Check out Benjamin Moore's Cottage Red for your gorgeous front door -- it is an one of their outdoor colors and I believe it is already pre-mixed ......

Then add LOTS of red accents around the front door -- nice curving gardens filled with red flowers -- perhaps a nice black-painted bench or chair on the front porch with a red cushion and a couple of black-painted urns filled with tall thin shrubs and a touch of red flowers around the base?

ooh....thanks teacats! I'll check out the color and think about your other ideas! Love them.

Bold red door. Red plants in wrought iron planters. Very nice home.

We used BM Classic Red and love it.

Taking a break from my usual chorus of "blue," I have to agree that a bright fire engine red door with some red flowers in beds next to your porch (and maybe along the side of the driveway, too) would look smashing.

I think any strong color you like would work beautifully, anything that will pop out of the shaded porch. Cobalt blue, red (although I think it's a wee tad overdone lately), pumpkin/terra-cotta, mustard, purple, green... a great deal depends on the landscaping plans, what plants you really like. At {{!gwi}} I had lilacs, yellow roses, purple/yellow/white petunias, and a lot of evergreens, which were beautifully set off by the vibrant purple I used on the front door.

Also, you must consider the color of the room the door opens onto - it's vile if you step through a door that is one color into a room with a clashing color!

Someone here had a pic of a beautiful red door that they explained was painted in automotive paint.

I am planning on doing the same for my door.

My friend just painted his door BM Ruby Red, and he has Linen White (a creamier white) trim. It looks fabulous, but I think you could also go with a nice blue and that would look nice too. When I look at your house the white looks more like cream to me - could be just my monitor - but if it is a creamier white, I'd stick with a warm or neutral color, as opposed to something cool. If it's a true white, you could get away with almost anything.

I think the important thing about reds is to stay away from the BRIGHT in-your-face-reds - you still want it to blend nicely with the bigger picture, but still have that POP element to it since your front door is the focal point of your house. I don't understand when people put those neon bright colors on their front doors - to me it tends to look more gaudy. Someone even mentioned a purple color - and when it's done right that looks spectacular, but the wrong purple can make all the difference in the world. Anyway, I don't have any suggestions for purples, but if you go with red the Ruby Red is nice as I mentioned earlier, but I agree - there are so many out there to choose from.

Please be sure to post your before and after pics! I think your house will look lovely when it's finished.

I agree it depends on your landscaping choices. I like autumn colors and I can see it a pretty deep gold color with lots of yellows and oranges in your flower beds. The red is always classic too. With black and white your options are wide open! Show us pics along the way :-) Very pretty house!

We went with a really bright, red front door. "Cottage Red" had been recommended to us but for some reason this brazen red just got my attention. It's SW "Show Stopper"

At the advice of this board, we painted our front door BM Cottage Red, and we really like it. Here are some photos:

Benjamin Moore Cottage Red:

Close Up:

Instead of black shutters, what about a medium dark grey for the shutters? You have so much black roof that I think the grey would be a nice accent on the windows. Then, I would do a deep eggplant or plum on the door, as a change from the expected red. A really rich royal blue could be amazing, too!

You have gotten great advice to consider the landscaping and the feel that you want the house to have.

Hi Jan in Wisconsin (I'm in Wisconsin too)- I LOVE your front door. The Cottage Red really ties in well with your red brick facade. I really like the porch lighting too - especially the canned lights. Fantastic!

I agree with the last poster about the grey shutters - I think a charcoal grey would look spectacular, and ditto on the eggplant or cobalt (good choice les).

I agree with johnmari on making sure the color of the door isn't an issue when it is opened inside the house.

My door is a deep plum (suggested by the fabulous les) and a big part of the decision is it goes well with my entry and living room.

Your house is looking great.

Wow! Thanks everybody! I love coming into work in the morning and seeing lots of response to my (many) threads! The advice I have received on this forum is invaluable.

I am loving the Cottage Red. I'm also intrigued by a deep eggplant. I mean, REALLY intrigued.

I'm such a visual person though, and I'm having a hard time picturing a charcoal gray shutters and an eggplant door.

The foyer when you walk in will be BM Cameo White...a creamy yellow. The dining room, immediately to the left, is SW Crystal Clear...an extremely light blue/aqua.

So I just did a quickie google for shutters, and found some "tuxedo gray". It's a lovely dark gray.

I also found some beautiful colors (as suggested earlier) for the front door.

I'm also wondering if the side-lights and door trim should also be painted the red/eggplant, or should it be white, like janinwisconsins?

Again...thank you for your help!

I would say keep the trim white. Jan in wisconsin is a genius. I think it shows off the sidelights better.

Here is a pic of my front door (thank you les.) BM Galaxy.

The paint job isn't perfect. Three guesses on who did it.

Where I come from (Scotland) everyone paints their front door a bright color. I love it. You will see hot pink, royal blue, sunshine yellow, and of course, red doors everywhere you go. It is so warm and welcoming. Pick a color you love. It's just paint.

ooohhh...kk, i'm liking it! It's a great color. What color of shutters do you have? I might see if someone can do a little photoshopping for me, so I can see what everythign would look like with the white siding and black roof.

You HAVE to consider doing a lime green or in that tone for your front door. One of my favorite houses in the neighborhood has white/cream siding. Black roof. They did a lime green door and it is STUNNING. I want to repaint my entire house just so I can do it too.

I liked red. But, everyone has red. No offense to anyone on here. Hunter green and black have been done to death too.

Cobalt blue would be a little different.

Since you are a new build seize the moment and do something really creative but that isn't horrible! The green could be so neat. I know getting the right color would be hard.

I think the woman around the corner told me she used something called Apple....from Lowe's.

ilovepink - i LOVE your enthusiasm! I would love to see a picture if you have one! I'm married to Mr. Conservative, so it would be quite a shock to his system if we went with lime green.

We are building on a pond (see picture below), so I might look closer at the dark blues and eggplants to pick up on the blues of the pond.

Here's our "eggplant" front door; my foyer/entry rug matches the color too. I love your lake lot! We also live on a little lake/pond (man-made in subdivision). We love the water fowl that visit.

Someone gave me a suggestion regarding door color that I will pass along to you. Take a frontal pic of your house and using an exacto knife cut out the door itself. Then hold any paint chips that you are considering underneath it. The chips should be about the right size to fill the void and it will give you a very good idea of what the color will look like.

What a great idea!

Love the idea of using the picture, cutting out the door, and checking color samples to get an idea.
We have a new construction home that is "granite gray" (a medium tone gray) with white windows and trim. I love the contrast. We do have a 1/2 wall of brick in the front with a mix of neutrals (tans,whites,grays).
I've been thinking of a plum or eggplant color for the front door. I do love the BM Cottage Red that Jan in WI has, but my husband is pretty conservative and that might be too much for him - but I'm sure we could work that out. ;-)

Any thoughts or suggestions? I appreciate any additional input - I often refer to myself as "fasionably challenged" and this is my first time on this website/forum.
Thanks
(I will post a pic when I figure it out)

Okay, shameful bump, but with updated pictures! now you can see the columns, and the huge mudpit that is our front yard.

I love the idea of doing the Tuxedo (darkish) gray shutters, and either the galaxy or cottage red door.

However, I love that janinwisconsin has white trim...but our house IS white, so still do the white trim around the sidelights? Or go with a dark grey to match the shutters?

Thanks!!

I would love the tuxedo shutters, red door and white trim around the sidelights. (are your sidelights going to be white or red?)
I still love the blue inside...:)

I think that's the question...red or white? I'm leaning towards white, as jan's above. I just don't know if it will be too similar to the white siding. Will it blend? It compliments her cream siding so nicely above.

JAN - if you're "listening" - is that an additional...um...what do you call that...trim (?)piece around your whole door adn sidelights?

I live in Connecticut, land of staid white clapboard colonials with black roofs (many of them genuine historic homes and very, very beautiful). Some door colors that catch my eye on these beauties are pale melon or sky blue -- both traditional colors and less trite than the ubiquitous red door. Painted in flat paint, not glossy.

my sidelights match the house not the shutters.

Thanks everyone! I think we're going to go with the Cottage Red and white sidelights. And Tuxedo Grey shutters, I just need to get them ordered!

Thanks for all of the input. Stay tuned for pictures, and the ongoing saga of decorating the inside!!