I like the last blue. I admit it is not original. But your blue is a very saturated color. It belongs in areas of the world with strong sunlight. Greece. The Carribbean. Southern California.

OK, I think kitschyKitch just hit the nail on the head. The current color of the door is fabulous, but it does look incongruous to the house itself. Excellent point about the color being perfect in certain light (and with a certain style of house), but the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that even adding other strong points of color on and around the porch, the overall impression is going to be rather disjointed. I'd repaint the door. (And I change my vote to the last color that Suero posted. It's perfect IMO.)

Firstly, you have a beautiful home and your new door is gorgeous...I love the style of it!

Honestly,I was a little jarred by the color of it, but it certainly adds POP! My 1st instinct would have been with classic black (although, 'safe'/somewhat boring...like mine:))or red.I do like the more muted blues too. I can relate to what you're going through. Bottom line is that the doors itself is beautiful.

I would try adding black urns with bright florals and live with it for awhile. You can always paint later if you don't get used to it and feel you need to change.

Again, lovely home:)!!

I like the last one suero posted, too. Seems like it has the same intensity as the bricks.

Your house is very pretty!

You can buy a metal wreath hanger. It is a thing-a-ma-jig with a hook on both ends. One goes over the top of the door and the other end hangs down to put the wreath on. You can paint it the same color as the door and it won't be noticeable. Don't buy one of those big magnet wreath hangers. I made that mistake. The magnet was so strong, my husband had to pull it off the door...and the paint came with it.

Wow .. how did suero do that.. it is amazing..
I love the blue, and agree you can make it work as teacats suggests BUT that last color with suero chose was AMAZING.. what color is that??

Could you try painting the sidelight panels?

Another vote for the last blue if you're going for blue! What nice people here to do this for you-it really helps. Will be waiting to see the outcome...

I also prefer the last blue that suero PS'ed for you. I agree with nancybee_2010 that it looks to have about the same intensity as the bricks and is more in keeping with the overall style of your house.

I like the last blue posted by Suero too, but that is because it is an entirely different hue than the other three. The first three are too dark against that light brick.

I'd like to see other colors, in the same hue as the blue. The sidelights have green in them so I'd like to see how a green would look.

thank you again to everyone for your input. this forum is fantastic! Suero, you're an angel! I have decided to keep the color for now, until Spring. I'm going to paint or stain the bench black and get some black or blue porcelain pots, put out some pumpkins and hang my fall wreath. I'll post some new pics then, hope you all wont be tired of seeing my blue door.
If the color doesnt settle itself down by Spring, I'll paint it that last color Suero posted. Anyone know how to save a post (or pic), so I'll remember what it looked like? Suero, does that last blue color have a name? Thanks so much!!

To save the picture on your computer, right click on it & see what your options are. I have one that says "Save Image As..." that lets me save it to my Pictures folder.

You can also right click, copy, & paste it into MS Paint to save as a .jpg on your computer.

The garden gnome wants red. He says it works for his outfit, he loves that red and blue combo, and please pretty please buy a red planter. Thank you. Oh, and a big thumbs up on the black bench!

YAY!!! :-)

~Jeana

I love the color. It is WOW but it's a beautiful WOW. The door is gorgeous too. I like the idea of black bench with some colorful accessories. Don't forget you can paint planters if you can't find what you want on the shelf.

Kudos to you for being BOLD!!

Yikes is right. Wonder why you decided against the samples you initially tested. (Didn't read the whole thread in case you already answered.) All of the virtuals Sue did look much better, but since blue seems to be calling to you my choice would be the last one.

It seems to me by your post that you aren't happy with the color. Why would you spend more $$ to try to make a color work that you aren't happy with? If it were my home and door, I would use black. Just me, but I can't see staying with a door color I don't like. Your front entry is the first thing that welcomes guests to your home. I would exchange it if possible, or if you painted it that color, I would consider re-painting it in a color that you really like. I don't think the color does anything positive for your beautiful home. Go with your gut. It is your front door and you have to look at and live with it every day. Just my $.02.

Personally, I think that the color is great -and if you really love it, I suggest freshening up the trim with a brighter color as well. With your muted tones of the brick and the current trim I think a richer color would look good. Love the suggestions made by @suero, particularly that middle image of the navy blue.

Just a thought ;) Your blue door has some good meaning so if you love it, stick with it. It's a gorgeous door!

Here is a link that might be useful: Door color inspiration

I like your ideas of painting the bench black, black or blue pots, and holiday decorations. It's going to look great.

"Go with your gut." Best advice yet.

Yes, it is too bright. In fact, I think it is awful. The door itself is beautiful, though. If you went three or four shades darker than your trim color (dark khaki) that would look great---IMO. The blue just has nothing to do with anything with anything, your brick, your walkway, etc. Blue is very cottagey and your house is not.

I have no idea what, if any, color name the last blue is. I just played around until I got a color I liked. The green door I did because green is the opposite of pink on the color wheel, and I wanted to see what that would look like, plus it looks like there are some green accents visible through the sidelights. The burgundy and dark blue came from suggestions in other messages.
I like the last one best, too.

I LOVE it! Give it at least a month or so and see. It reminds me of homes in France. The link shows Monet's home-slightly less bright blue, but I have definitely seen your shade there as well. I'll keep looking!

Here is a link that might be useful: Monet

Monet's home (which is pink) has something between blue and green, but this one looks more blue (periwinkle maybe, but the contrast is similar) like your new color. I really do love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: house with blue

I don't care for the current color on that beautiful door either. Not that it wouldn't work on someone else's house nicely...it just doesn't work with the rest of your house. I have a neighbor down the street that has a similar color scheme as yours and they painted a similar blue on their door/shutters. Lots of the neighbors hate that color as it just doesn't blend with the house at all. Very much a sore thumb.

The last color Suero posted is great and would create a welcoming statement without being too loud. Love all the decorating ideas and hope you plan to do some of them even if you change the door color. As the seasons change, you could have lots of fun with pillows for the bench, arrangements in the urns/pots and wreaths for the door itself. When you look for a wreath hanger try to get a longer one. Some of them are really short and will put your wreath too high up on the door.

The color on Monet's house is not that color of blue, and the OP's
brick house is not the same color of "pink" as Monet's stucco house.
And, I'm pretty sure the house that is the subject of this post is not in France.

Just sayin'...

We have a pink toned brick. General Shale Salem Creek Tudor and a blue front door. SW Needlepoint Navy....

I think the last blue is too soft with the brick color - you need something more like the darker blue that is right before it. Otherwise, you end up with a 'pink-blue' color scheme feel. I think the darker blue gives depth and richness, but is more interesting than the expected black door.

I like the blue that is on there, and it fits with the cottage style of the door itself, but not with the sidelights, which are more Victorian/traditional, and the more traditional feel of the rest of the house. A shade of deep blue/navy would be better, imo, to bring the cottage style door to the traditional feel of the sidelights and the house.

I agree with Les, the second to last blue is best.

I really think you should honor the house's architecture. I explain to clients that I always honor the architecture. What happens is that if you don't, something will always look "off." This is the exact scenario that I speak of.

If you area craving color or a statement, there area other ways to do this.

I've been planning to repaint my own front door for a few years. Inability to make a color choice has been a problem.

Last night, I spent a couple of hours using that Sherwin Williams paint tool. That thing took all of the guesswork away. I was very easy to try different options and a clear winner emerged.

OP, it's really a matter of personal preference. I highly recommend you go play with the colors on the SW site and then do whatever looks good to you!

Thank you for the wreath hanger help. Painting them to match the door is a good idea, and I wouldnt have thought about the length....
to be honest, when I first scrolled down Suero's door colors and saw the darker blue, I knew that was the color I was looking for. The more I look at the last color. although really pretty, it now looks too pale to me. I had an art teacher look at it. I'll try to explain what she said. She sees 2 triangular patterns, one created by the birdbath to the porch, and the other from the porch up above to the flower baskets. She suggested to paint the bench a darker blue, like the next color on the strip, and the bird bath a lighter blue. Put down a black door mat and to paint the flower baskets under the windows black. She felt this would balance the triangles...
I'm feeling really confused. For those of you that like the color, what do you think of this art teacher's idea? My mind's eye sees a black bench with other blue accents... but I'm really confused at this point..

I think the color is really pretty but just doesn't go with your brick. To me the color is just too bright for the setting. I really love the last blue that suero did. It looks great against your brick.

I like sueros darker blue, too. The pale blue seems too predictable, and i dont think you want predictable, based on your original color choice. About the black. I think on the paint color site, you can kind of draw shapes, like you would do if you were testing trim colors, rim, to represent the bench and fower boxes. Maybe that could let you try out the ideas before launching in?

Sorry for typos, having trouble correcting posts on my ipad, the message scrolls down where i cant correct it.

instead of trying so hard to mask the fact that the color isn't the best for your house the color by painting the birdbath and bench, etc and trying to balance out the color, i REALLY think the best solution is simply to change the color of your front door!

then, you can stand back and decide what additional colors (in the form of mats, pots, window boxes, flowers, etc) you really want to add the your entry way so that your entry way is a gorgeous combination of colors you love, rather than varying shades of blue/dark added to attempt to take the focus off the 'inappropriate' front door color.

I still like it and with a bench and some pots/flowers to complement it, it will be even better. The pictures I posted were just for inspiration (read carefully-you will see I said it wasn't a match) and the idea that it can work, whether you are in France or not-anyone here decorate in French country style? Just saying...

I think the teacher is over-analyzing. Like Busybee said ... the color doesn't work as is so just change it.

Well she has the right idea...kinda. She is correct about a triangle, I just still see the black bench & black flower urn. As for the birdbath, I DO think it needs to be a different color...but I think my idea of it being bright yellow wasn't a palettable one...LOL. But I don't se it being blue or black either. Maybe a grayish blue???

~Jeana

I have become addicted to that Sherwin William Color tool! Here are some colors I thought might work:

1. Underseas
2. St. Bart's
3. Bracing Blue
4. Distances
5. Peacock Plume

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I am amazed at how different the pictures look after you step away for a while. I've never uploaded here, so after saving these pics at SW, it took me a while to figure out how to post them. The one I thought was "clearly the best" no longer even looks like an option to me, a half hour later!

MR, you'll notice I posted pics of lighter colors. I am sure the dark blue is pretty when you are right on top of it, but to me, if you are more than 10 feet away it just looks like a black hole, as all of the dark colors do. I think anything that dark provides too much contrast to your brick.

I was looking at your brick on the color wheel and concluded it is a salmon or pink/orange color. Because it is a mix of two colors, I don't think a door that is clearly blue or clearly green blends as well as the compliment to red/orange, which is blue/green.

While I was playing on SW, I found that some of the grays looked really nice with your brick. Especially those with a blue or green cast to them. While a gray door might seem a little bland, it would allow you to choose a really striking accent color for all of your accessories.

I don't know how often you have flowers out front, but it's a pain to have to work around a bright, dominant color on the house. With a gray door, you could make a wreath to match your main floral scheme, which could change every year.

UGH, and now that an hour has passed, i don't like any of the choices I posted. I vote for gray!

I think the problem is, though your house has beautiful architecture, you have bland colors, lots of bland concrete AND landscaping that hides your entry. You're trying to pop the entry with color, but it just doesn't work with all that staid color & concrete, plus the hedges still partially obscure your entryway no matter how bright the door.

No bright door color will work with your current color scheme. A glossy off-black door might seem like a black hole, but at least it makes the rest of your colors a little more vibrant & works with the overall formality of the house.

I'm not sure about painting the garage too, as in this rendition. The idea is to break up some of the blandness of the concrete driveway & your current door color. Maybe somebody has a better idea here.

How about changing the landscaping to make the entryway more visible? Getting rid of the hedges will expose the pathway & lead your eye to the door. Perhaps stain the concrete to make it more interesting & find a rug for the porch. An exposed pathway will lead your eye to your door & make it more prominent.

Finally, I think training climbing roses & ivy will break up the expanse of pink brick, soften the lines, provide some color & help emphasize your entry. For the ivy, you could plant it in planters that flank your door. Just breaking up all that pink brick squareness would enhance your pretty door. A larger porch light better fits the space, & a wrought iron settee works too.

Anyway, just some alternative ideas. Hope you don't mind.

awm, love it.

Interesting, in addition to emphasizing the front door, it emphasizes that gorgeous tree

All except the french settee--- like the color prefer another style.

Here is a link that might be useful: for a settee

I don't think that tree's roots would like being disturbed with a new concrete pathway.

Thanks, mtnrdredux.

"All except the french settee..."
Hey, it took me an hour to get that french settee presentable. You'd better like it! (just teasing)
I thought black wrought iron would work with the light fixtures & door. Something less fussy would work too, like your bench suggestion.

Yes, that's a beautiful tree. Think I'd thin it out a little so as not to obscure the house, though.

Actually, massagerock's walkway takes a different path than the one I mocked up. Still, getting rid of those hedges to expose the entry area better would do wonders. Looking at the close-ups of the door, she has fabulous space & good bones for an outdoor room type of landscape design. I say forget painting the door a bright color -- work with a professional landscaper to enhance the pretty architecture.

Cindyloo, you've been busy! If I decided to go with a conservative color door, I thought it might be a darker version of our siding color, SW Quiver Tan. It looks really good with our salmon-colored brick. Is there a darker version of Quiver Tan available on the websites tool?
Awm03, of course I dont mind. I love seeing all ideas. We've been busy doing our side and back yard the past 2 years and have neglected our front. Seeing your mockup is an eyeopener. I really like the walkway opened up like that, it looks much more welcoming. Less grass would be great too, as grubs got alot of it this summer anyway. I was naive when we did our landscaping 15 yrs ago when the house was built. I was so anxious to have "something" and didnt have enough $$. I didnt research our landscaper or his ideas much. While the river birch is pretty, especially the bark, the location is terrible. It's a very messy tree in all 3 season's but winter. Our driveway and sidewalk are always covered with something, which tracks into the garage and then into the house, makes me nutty! But the tree is very happy. For a long time I hated how it blocked the view of our house, but now that its bigger, I've been liking the privacy it gives, and it is pretty (if I dont look down, lol). I'm debating having a landscape design done for an area in our backyard that has me stumped. I could include a design for the front too as you suggested. I've never considered moving the walkway. Natal, yes, the roots are an issue...they are starting to lift up the sidewalk next to the driveway. So maybe its a good excuse to get a new sidewalk :) geez, I promised my husband if I could just get that backyard part finished and a new front door, I'd be done "decorating" outside. cant wait to show him this new idea :)

And because playing with massagerock's pictures is more fun than folding laundry or paying bills (which is what I'm *trying* to do today), here's a close-up. Wish I had the software to render the real life door in black like suero can (who does exquisite mock-ups, btw. Lovely color sense. More please, sue!).

I couldn't find a good picture of ivy to paste in, so used espaliered roses, which won't grow in porch shade like ivy can, unfortunately. And the concrete stain rendering is crude (I need suero's good software). But you can see how getting rid of bland concrete & softening the expanse of pink brick looks.

Wow, on my monitor I could swear your siding is gray, hence the grey door suggestion. But definitely a darker version of whatever your siding is, would be the neutral to work with. A neutral color would work better with your green sidelights too.

By the way, what is wrong with using white? You have quite a bit of white trim on the porch and the house. I love the clean look of the white on the other side of the door. I think a large expanse of white outside would brighten the entry, tone down the brick instead of competing with it, give the front door a huge impact, and create a nice background for the accent color you decide to work with.

awm hit the nail on the head when she pointed out that your walkway is obscured. An immediate, free fix, would be to take that hedge out. Later you can replant with a few low growing evergreens, interspersed with either low or very airy items of your choosing. The key is to keep the walkway visible from the outside.

Correction, a darker version of the siding would be "a" neutral to work with, not "the" neutral, lol. I'm liking the white idea better now.

If the birch is already lifting up one sidewalk you don't want another. Maybe it's time for a root-friendly walkway ... something like pavers, bricks, or stone ... with a permeable base.

The darker shades of Quiver Tan is 6152 Superior Bronze & 6153 Protege Bronze.

~Jeana