Which Paint Color Should a Designer Pick for Her Entry?
Bright blue? Hot pink? Jennifer Ott invites you to vote on a bold new color for the entrance to her San Francisco home
My home serves as my very own color laboratory. When I renovated the home, I intentionally designed a few areas that would create easy opportunities to change the colors at a future date. One such area is the entry. The front door surround as well as the stair treads are currently painted Soft Spruce by Benjamin Moore, a bright teal color. My husband and I have enjoyed this color, but we’re ready to try something new. And we want your help. Here, I’m presenting five options for a new paint color, along with a link to a Houzz poll. I’ll repaint my entryway in whatever color gets the most votes by Aug. 1, 2020, and share the results in a follow-up article.
1. Electric Coral
I would love to go with a vibrant pure orange color, but the neighbor to the right of us has an orange door (you get a tiny glimpse of it here in this photo).
I think a red-orange color, such as rendered here, would work because it’s different enough from the neighbor’s door color. I like this color because it’s very bold, warm and welcoming, and it pairs really well with the warm gray siding.
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I would love to go with a vibrant pure orange color, but the neighbor to the right of us has an orange door (you get a tiny glimpse of it here in this photo).
I think a red-orange color, such as rendered here, would work because it’s different enough from the neighbor’s door color. I like this color because it’s very bold, warm and welcoming, and it pairs really well with the warm gray siding.
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2. Pretty Periwinkle
I just had to dig out this color, a favorite from my childhood, and try it on for size. It’s unusual and unexpected, and there’s certainly no other color like it on the block. I like that while it’s not a common color, it stays cool and classy and doesn’t dominate the exterior. It’s different without being visually noisy.
I just had to dig out this color, a favorite from my childhood, and try it on for size. It’s unusual and unexpected, and there’s certainly no other color like it on the block. I like that while it’s not a common color, it stays cool and classy and doesn’t dominate the exterior. It’s different without being visually noisy.
3. Green Gold
This color gets my husband’s vote, but he’s partially colorblind, so I take his preference with a large grain of salt. All kidding aside, I think this is perhaps the most conservative choice. Even though it’s a bold color, it contrasts the least against the siding compared with the other options.
Yellow hues, like oranges, tend to offer a friendly, fun and welcoming feel, making them excellent choices for entry accent colors.
This color gets my husband’s vote, but he’s partially colorblind, so I take his preference with a large grain of salt. All kidding aside, I think this is perhaps the most conservative choice. Even though it’s a bold color, it contrasts the least against the siding compared with the other options.
Yellow hues, like oranges, tend to offer a friendly, fun and welcoming feel, making them excellent choices for entry accent colors.
4. Hot Pink
I’ve been drawn to hot pink accents lately and this color is probably the most bold and unusual option of the bunch. A little of this hot hue goes a long way. I like it because it’s an atypical color for a house. As with the periwinkle color, there are no other houses on the block that are accented with hot pink.
It also illustrates how you can use pretty much any accent color your heart desires as long as your foundation consists of neutrals. I purposefully chose neutral shades for the siding, window and garage trim, fences, etc., so that I could splurge, colorwise, on the door surround and stair treads.
I’ve been drawn to hot pink accents lately and this color is probably the most bold and unusual option of the bunch. A little of this hot hue goes a long way. I like it because it’s an atypical color for a house. As with the periwinkle color, there are no other houses on the block that are accented with hot pink.
It also illustrates how you can use pretty much any accent color your heart desires as long as your foundation consists of neutrals. I purposefully chose neutral shades for the siding, window and garage trim, fences, etc., so that I could splurge, colorwise, on the door surround and stair treads.
5. Leafy Green
This shade of green is one of my favorites. It calls to mind freshly sprouted spring greens, offering a hopeful vibe of rebirth and renewal. It plays off the greens in the surrounding trees and bridges the warm gray siding and cool blue-gray trim colors nicely.
Vote now: Choose your favorite new color for my front entry by Aug. 1, 2020, then stay tuned for the results.
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This shade of green is one of my favorites. It calls to mind freshly sprouted spring greens, offering a hopeful vibe of rebirth and renewal. It plays off the greens in the surrounding trees and bridges the warm gray siding and cool blue-gray trim colors nicely.
Vote now: Choose your favorite new color for my front entry by Aug. 1, 2020, then stay tuned for the results.
More on Houzz
6 Home Design Trends on the Rise
5 Refreshing Ways to Bring Blue Into the Kitchen
Find professionals
Shop for home products
Now, I knew going with painted stair treads was going to require extra maintenance, but I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised that they seem to need repainting only about once a year — not too bad given their exposure to foot traffic and the elements. That said, the treads are due for a new coat of paint, so it’s a good time to change colors.
I’ll keep the door itself, along with the metal risers and railings, the same dark gray color, but the area surrounding the front door, as well as the wood treads, will get a new color treatment.
We want to stick to something fun and bright, so below are five options we’re considering — rendered onto a photo of the house using photo-editing software.
Check out the following color options, then vote for your favorite by Aug. 1. We’ll paint our entry that color and share the results.