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Paint Design Dilemma Exterior

Exterior door and shutter color

5 years ago

My mid 80's blue vinyl clad ranch needs a complete redo, I am well aware, but before I take on a whole house renovation project, I want to paint the front door and shutters to freshen this stuck-in-the-80's house. The shutters are presently white as was the front door and entrance until I painted them a maroon color this past year. I would like some advice and color suggestions for the front door and the shutters. The house is as plain as sin with no architectural virtue.

The siding is actually more blue than shown in these photos which for some reason capture a grey color that is not present.

Featured Answer

mimimomy

5 years ago

Could you post photos of the shutters and door? Sometimes less architectural virtue is better than more :) Kind of a blank slate with opportunities to add rather than remove!

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Comments (15)

zigmeister
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you for your interest. Here are two photos of the house front facade. The color samples you see did not photograph well, but are some under consideration, in the yellow/brown family. Look forward to seeing your comments, suggestion.
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kim1101
5 years ago
to me it's not so much the color of the house. some curb appeal goes a long way. add planters by the front door, rocking chairs with pillows,rugs.. make the outside an extension of the inside.
zigmeister
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the suggestion. During any season but winter, I do keep planters on the front porch, and it is much more inviting and attractive with a profusion of green and color than it looks now during the winter. The freeze/thaw action during the winter is harmful to any planters I use so they are in storage now. And the porch looks bare.
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Beth H. :
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I like the pale blue w/the white. You could paint the door a darker blue.

Or you could do black, aqua, yellow

Landscaping and redoing the porch will go a long away to giving you some curb appeal. Think about painting that cinder block under the porch (use masonry paint). pull out the shrubs and do some plants with color/and different shapes.

Redo the path with some brick or other type of paver.

Think about doing something to the porch and ceiling.

use a porch paint on the cement. do a stencil design if you like

bring in some colorful furniture to use

play up the blue house by blue ceramic containers filled w/flowers and green plants. put a few by your front door

landscape. get new railing for your steps.

and don't forget new porch lights. what's there now is too small. (and paint the white portion the same blue as the siding, or find something that fits correctly)

I like these in the blue enamel.
mimimomy
5 years ago
I think that is a charming little house! It's already quite nice but has tons of potential to really be a knock-out. The color looks good to me, but you're up close and personal so you will have a better idea on the color and condition.I love some of Beth's ideas. I would probably focus on landscaping/hardscaping. For instance, wider pathway and steps, or more graduated steps or incline as you get to the porch area.
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TheDoorsDepot
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I would paint the front door gray and so are shutters. Why you changed the color of your door? I think white looks best here. The wood stained door will also match your exterior and complement your beautiful house.
Rachel Lee
5 years ago
Is the siding faded so that you can’t take the shutters off? That’s my problem! I think it would look warmer with some cedar cladding on the posts, and new cedar shutters. Wider steps would be more inviting.
zigmeister
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you Door Depot and Rachel Lee for your comments. Quick background info: The front door was painted white and remained white for years. I changed the color last year when I painted it maroon. I wanted a change and thought the maroon was an okay choice. Apparently not... The front porch is an eyesore in part due to the underscaled steps and the columns and the woefully narrow walkway that leads to the porch. Due to its modest width it is not possible to use the porch space with furniture (other than the bench shown on the photo) so I use it spring thru the fall to place large planters and fill them with plants and flowering plants. Late fall the planters are moved into the garage so they are not subjected to freeze/thawing which would crack the containers. I welcome your input and your interest helping me remedy the challenges. If the consensus is that the door really must be white, then I will heed the houzz community advice and abandon the notion that a change of color would bring about a meaningful difference.
Rachel Lee
5 years ago
You can totally have a colorful door! Mine is coral on a blue house with black shutters!
emmarene9
5 years ago
Very dark blue for shutters. Almost black.
zigmeister
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for your suggestion. I doubt that I will embrace it as the front of the house faces westwardly, and does not benefit from shade. I think that a dark color as you have suggested will peel and blister in very short time. The effects of the afternoon sun on the front facade is very intense, very hot. But thanks for your interes!
Natalie Gor
5 years ago
As I see, the roof's color is brown. What about the choice of brown color palette for your door to create a harmonized look? Something like that… It is quite neutral, yet looks noble…

Or if you want something totally different, try using gray oak color as in this model.
housegal200
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I think the dark red door looks great with your blue siding. In the house below, the no-shutter but framed out windows in white give the house a clean look. Your shutters contribute to the too-many verticals look. Take them off entirely.
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Not crazy about all those pillars, but there's probably nothing to be done about them. If you have the budget, go to a small garden center and work with a garden designer to develop a landscaping plan, which will pull the eye forward and give you the pleasure of a front garden. Some small dark red trees, perennials, and shrubs extended forward would balance out some of the features that don't quite work--those pillars--on the front.
zigmeister
Original Author
5 years ago
Natalie Gor and Housegal, thank you for your comments. The roof shingle color is actually a gray/black not the brown which it must show in the image. The shingles are the architectural type so there is some variance in the color depending upon sunlight, time of day, etc. The columns on the front are the bane of my existence. They were crudely done, with absolutely no design or style that can be attributed unless it is "ugly". The only explanation I have for the number of columns is strictly speculative on my part. The house is located in the mid-Atl on the coast, and with the frequent high winds perhaps the builder thought it was wise to affix the overhanging roof to the columns? I have given thought to removing the shutters but am concerned that if removed the siding underneath would be a different color as it has not been exposed to UVs which would add to the overall unpleasantness of the house's appearance. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

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