Exterior colors clashing with interior- front door?

11 years ago

I've recently painted the interior of our newer construction home a taupey-greige and we are having new painted white baseboards, window casing and wainscoting installed. Furnishing are neutral and I like to add color via seasonal accessories. I do have a few red accents and we've ordered this large red cabinet for our living room.

I am also thinking of this console table for our entryway.

The problem I'm having is that our front door is an eggplant color. I like the color and it works with the exterior siding and small amount of stone, but it clashes with the red. And it bothers me that the exterior color scheme will not be in harmony with the interior. The front door is being replaced and so I can change it, just not sure what to change it to.

Here is the from of our house, the photo was taken pretty late on an overcast day amd looks quite dark. I'd say it isn't that dark in real life, but perhaps something brighter would be better.

We are going with a more craftsman style door and we could do a wood door with a stain, although it would be more expensive. I think I'd prefer to have a painted door. I like black doors, but it would be too dark and I think I'd like something more colorful.

Any suggestions? Or should I not worry about the exterior door color vs interior color scheme?

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Comments (11)

juliekcmo
11 years ago
I think a color pulled from your stacked stone would look nice with the exterior, and go well with the interior.
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
11 years ago
Paint the inside of the door a color that goes with your foyer. Leave the outside eggplant.
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Thank you guys so much for the great ideas and suggestions!! I’m leaning heavily towards leaving it white now - but will share some of the other color ideas with my husband and our builder as well. We actually considered a door with glass- but then we spent time trying to figure out how to obscure the glass... which seemed silly to us, so we picked this style! I love the style and am happy with how the exterior will look - but see how the different style interior may look odd. I’m leaning towards leaving it white now, so that the difference in style doesn’t stick out so much. You guys are right too- we can always live with it white for a while and maybe have it painted black or another color later. The front door was ordered to be stained to get an exact match to the garage doors, so I trust our builder has that squared away. (Or will fix it if needed!) Also - Our windows! They are Anderson 400 series casement. We love them!!
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I think a new front door and removing the shutters would be my choice. and removing the too big greenery that is hiding part of the door. As for color for the door I would probably do a blue . Reds are tricky with your sidng color. The blue in that flower by yhe garge would be perfect. As for inside first get a much better entry light that will actully light the whole space . I would also paint all the trim outside in a darker shade of the siding since the trim is nothing to highlight . A mich simpler front door would be my choice with the same amount of glass just not the fancy shape or the fancy glass.
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caminnc
11 years ago
What other colors are you using with the red on the interior? You should be able to pull another color from your interior colors to use on your door. Looks to me like there are a few colors that would look good with your exterior siding. From what I can tell, I think the eggplant color looks fine but Internet pics can fool ya. Maybe you just need to adjust the eggplant color.
olivesmom
Original Author
11 years ago
Right now there's not much color inside. Walls are a light greige, floors are mostly a rustic pine with a medium, slightly gray tone. There's a large espresso leather sectional and the wooden pieces are a light walnut sort of color. Soon I will be painting the kitchen cabinets a putty color, maybe a sort of gray-green, not sure. I have a few conifer botanical prints up over the sectional. There's no other artwork except for a wedding photograph, which is basically black and white. I will be putting up more b&w photos in the foyer.

The red furniture will be the most colorful pieces in the home. And to me the red clashes with the exterior door color. Does it matter though? It kind of bothers me, but I don't know. I'm not even sure what color to change the front door to anyway.

Here are some more shoots of the front door. As you can see it needs to be repainted, but we are probably going to replace it with a nicer door anyhow.

Here's the living room, it's very neutral. The red cabinet is going where the yellow post-it's are. Hopefully we will be redoing the fireplace surround. Carpet is being replaced and the trim will all be replaced with larger, white-painted stuff.

Prints over sofa

Dining room

The floor plan downstairs is very open. And as you can see everything is very neutral. But the red cabinet will be bold. I'd like the exterior color scheme to reflect the interior somewhat and since the eggplant clashes with the red I don't think it works.
caminnc
11 years ago
In that case, I would just paint it the same as the new cabinet and put some rusty red flowers out in the front this spring.
seasandsand
11 years ago
I suggest painting the exterior of the front door black.
Elraes Miller
11 years ago
Love the cabinet. If you could get paint samples to match, then paint your door an eggplant with same color tint, it might work. If you really love the eggplant. Or a browner eggplant to blend in with your furniture. Oddly the pic frames appear to lean towards eggplant. Is there any other items in your home eggplant?

Also, when you get your new door, you may completely change your thoughts on color.
annzgw
11 years ago
What color is the interior side of the door, and why are you replacing the door?
I don't think the color of the exterior matters, mainly because I don't see that cabinet as red but as a dark wood tone. If the interior side of the door is eggplant, then yes, I'd paint it another color.....maybe the same color as your trim, or the color of your other interior doors.
Olychick
11 years ago
I LIKE red and purple together! And since the door is not going to be standing in the room in close proximity to the red, I wouldn't give it a moment's thought:
olivesmom
Original Author
11 years ago
The front door and the large red cabinet will not be in close proximity. But if I get the console tabLe it will be very close. If I open the front door you will see the eggplant exterior and the red console table at the same time. I'm not sure about the console table as I think it is kind of expensive for a table like that, but I like the storage it offers.

Here is what you would see if I get that console table and open the front door

I think they clash.

The interior of the front door is painted white and the other interior doors are currently an awful faux maple wood tone but are being replaced and will be painted either the white trim color or possibly a soft black. I may paint the interor of the front door the same black color.
Olychick
11 years ago
Well, if the cabinet color is true online, then you're right, they do. Why don't you wait and see if you get the cabinet and, if so, what the color looks like in your space, then paint or replace the door if it does clash. I think you could find a purple that would work with that red, though. Or for something different, look at that little pop of turquoise on the cabinet shelf :-)