What Does Your Front Door Say About You?

Is it “come on in” or “go away”?

Last week we told you how to choose an interior door and, as promised, now it’s time for the main event: the front door. As you know, first impressions are indeed the most lasting (no, it’s not just a trite cliche) and your front door is no exception. The style, color, and condition of your front door not only welcomes visitors to your home, it tells them much more than you’d think about your house and even about yourself.

With thousands of shapes, sizes, styles, and colors, your options for your front door are quite literally limitless. Even the most standard door can and should be customized to reflect your personality and taste, soften up a severe facade or add character to a bland exterior.

The most important rule of thumb: always be sure to choose a door that coordinates with your home’s style. If you own a stately Victorian, don’t put on an ultra-modern lime green door. If your home is sleek and minimalist, skip the heavy, ornate hand-carved door from Italy. Aside from that rule, you can go wild choosing your door. Pick a great color, an unusual shape or size, or even just some awesome hardware to make your door truly unique.

Over the last few years, it’s become acceptable and trendy to paint the front door a noticeable contrasting color. Dark colors allow you to keep up with the trend without stepping out of your comfort zone (plus, they’ve always been “in”). Black is a practical classic; navy or eggplant are rich alternatives for the slightly more daring. Deep red is traditionally welcoming and goes well with many facades.

Soft, pretty pastels or bright, daring colors are a bolder choice. Painting your door a fun color is sure to make a statement about your personality. Have fun choosing a color; after all, you can repaint when it gets dated or you get tired of it. You can even paint it more than one color if you can’t decide on a favorite!

If color’s not your thing, pick a gorgeous wood that complements the rest of your home’s exterior. If you think that wood is boring, think again; you can opt for an ornate, carved or textured wood door for visual interest. Be wary of heavy, forbidding doors – if your home’s not structured properly for it, it’ll look like something out of a horror movie. Unless you don’t want visitors, make sure your home can handle a heavy door.

You can lighten up a door – and your home – with glass panes to allow the light to shine in. You can (and should) frost it for privacy, unless you don’t mind people looking into your home or the door (or house) is isolated. If glass in the door itself makes you feel too vulnerable or exposed, surround the door with windows for a similar effect.

Try unusual materials, double height, oversized or double doors, or atypical shapes for an impressive and unique entry point.

And just like the door has to complement the house, all door hardware needs to work with the door. Make sure that your door bell, peephole, door knocker, door knob or pull, address sign or house numbers, and even the door mat are a good match for your door and overall style.

What color is your front door, and what do you think it says about you?