purple front doors aren&rsquo;t as prone as other colours to the fading effect that daylight can have.</p><p><img src=\"https://origin-global.com/Media/Default/advice%20centre/purple.jpg\" style=\"width: 35%; padding-bottom: 0px!important;\" /></p><p style=\"font-style: italic;\">Credit: Shard Solutions</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"howtopick11\">Black front doors</h3><p>Extremely versatile, black works well with every other colour. In particular, it&rsquo;s a great match for houses made from red brick, especially if there are tones of black in the brickwork.</p><p><img src=\"https://origin-global.com/Media/Default/advice%20centre/Induluxe-1.jpg\" style=\"width: 35%; padding-bottom: 0px!important;\" /></p><p style=\"font-style: italic;\">Credit: Indeluxe</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\">Grey front doors</h3><p>One of Origin&rsquo;s most popular front door colours, grey is perfect if you want to give your home an understated elegance.</p><p>Recent trends have seen flat shades of grey paired with brighter colours such as turquoise for a retro, vintage feel.</p><h2 style=\"font-size: 36px!important;\" id=\"howtopick2\">Why the look of your home matters</h2><p>Your first&mdash;and best&mdash;cue to choosing a front door colour is how your home looks from the outside. You should base your decision on:</p><ul><li>the materials the house is built from</li><li>the style of architecture</li><li>the surrounding landscape</li><li>the colour of your existing doors and windows</li></ul><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\">Choosing a colour by building material</h3><p>Most houses in the UK are made of stone or brick, but the natural hue of these materials can vary significantly. Or, it might be that you&rsquo;ve painted over the stone or brick in a different colour altogether.</p><p>If your house is built from <a href=\"#neutral\">neutral-coloured stone</a>, you have a wealth of options, as any colour of front door can look impressive next to the shades of beige and light brown. Matching a door to brickwork, however, can be a little trickier.</p><p>A light-coloured door surrounded by pale bricks can struggle to stand out, while bold colours paired with dark bricks may be too gaudy a contrast.</p><p>Before you decide, it&rsquo;s always worth using paint swatches to compare the colour of the walls with your favoured door colour.</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\">Choosing a colour by architecture</h3><p>Georgian, Victorian, 1930s semis, terraces&mdash;housing in the UK can, architecturally, be very different. But how does the style of your home influence your choice of front door colour?</p><p>For period homes, doors in a rich blue or red can provide elegance. Take care with Tudor-style houses, however, as light pastel colours may look quite jarring alongside the ornate features.</p><p>A dark colour such as a glossy black might be too imposing for some Victorian properties, though perfectly fitting for more modern styles of home.</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"green1\">Choosing a colour by landscape and surroundings</h3><p>If you live in the countryside or among swathes of greenery, use it to your advantage! Neutral and earthy colours or shades of green (from subtle sage to bright lime) can really blend with the surrounding landscape while boosting your home&rsquo;s aesthetic impact.</p><h2 style=\"font-size: 34px!important;\" id=\"howtopick3\">What to consider when choosing a front door colour</h2><p>When it comes to design, we don&rsquo;t all have the same tastes, and one person&rsquo;s playful flourish might be another person&rsquo;s eyesore.</p><p>Most decorating and home-improvement choices are a reflection of our personal style, and deciding on the colour of a new front door is no different.</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\">Make a statement or keep it subtle?</h3><p>If you have a bold personality, why not match it through your choice of colour? Perhaps a vibrant yellow, red, turquoise or purple&mdash;these colours are capable of brightening up any miserable British day, and are all available in <a href=\"https://origin-global.com/doors/front-doors\">Origin&rsquo;s range of front doors</a>.</p><p>Some people prefer the understated approach. If that&rsquo;s more to your liking, a grey, black or green can provide the sophistication you&rsquo;re seeking.</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\">Kerb appeal</h3><p>What began as a buzzword of American realtors has made its way to UK shores. If you&rsquo;re in the process of putting your home on the market, your estate agent might have spoken about &lsquo;kerb appeal&rsquo;. What they mean is simply how attractive your property appears when looking at it from the street.</p><p>As humans, it&rsquo;s in our nature to judge on first impressions, and we&rsquo;re no different when viewing houses. For you, the seller, you only get one chance to impress, and the colour of your front door can really help you. Choose wisely!</p><h2 style=\"font-size: 36px!important;\" id=\"howtopick4\">Understanding how colours work</h2><p>Before you examine your front door options, it helps to know a little about the principles behind colours and what makes certain colours blend harmoniously.</p><p>As you&rsquo;re no doubt aware from choosing paints, indoor furnishings or clothing, some colours go brilliantly together while others can clash quite horribly.</p><p>A good way to find the ideal colour for your front door is to use a colour wheel, which is a visual representation of <a href=\"https://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory\" target=\"_blank\">colour theory</a>.</p><p>There are three categories of colour:</p><ul><li><strong>Primary colours</strong>&mdash;red, yellow, blue</li></ul><p>The building blocks for all colours. They cannot be made from any other colours.</p><ul><li><strong>Secondary colours</strong>&mdash;green, orange, purple</li></ul><p>The colours that result from combining primary colours. Blend blue and yellow and you have green; mix red and yellow and you have orange; combining red and blue makes purple.</p><ul><li><strong>Tertiary colours</strong></li></ul><p>The colours created by mixing primary and secondary colours.</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\">Colour schemes</h3><p>The colour wheel helps you to establish which colours work in harmony. The most common colour schemes are as follows:</p><h4 style=\"font-size: 20px!important; font-weight: bold;\" id=\"green2\">Complementary colour scheme</h4><p>Complementary colours sit directly opposite each other on the colour wheel&mdash;for example, red and green; or blue and orange.</p><p>This scheme looks best when you place a warm colour against a cool colour (see &lsquo;<a href=\"https://origin-global.com/advice-centre/origins-guide-to-colour-in-the-home\">Warm, cool and neutral colours&rsquo; below</a>).</p><p>The high contrast of complementary colours means they can be very vibrant and striking, though there&rsquo;s a danger of creating something that clashes too much for it to be visually pleasing.</p><p></p><h4 style=\"font-size: 20px!important; font-weight: bold;\" id=\"analogouscolours\">Analogous colour scheme</h4><p>Analogous colours sit beside (or very close to) one another on the colour wheel and can be used in pairs, threes or fours&mdash;for example, red, red-orange and yellow-orange; or blue, green and yellow-green.</p><p>Typically, one colour will be the dominant base colour, with the other(s) used as accents to provide additional richness.</p><p>Choosing three or four colours from the same primary colour can be effective and provide sufficient contrast. (Lack of contrast can be a risk when using analogous colour schemes, and primary colours are bold enough for this not to be an issue.)</p><p></p><h4 style=\"font-size: 20px!important; font-weight: bold;\">Split complementary colour scheme</h4><p>A variation of the complementary colour scheme, this scheme uses a base colour (green in the accompanying image) and the two colours adjacent to that base colour&rsquo;s complementary colour.</p><p>The advantage of this scheme is that it gives you plenty of contrast without the potential gaudiness that the complementary colour scheme can provide if not treated carefully.</p><p></p><h4 style=\"font-size: 20px!important; font-weight: bold;\">Triadic colour scheme</h4><p>The triadic colour scheme uses three colours equally spaced around the colour wheel.</p><p>The harmony that these colours create is typically quite strong and striking, but it&rsquo;s more balanced than the high-contrast complementary scheme.</p><p>As with the analogous scheme, it&rsquo;s best to use one colour as the dominant base colour and the other two for accent.</p><p></p><h4 style=\"font-size: 20px!important; font-weight: bold;\">Monochromatic colour scheme</h4><p>With a monochromatic scheme, you use a single colour but in different tints, shades and tones.</p><ul><li><strong>Tint</strong>&mdash;adding white to a colour</li><li><strong>Shade</strong>&mdash;adding black to a colour</li><li><strong>Tone</strong>&mdash;adding grey to a colour</li></ul><p>The trick to monochromatic schemes is to use patterns and textures so the absence of any other colour isn&rsquo;t making your home look too bland.</p><h3 style=\"font-size: 28px!important;\" id=\"neutral\">Warm, cool and neutral colours</h3><p>The colour wheel can also be separated into &lsquo;warm&rsquo; and &lsquo;cool&rsquo;. The &lsquo;temperature&rsquo; of a colour can be used to convey an emotion or mood.</p><p>Warm colours are vivid, vibrant and joyful, while cool colours are calm and serene.</p><p>If there&rsquo;s a particular feeling you want your front door to instil in people, it&rsquo;s worth thinking about the impact that warm and cool colours can have.</p><p>Neutral colours are white, black, grey, brown and beige. These colours can be mixed and matched with ease.</p><p>Greys and blacks offer that classic, sophisticated look, and have made their way outside the home after becoming very popular with interior decorators.</p><p>Browns help convey the idea of landscape and nature, perfect for homes in rural settings.</p><h2 style=\"font-size: 36px!important;\">Origin&rsquo;s range of front door colours</h2><p>At Origin, we paint our doors using a method known as <a href=\"https://origin-global.com/advice-centre/powder-coating-faqs\">powder-coating</a>. This means we can offer a much wider selection of colours and shades than if we were using traditional paint.</p><p>With <a href=\"https://origin-global.com/doors/front-doors\">Origin front doors</a>, you have a choice of over 150 RAL shades. And you have the freedom of picking out different colours for the door frame, sash and panel itself, or even going for a dual-colour option, where the outside of the door matches the exterior of your home while the inside complements the interior d&eacute;cor.</p><p></p><p>* Some of the residential door panels shown have now been discontinued. To view our available front door panels, please visit our&nbsp;<a href=\"https://origin-global.com/doors/front-doors\">front doors page.</a></p>","youTubeVideoId":null,"audioUrl":null,"authorName":"Alexandra Giles","authorThumbnail":"/Media/Default/Images%20for%20Advice%20Centre%20Articles/Alexandra-giles.png","authorDescription":"Alexandra works in the marketing department, and in 2014, bought her first house, which turned out to be somewhat of a ‘project’. <br/>Since then, the whole house has needed renovating, which has helped her gain a knowledge of basic DIY, decorating and making the best of a small space. ","currentCategoryId":7076,"currentCategory":"Residential Doors","currentCategoryUrl":"/advice-centre/category/residential-doors","otherCategoryArticles":[{"title":"Open a New Door to a New Year","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/basfords%203crop.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/open-a-new-door-to-a-new-year","id":7102,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Why the Origin Residential Door is your ideal front door","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/_ASP7236_1_LowRes.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/why-the-origin-residential-door-is-your-ideal-front-door","id":7229,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Spring clean tips: How to clean your aluminium front door","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/case%20studies/Untitled-2-4.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/spring-clean-tips-how-to-clean-your-aluminum-front-door","id":7244,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Comparing different materials for your front door","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/iStock-820570076.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/comparing-different-materials-for-your-front-door","id":7396,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Choosing a design and style for your front door","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/Choosing%20a%20design%20and%20style%20for%20your%20front%20door%20ac-image.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/choosing-a-design-and-style-for-your-front-door","id":7646,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"How to choose a safe and secure front door","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/case%20studies/Steve%20Izatt%20010-1.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/how-to-choose-a-safe-and-secure-front-door","id":7657,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Front door sizes FAQs","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/_ASP0728.LR.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/front-door-sizes-faqs","id":7860,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Choosing parts and hardware for your front door—what are your options?","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/Choosing%20parts%20and%20hardware%20for%20your%20front%20door.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/choosing-parts-and-hardware-for-your-front-door-what-are-your-options","id":8230,"hasVideo":false}],"relatedArticles":[{"title":"Why the Origin Residential Door is your ideal front door","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/_ASP7236_1_LowRes.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/why-the-origin-residential-door-is-your-ideal-front-door","id":7229,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Origin’s Guide to Colour in the Home","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/Images%20for%20Advice%20Centre%20Articles/Origin's%20Guide%20to%20Colour%20in%20the%20Home/colour-thumb.png","url":"/advice-centre/origins-guide-to-colour-in-the-home","id":2662,"hasVideo":false},{"title":"Changing Trends Add Value to Homes","thumbnail":"/Media/Default/advice%20centre/Who%20Does%20What%20in%20the%20Aluminium%20Windows%20and%20Doors%20Industry.jpg","url":"/advice-centre/changing-trends-add-value-to-homes","id":2668,"hasVideo":false}],"level1CategoryId":7076,"level2CategoryId":0,"customJavaScript":null,"googleChartId":null,"googleChartOptions":null,"googleChartData":null,"htmlTitle":"How to choose the right colour for your front door","metaDescription":"This guide demonstrates how the right colour of front door can help you make a bold, eye-catching statement.","url":"/advice-centre/how-to-choose-the-right-colour-for-your-front-door"}