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The Old House Design Dilemma

need help with shade of orange paint for front door of MCM

last year

I am about to buy orange paint to cover the front door of an MCM --it is a single slab door and has a side window. We have a single orange interior wall painted Dunn Edwards Orange Marmalade:

https://www.dunnedwards.com/colors/browser/de5222/

But I feel this is too soft for the exterior door. Can anyone suggest an appropriate shade of orange for the slab door (and a second slab nearby leading to garage) --brand and color most appreciated.

btw, the house itself is gray-white stucco --Lahabra Agate P 505 base 200 --you can see it on this chart:

https://www.lahabrastucco.com/color-charts.shtml

Thanks, any guidance much appreciated.

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Comments (15)

cpartist
last year
How about a picture of the house itself?
Pamela
Original Author
last year
cpartist, it is the simplest of simple little MCMs, a small one-story ranch mostly stucco but some pink brick. The side entry window is now a single stationary piece of glass and not a single hung as in the picture. It is authentic to its period of 1952. Front door was originally blue, but I think orange would work. I am just looking for the right orange.
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I had an orangey-peachy house in Baton Rouge, LA and I painted the back porch and door an opposite color on the color wheel - a beachy-seafoamy-light turquoise green. I loved it, but colorful houses are "done" there and this was 20 years ago. If any of your darker bricks go toward the red/maroon spectrum, a cranberry or maroon color could work well for a front door. You might have to make your pictures "public" in order for us to see them.
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Nice doors. You have two general approaches. One of the distinctive feature of this entry is the contrasting brick and stone. They're very different. So you can: 1. Choose a color that picks up tones from both the brick and the stone as a way to tie these different materials together. A rust color would be a good choice. 2. Choose a color that contrasts with that color. Look at the color wheel and choose a color opposite. So if you choose rust, paint the door a greenish blue -- more green if your rust is more red and more blue if your rust is more orange.
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What a pretty home! I think a white would look nice especially since its used in the trim, would work nice with the door handle they currently have too. If youre wanting to restain the wood I would try a stain that neutralizes the yellow.
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Thank you! There are many more different coleus, there are companies that just specialize in coleus, would you believe it? https://rosydawngardens.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzIPai7ur9QIVzRXUAR2QwwYWEAAYAiAAEgL6D_D_BwE And they are so, so easy to propagate, Just cut off at a slant a quarter inch below a node and stick in water and the roots grow, and change the water frequently until that happens. Or if you have rooting powder, dust the end with rooting powder and stick it directly in not-too tightly packed soil. Have one grouping of leaves above the cut end (you need some leaves for photosynthesis) but not too many leaves or all the energy goes to the leaves and it won't make roots. Keep in the light, but not too bright or too hot. You can find lots of directions on line. Your house would also look nice with window boxes, as do many houses. Don't be shy about asking people for cuttings, like many plants, they get bushier when they are trimmed properly, so you are actually doing them a favor!
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
IMO orange with the pink brick proably not a good choice but if you must then IMO that exact orange so you have that connection to the interior . I think maybe turquoise would be better with the brick and honestly a nice MCM door not a slab would be my choice but I can't relly see the whole front of the house .
kj s
last year
Following. Hoping someone can explain the color theory behind the suggestions for those of us without the good "eye" for color. This one felt right to me.
Pamela
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
yes turquoise was my other choice. Thanks... We have that color too inside. yeah it occurred to me that orange is not the best with the pink brick... and we have turquoise in the color scheme too. See the scheme of our one midcentury wall, with orange but a cabinet with turquoise, yellow, green, and pink, as well, ie --this turquoise from Dunn Edwards: https://www.dunnedwards.com/colors/browser/det547/

Our entire color scheme for that one wall --attached. The other colors are on an original midcentury cabinet --originally painted in primary scheme, attached is what we have now. A designer did this color scheme for us --and it is far more beautiful than the original
Pamela
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
also, the slab IS MCM --this house is in an architectural community famous for original MCMs from the fifties and they ALL have slab doors. Slab doors are the style. Probably because it is an area at fire risk.... every MCM in the neighborhood has just a simple slab. If you put glass in the door the fire rating goes down, so.... I am getting a slab.... that is fire rated. We also replaced all the glass around the slab with high fire-rated glass. In fact, we had an original gorgeous MCM door--but it was dangerous.
cpartist
last year
Beautiful home. Agree with Patricia that the turquoise would be a better choice with that gorgeous pink brick.
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BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
last modified: last year
Yep. I agree this lovely orange will not look good on your home. Turquoise or green is a better selection

Electric Orange by Benjamin Moore.
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year
Burnt caramel BM as well https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/2167-10/burnt-caramel
Jennifer Hogan
last year
last modified: last year
I don't know that pink and orange is all bad. I happen to like mixing warm colors together.

I wouldn't count out the orange door with pink brick.

Mother Nature pairs pink and orange and she always gets colors right!
colleenoz
last year
@Jennifer Hogan But the pink brick isn't a true pink so choosing the right orange would be amazingly tricky...I don't think the one you suggest looks good at all.

@kj s The camel colour wall surrounding the orange on that door has tones of the orange in it, which is why it works.
Jennifer Hogan
last year
Sadly, I have no idea what colors you are seeing, compared to the colors I am seeing as every display is different.
Jilly
last year
I think this tone of orange works, I’m sorry I don’t know what is.

https://www.atomic-ranch.com/architecture-design/house-tours/mcm-holiday-home-in-idaho/
Susie .
last year
I agree that orange can work on your house. I wouldn’t use a washed out orange against the pinkish exterior, but a highly saturated one could work. Best way to find out is to get a large sample and try it. Paint it on a 2x2 foot or larger piece of foam board or drywall and hold it next to the exterior.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
So just to appease me the side light is okay but the door can't have glass not sure I understand that. BTW I have a 1956 MCM ranch so I do understand the style quite well . I live in a fire area too but never had the insuarnce company dicker over my entry door style woth glass I do not have sidelight though

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