Brightly painted front doors pack a punch

  • By Diana Marsalek Associated Press
  • Monday, December 30, 2013 5:03pm
  • Life

When Tracy Proctor Williamson bought her house in Larchmont, N.Y., a year ago, it was “just a kind of dark and sad-looking building.”

The front door and trim were a depressing “yucky cream color,” Williamson said.

Williamson has tried to bring the house back to life, most notably by boosting its mood with a sun-kissed yellow front door. “At first I was horrified because I thought the neighbors would hate me,” she said. “But I like it. It makes me feel really good.”

Painting the front door a color that packs a punch is one of the quickest and easiest ways to change a house’s look and help it stand out from the rest.

“It’s the difference between choosing classic red or something that has a little bit of fuchsia in it, something more like the color you love,” says Kate Smith, a Newport, R.I., color consultant.

Smith — whose job includes advising everyone from paint companies to the film industry on color choices — says homeowners are making the right move by making bland front doors bold. As the entry to your home, a front door should be an attention-getter, she said.

The trick is getting it right; it can be a fine line between bold, eye-catching color and neon that looks better on paper than on doors or walls.

Smith advises choosing a front-door color that jibes with your home’s other features, starting with the style and color of the roof. The colors of fixed features, such as window grids, as well as trim and shutters should also be considered. So should a home’s architectural style.

Derek Fielding, who oversees product development for the door manufacturer Therma-Tru, sees a trend toward colorful front doors.

“People don’t want that cookie-cutter look that comes with having the same door that’s on everybody else’s house,” Fielding said.

Besides adding color, homeowners are opting for doors with different textures, more ornamental detail and decorative glass.

“It’s all about curb appeal and perceived value,” Fielding said.

Smith says the most popular front-door colors this year are tropical blues, vibrant oranges, violet, mustards and plums. Those who want to perk things up but stay more subdued are choosing blues a notch brighter than navy, warm reds and classic grays, she said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.