What Your Front Door Color Could Say About You And to Others

Feng Shui Front Door Principles

Color is a powerful thing.  It can send messages either subtly or boldly, even if you aren’t intending the message.   As discussed in our recent blog about color, a particular color can produce an emotional reaction, and sometimes even a physical one.

Did you know that certain front door colors carry particular meanings?   Your front door, literally opens to welcome people into your home, but what if your door says something other than welcome?   The color you choose for your front door can say a lot about the residents within its interior.

Chances are your front door is the color it is because either you purchased it that way, or it complements the rest of the exterior of your home nicely. However, many people treat their front door like a statement piece and an opportunity to show their personality and style.

So what do common front door colors say about the people that dwell within their walls?

Red: Red is considered a lucky color (especially in Asian culture) and in other parts of the world. People choose to paint their door red if their home is paid off.  It is looked at as a powerful statement, and the color of people who are successful.

Blue: A sense of security, calmness, trust, welcoming to visitors

Brown: Practical, sometimes boring

Wood toned/ natural wood: Relaxed, rustic, welcoming

Black: Formal, glamorous (if shiny), safe, and well protected

Green: Prosperity and wealth. Serene and peaceful

Yellow: Bold, optimistic, extraverted, happy

White: Modern, neat, clean, simplistic, can also be construed as “fussy” or overly tidy

Orange: Cheap or weird, bold, unbothered by other people’s opinions

Purple: Depending on the shade, a pleasing color that says sophisticated, an outlandish shade says garish

Still Don’t Know What Color is Right For You?

Not only is there a general consensus of what front door colors mean, but there is also an entire cultural thought behind choosing a front door color.

Feng Shui is defined as “a Chinese geomantic practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it”.  (Merriam-Webster) .  Though it started in China, it has also long been practiced within certain design applications here in the United States as well. Essentially, by following the guidelines of feng shui when building, or placing items within your home, you affect the positive energy within your home (or “Chi”). Within this practice, all items are said to be one of the 5 elements, water, wood, fire, metal, and earth, and the materials that your home is made of as well as where you place certain objects within your home determines if the positive energy is disrupted or multiplied. This interesting concept is sometimes used by home and interior designers.

If you are unsure as to what the color of your front door should be, you can take a look at the direction your front door faces. Essentially, the color you choose for your front door, as well as the direction it faces, is said to greatly affect the energy that you want to welcome into your home.

Suggested Door Colors based on Feng Shui principles:

Doors facing West:

Best colors: Grey or white, these colors promote good luck, wealth, and prosperity.

Worst colors: Blue, black, red, purple, and orange

Doors facing East and Southeast:

Best colors: According to Feng shui principles, this direction belongs to the wood element, so any color in the brown or green family is a positive choice, as it reflects nature

Worst colors: Red and Purple, as these belong to the fire element, and can lead to the destruction of natural elements

Doors facing South:

South belongs to the fire element, so colors that remind you of either fire or the sun like deep yellow, orange, purple or red are all colors that are a good choice.

Worst colors: Colors within the earth, metal, or water families.   Earth and metal weaken fire, and water extinguishes.

Doors facing North and Northwest:

Best Colors: Colors that belong to the metal elements.  The colors blue and black are said to bring wealth and prosperity into a home with a North or Northwest facing door.

Worst colors: Avoid red, which can bring poverty and bad luck.

Doors Facing Northeast:

Best colors: Earthy/ sandy colors such as yellow, burgundy, deep orange, rich pink, purple

Worst colors: Avoid green, brown or white, blue,  gray, or black

Doors facing Southwest:

Best color: Yellow, red, purple, orange

Worst colors: Avoid green, brown, white, grey, blue, and black.

Happy Painting!

No matter what you believe when it comes to front door color, the choice of course is up to you.  Whatever message you want to convey if any,  is a personal choice, and it could be complicated as studying the aspects or feng shui to find the best color, or this year's “color of the year” or as simple as just being a color that you like and makes you happy.  Your home should be something that first and foremost, welcomes YOU and whoever lives there, home.