Front and Center Color: When to Paint Your Door Blue
Who knew having the blues could be so fun? These 8 exterior color palettes celebrate sunny-day skies to electric nights
There's a reason blue is often cited as a favorite color. It reminds us of the sky and the sea — or perhaps of our school colors or a favorite sports team. It can also be a terrific color on your front door. Blue front doors are a bit unusual in that you don't see them as often as other colors. The key to making them work is to select the right trim and siding colors or materials.
These eight exterior sample palettes show how to incorporate a blue front door for your own home.
These eight exterior sample palettes show how to incorporate a blue front door for your own home.
Example palette: If you like the look of a bold blue front door but don't have red brick siding, here's a sample palette to try. Clockwise from top left (all from Glidden Paint): Soft Sapphire GLB04, Shaded Fern GLN42 and Wood Smoke GLN40.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Sherwin-Williams): Nautilus SW6780, Cocoon SW6173 and Realist Beige SW6078.
3. Blue Door Against a Mix of Colors
Not a fan of vibrant blue front doors? Consider a darker blue that reads almost gray. This color works with any architectural style, as well as on a house clad in a variety of materials in a variety of colors. It's a superb choice here, as it picks up some of the blue-gray tones in the stone. The gray-blue door acts as a neutral and grounds the entryway.
Not a fan of vibrant blue front doors? Consider a darker blue that reads almost gray. This color works with any architectural style, as well as on a house clad in a variety of materials in a variety of colors. It's a superb choice here, as it picks up some of the blue-gray tones in the stone. The gray-blue door acts as a neutral and grounds the entryway.
Example palette: With a steely blue door you have your pick of siding colors. A couple of options are included in this palette. Clockwise from top left (all from Mythic Paint): Seaside Reflections 026-5, Kind of Blue 026-1 and Wrought Iron 140-1.
4. Blue Door With White
This shade of blue, a cross between navy and teal, would look great on a wide range of architectural styles. Here it enhances the sharp, clean lines of this modern house. If you want your door to stand out from everyone else's without being too over the top, this is your hue.
This shade of blue, a cross between navy and teal, would look great on a wide range of architectural styles. Here it enhances the sharp, clean lines of this modern house. If you want your door to stand out from everyone else's without being too over the top, this is your hue.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Olympic Paint): Plymouth Blue G56-6, Smoke Screen D56-3 and Windswept D48-1.
5. Blue Door With a Soft Exterior Palette
This home has a fantastic soft paint palette that picks up some of the cool shades in the stone.
This home has a fantastic soft paint palette that picks up some of the cool shades in the stone.
Example palette: Here are a couple of palette options featuring a soft sage green for the siding and a watery turquoise blue for the doors and trim. Clockwise from top left: Gentle Wave 5007-7C and The Harbor AR1222 (both from Valspar), and Aegean Blue MSL118 and Morning Fog MSL115 (both from Martha Stewart).
6. Blue Door With a Blue and Gray Interior
This front door has some navy blue — a neutral that can work with a wide range of colors — in it. The color works nicely with the blues and grays in the interior of the home.
This front door has some navy blue — a neutral that can work with a wide range of colors — in it. The color works nicely with the blues and grays in the interior of the home.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Behr): Signature Blue UL240-22, Poppy Seed UL260-23 and Gray Area 770F-4.
7. Blue Door With Warm Hues
This shade of blue resembles patinated copper, a metal commonly used in Spanish colonial architecture. It's a natural fit with the warm, golden hue on the house.
This shade of blue resembles patinated copper, a metal commonly used in Spanish colonial architecture. It's a natural fit with the warm, golden hue on the house.
Example palette: Clockwise from top left (all from Benjamin Moore): Pool Blue 2052-50, Cloud White 967 and Papaya 957.
8. Whimsical Blue on Secondary Doors
If you like the blue doors shown here but don't envision the colors for your own front door, consider painting a secondary door on your property, such as in a gate. It can add a fun focal point to your hardscaping.
If you like the blue doors shown here but don't envision the colors for your own front door, consider painting a secondary door on your property, such as in a gate. It can add a fun focal point to your hardscaping.
Example palette: The vibrant electric blue in the previous photo works well with the cool-hued stone. If you were to paint your house to work with a blue door like this one, you might want to stick with light neutrals that veer toward the cooler (grayer) end of the spectrum. Try (clockwise from top left, all from Dunn Edwards): Beautiful Blue DEA136, Silver City DE6337, Sparkling Frost DE6345 and Frostbite DE6274.
Tell us: Do you have a blue door? Share a photo below.
Search for a local painter to paint your door
Tell us: Do you have a blue door? Share a photo below.
Search for a local painter to paint your door
It can be tough pairing a daring color with red brick, but I like to think of the latter as a neutral that can work with any color. If you opt for a bold blue color for your door, keep your other trim neutral to help your door stand out.
Shop blue front doors on Houzz