Front Door Colors To Avoid At All Costs (And Timeless Alternatives To Try Instead)

The front door is the first thing people see when they look at your home because it's where the eye naturally gravitates. Front door colors that make a bright first impression can stop onlookers and potential buyers in their tracks. While only a handful of neighbors might see your carefully thought out interiors, everyone sees your front door. It's your chance to show off your design personality! Painting your front door is the quickest and easiest way to give your home a facelift — but it's also one of the most important home decor decisions you can make.

Get front door ideas and inspiration from other homes, but keep in mind that just because a color works on one home, it may not be a match for yours. (Consider how some people wear certain colors well, and others look terrible in that shade.) Take the architecture of your home and the color of the exterior facade, shutters, and trim into consideration. If you want your door to pop, choose a color that is on the opposite side of the color wheel from the rest of the facade. If you want a more subtle look, go for colors on either side of your house paint color. You can even look at the colors of your yard for inspiration. 

While using the color wheel is a good way to find complementary colors for your home's exterior, there are some colors you should avoid altogether such as gray, pale green, and orange. However, black, emerald green, and yellow can work in many circumstances.

While gray is a popular choice for interiors, it's not a great choice for a front door color. Whether light or dark, gray isn't quite bold enough to make a statement. It doesn't stand out against a white or pale-colored home, it doesn't go with unpainted brick or wood, and it doesn't complement the surrounding landscape. It's the color associated with cold institutions and bad weather, and for an exterior door ... it's just, well, blah. Potential home buyers agree. According to the real estate app Zillow, buyers offered over $3,000 less for a home with a gray door.

Black is a chic, sophisticated, and timeless color for a front door. It looks great against almost any house color — whether white, beige, gray, or a natural red brick. It also looks good next to greenery, flowers, and seasonal decor. And for only the cost of a can of black paint, you could boost your home value by over $6,000. The only downside is that black absorbs heat, which could eventually warp your front door, so it is best used in colder climates.

If you want to transform an outdated front door, stay away from pale green. Like gray, pale greens such as sage and olive lack the punch of color needed to be eye-catching, yet they aren't neutral enough to be sophisticated or timeless. Lighter greens are hard to get right, and a misstep can make your door look dirty or bland. It can also match too closely to the landscape, fading into the background in the process. 

A bright or deep green like emerald pops against a pale-colored home while perfectly complementing the surrounding greenery. This color looks great against a variety of exterior materials, colors, and architectural styles from Victorian to craftsman. It looks fabulous with white or black trim and begs to be paired with gold accents or stained glass. The color traditionally symbolizes prosperity, and an emerald green door should help you achieve just that when it comes time to sell. With so many lush green color options, it is hard to get this one wrong. 

Many "colors to avoid" are chosen because they are too dull. Orange has the opposite problem. If it's too pale, the color looks off, but if it's too bright, it hurts the eyes. Orange clashes with lots of colors, including red, green, and brown — potentially the colors of your brick, landscaping, or wood trim. It goes best with white, gray, or black, but pair it with a black home and it'll look like Halloween year-round. Orange will also clash with red and green Christmas decorations and springtime pastels. 

Yellow will brighten up any entrance, adding serious curb appeal. It can give you a bright pop of color against a neutral home, but unlike orange, it won't clash with your landscaping or natural materials like brick and wood. In fact, bright yellow looks wonderful next to dark green plants (picture spiraling topiaries in black pots surrounding a yellow door — yes, please!). The front door is the perfect amount of canvas for this sunny color, but choose a different color for your trim and shutters because too much yellow can make people feel hectic.