Front and Center Color: When to Paint Your Door Green
Fresh, fun and a pleasant surprise on a front door, green in subtle to strong shades brings energy to home exteriors
Jennifer Ott
September 24, 2012
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's work has been featured in many print and online publications. Her recently-published book, "1000 Ideas for Color Schemes," is a beautifully illustrated and easy-to-navigate guide that takes the guesswork out of selecting the perfect color palette for your home or special event. For more information on Jennifer Ott Design, visit http://jenottdesign.com/.
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's... More
Green is more popular than ever for home interiors and accessories, but have you considered it for your home’s exterior? A green front door, whether in a bold chartreuse or a more neutral shade of olive green, is a great way to welcome visitors. The green on your front door can pick up on the various green hues found in your landscape, softening — or enlivening — your entry.
These homes with a range of green front doors, along with sample palettes, can help you get a similar effect.
These homes with a range of green front doors, along with sample palettes, can help you get a similar effect.
1. Green Door With a Blue-Gray Exterior
With a bright leafy-green door and cool blue-gray siding, this is one happy, contemporary palette. The stone cladding and the wood fence serve as neutrals, and because the siding color has so much gray in it, it also works as a neutral, allowing the bold green color of the home’s entry to pop.
With a bright leafy-green door and cool blue-gray siding, this is one happy, contemporary palette. The stone cladding and the wood fence serve as neutrals, and because the siding color has so much gray in it, it also works as a neutral, allowing the bold green color of the home’s entry to pop.
Example palette: To get a similar look, you could go with white trim, as shown in the photograph, or pick up on the siding color and go a bit darker for the trim color. Suggested paints (clockwise from top left, all from Pratt & Lambert): Green Blitz 17-9, Lava 28-17 and Confederate 27-21.
2. Green Door With a Brick Exterior
This handsome, elegant home is resplendent with its ultramarine-green front door and soft sage-green trim. Green doors really stand out against red brick because the two colors are opposite each other (or complementary) on the color wheel. If the door were in a warm shade of red or orange it would blend in with the brick.
This handsome, elegant home is resplendent with its ultramarine-green front door and soft sage-green trim. Green doors really stand out against red brick because the two colors are opposite each other (or complementary) on the color wheel. If the door were in a warm shade of red or orange it would blend in with the brick.
Example palette: If you like this look, try (clockwise from top left, both from Benjamin Moore) Steamed Spinach 643 and Nantucket Gray HC-111.
3. Green Door With a Cool-Neutral Exterior
If you favor softer, more watery greens, try pairing them with a dark, cool exterior color. It grounds and contrasts well with a light, almost pastel, door color .
If you favor softer, more watery greens, try pairing them with a dark, cool exterior color. It grounds and contrasts well with a light, almost pastel, door color .
Example palette: Get a similar look with (clockwise from top left, all from Pittsburgh Paint) Bleached Spruce 208-4, Pegasus 517-1 and Volcanic Ash 555-6.
4. Cool Green Door With a Stone Exterior
Houses with neutral-colored stone siding can sport pretty much any color on the front door. But again, keep in mind that if you want the door to take center stage, you’ll want to paint it a color across the color wheel from the color of the stone.
In this example, the stone has both warm and cool tones, so the charming arch-top door with its cool green stands out while also picking up on some of the stone’s cooler hues.
Houses with neutral-colored stone siding can sport pretty much any color on the front door. But again, keep in mind that if you want the door to take center stage, you’ll want to paint it a color across the color wheel from the color of the stone.
In this example, the stone has both warm and cool tones, so the charming arch-top door with its cool green stands out while also picking up on some of the stone’s cooler hues.
Example palette: If you like the look of this blue-green door but don't have stone siding, you could try this example palette (clockwise from top left, all from Martha Stewart Living): Hummingbird Blue MSL135, Bedford Gray MSL246 and Magnetite MSL278.
5. Green Door With a Warm-Neutral Exterior
If you live in a hot climate, it's a good idea to keep the exterior of your home light in color to limit solar heat gain. But lighter hues don't have to be boring. Liven up beige and white with a pretty grass-green front door.
If you live in a hot climate, it's a good idea to keep the exterior of your home light in color to limit solar heat gain. But lighter hues don't have to be boring. Liven up beige and white with a pretty grass-green front door.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Sherwin-Williams): Lounge Green SW6444, Snowbound SW7004 and Classical White SW2829.
6. Bright Green Against Bright White
Consider your garage door when selecting a paint palette for the exterior of your house. The nice thing about a white house is that you can paint your door any color you want, including this fabulous and bright gecko green.
Consider your garage door when selecting a paint palette for the exterior of your house. The nice thing about a white house is that you can paint your door any color you want, including this fabulous and bright gecko green.
Example palette: White or light gray siding serves as a nice backdrop for vibrant green doors. Here are a couple of options, clockwise from top left: Tequila Lime 2028-30 and Whitestone 2134-60 (both from Benjamin Moore), and Chinese Chartreuse 074-6 and Misty Windowpane 144-2 (both from Mythic Paint).
7. Green Door With Warm Terra-Cotta
Here's another light exterior palette that's perfect for a home in a hot climate. Terra-cotta pavers can be tricky to work with because of their intense pinkish-orange color. A warm yellow siding color and a light jade-green door work well with the terra-cotta.
Here's another light exterior palette that's perfect for a home in a hot climate. Terra-cotta pavers can be tricky to work with because of their intense pinkish-orange color. A warm yellow siding color and a light jade-green door work well with the terra-cotta.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Kelly-Moore Paints): Gardening Girl KM3278-2, Beachcomber KM3844-2 and Christi Cream KM3577-1.
8. Lime Green Door With a Dark Gray Exterior
Although dark gray is a neutral, it's superdramatic as an exterior color. If you want your front door to get any attention, it needs its own dramatic color — like this bright lime green. If you go with a palette like this, keep the trim simple in either black or white.
Although dark gray is a neutral, it's superdramatic as an exterior color. If you want your front door to get any attention, it needs its own dramatic color — like this bright lime green. If you go with a palette like this, keep the trim simple in either black or white.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Valspar): Awakening 6006-10C, Muted Ebony 4008-2C and Almost Charcoal 4008-2B.
9. Yellow-Green Door With Wood Siding
If bright lime green is just not the front-door hue for you, try this soft shade of yellow-green instead. This hue works especially well if you have cedar shingle siding, brick or stone. These materials can sometimes read as busy in color and pattern, so the softer color on the entry offers a nice contrast.
If bright lime green is just not the front-door hue for you, try this soft shade of yellow-green instead. This hue works especially well if you have cedar shingle siding, brick or stone. These materials can sometimes read as busy in color and pattern, so the softer color on the entry offers a nice contrast.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Glidden): Soothing Green Tea GLG21 and White on White GLC26 with cedar shingles.
Example palette: Here are a couple of options for a dark sage-green door and trim against a light, neutral house color. Clockwise from top left: Sage Saga 156-4 and Garden of Eden 156-1 (both from Mythic Paint), and Sage Green Light SW2851 and Nuance SW7049 (both from Sherwin-Williams).
Tell us: Did you dare to paint your door green? Share a photo below!
Tell us: Did you dare to paint your door green? Share a photo below!
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