So I’ve decided to keep the screen door. I tried to get a picture of it today but it was dark so I can’t post it. It’s got a retractable screen so basically it’s a white metal frame with windows.
I’m keeping it because I don’t have a high end looking exterior and I love to have the door open during the day because it’s like having another window.
So let the record show, if I did have a higher end looking house, I would have removed the screen door, it really kills the curb appeal factor of your front door in general but I understand the practical side of it.
Also it’s so welcoming in the summer to already have the door open when guests come. I always feel so expected when I arrive in a clients home and their front door is already open in anticipation of my arrival.
Before (the front door)
Here’s my fabulous yellow hallway painted in Cloverdale 7928, I chose a few shades lighter than my sofa. So while the main areas of my house (living/dining/family/kitchen) are totally calm and painted in Rice Paper, Cloverdale CA-037, my hallway which I pass through can be my favourite, energizing colour!
Check out the wretched hardware on the door in the before picture above.
After
And here’s the new green (Cloverdale 7669). I’m totally in love with it! Notice that the rug doesn’t have any of the same kelly green in it? I’ll need to show you a better picture of it soon but it’s mostly different shades of green and since all greens go together, I think it works.
Notice I chose a spot light to focus on the art at the end of the hallway because I didn’t have one in the middle of the hallway. I will get a picture light to plug in to the wall on the right once I hang art there:
Mostly I love how my green front door picks up the same greens in my living room.
What colour is your front door?
Related posts:
10 Best Front Door Colours for your House
How to Choose Exterior Colour without a Designer
The Correct Way to Choose Exterior Colour for Track Homes
Download my eBook, How to Choose Paint Colours: It’s All in the Undertones, to get the undertone of your neutrals right.Â
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Beautiful colour Maria!!
Victoria
Love everything you have done Maria! That door is awesome! Love,love the floors and your living and dining is beautiful!!!!
Love, love, love that green door, Maria! So striking!
Oops — forgot to ask– Is it green on both sides?
No I like it painted the trim colour inside! Maria
I love your green door. it reminds me of your beautiful Xmas wrapping. My front door is currently an off white as is the rest of my trim. I’ve been considering painting it black or some sort of Robin’s Egg blue…the white always gets too dirty too quickly and doesn’t really add much. What are your thoughts on black interior doors?
CTD
Love them! But the best spaces with black interior doors usually relate to a black banister, etc. Make sure there is some kind of relationship for that much drama.
thanks for your comment.
Maria
The art at the end of the hallway is beautiful. Wow, I love it! The door is great!
Our front door (and back door) is: Caribbean teal
Benjamin Moore 2123-20. we have a long hallway with a door on either end, so they are an integral part of entryway…which is a room unto itself..
LOVE LOVE LOVE the green door.
Love, love, love your door!!! Such a cheery and inviting entrance to a beautiful home Maria. Enjoy your Canada Day Weekend!!
I love your Kelly Green door and your new hardware.It is so welcoming.
Is it okay to have contrasting exterior/interior hardware to the existing brass hardware inside the house. We have brass knobs and light fixtures in our hall, but I love the dark knobs outside. Did you use semi-gloss paint?
Have you seen House Beautiful’s “The Best Shades of Yellow”? http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/best-shades-of-yellow#slide-1
Also, “One-Room Grandeur” in its July/August 2012 issue just out: pages 36, 83+ (sofa, BM Mustard Olive walls, accents, and turquoise accents too).
In looking through the HB website, I also came upon “The Best Colors for Your Front Door”: http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/front-door-color
*LOVE* how you have the painting highlighted at the end of your hallway however, I would have chosen a Butter Cream or paler yellow for the hallway so it wouldn’t’ compete with the painting – or your sofa. I probably would have chosen a teal door to pickup the color of your door rug. With colors this intense, it’s hard to find a resting place for your eyes and to figure out what it is you’re trying to accentuate. The hall? Your yellow sofa? Your painting? Your door? I just feel your eyes don’t have a place to rest.
what is the flooring?
Hi Melissa,
Here is my post about my flooring https://mariakillam.com/2012/06/pravada-floors-how-to-choose-the-right-colour-wood-flooring.html
Maria
I love it. I am working on a room an plan on using both yellow and green, and Kelly green at that.
I love the green door, it is different. I have a red door. I wanted something other than red or black, but in the end red is what worked best (and it is red on both sides) with the interior and exterior.
How does your front door play with your siding? I would like to see a picture of that.
The landscaping in my front yard is non-existent right now which is why I didn’t post a photo of the exterior.
Maria
I love your green door too Maria! As a Feng Shui consultant I can tell you that having a green door invites the qualities of fresh growth and vibrant family relationships to your lovely new home!
Love that thanks! Maria
wow, really unexpected! I like the green lamps in your living room that will tie into that door a lot too.
What would you say are the most classic colours Maria? I’ve been reading so much about the grey trends, then the navy (which I love) but realizing there must be classic, timeless colours (or not?).
Just curious. Maybe I missed the blog post on that.
Love Love Love the green door – its perfect and so you!
Our front door is painted white. Just like all our neighbors.
One of the joys of living in a townhome. Oh well. At least I don’t have to mow my lawn in this heat wave we’re having.
I love your green door with the yellow walls inside. Looks so bright and cheery. I like reddish doors myself and mine is Ben M Georgian Brick.
It’s truly lovely. Painting at the end of the hall…..perfection. It’s so you!
Maria, It’s so nice and zingy! Like you! The hall & door are energizing, fresh and young feeling. Bet ALL the neighbors want to see what you’re doing! (They could read you blog!) Why not have an open house for neighbors? You never know who knows who– that will hire you!!! It’s just feels like party time now in your house….:-)
I really love reading your blog as I share your interest in how colors…undertones…work together or more imprtantly how so often they do not…I LOVE the green color on the door, though I agree with Martha who wanted to see a photo from the outside…My suggestion would be…IF you want to get rid of the screen door and keep the light…purchase an exterior door with full or 3/4 glass…Many of these have a colonial style but there are sooooo many on the market today with a more contemporary flair…If privacy is an issue you can add a variety of creative window treatments that would allow you to have the light when you want it and privacy when you need it…just a thought…;-)
So pretty Maria! Love it!
I love your green door! it is so welcoming.
Should the interior door hardware match the rest of the house? We have a 70s house with brass throughout.. Do you prefer a semi- gloss paint and can the door’s interior be a contrasting colour to the interior trim?
Mattie
All my interior hardware is brushed nickel egg shaped door knobs and hinges. And the front door hardware does not match because I did not buy them together. I’m okay with that though because my entry light fixture (which is still on back-order) will be oil-rubbed bronze (I wanted black but lighting is mostly still oil-rubbed bronze).
Thanks for your comment,
Maria
Congratulations on your new home. Not only do I love your bold green front door, but your living room is fabulous! And I have some serious kitchen envy as well 🙂 everything looks just as stunning as I would expect!
My mid century home has minimal trim but a wide door with a center knob and original Asian motif escutcheon in that older good quality red brass. I just painted it Ben Moore Eggplant. I love the offbeat violet with my equestrian gray main color and graphite railing and side lite door surround.
I LOVE the painting at the end of the hallway and, since my pair of eyes tend to look together to the right or the left or straight ahead, they won’t have any problem finding a place to rest, and what fun when they look to the right and see that cheerful painting! Makes me want to walk right up to it for a closer look. (Should my eyes look to the left first when I enter your home, they’ll enjoy that feast and take in the painting later.) And all this after being flooded with the “energy” of your wonderful green door.
What a PRETTY green to go with the great yellow. As usual, Maria, you nailed it!
I think the wall colour is lovely behind your painting and i really like the use of the spot light, Maria. My eyes didn’t bounce around either. I believe doorways and hallways are not areas of your home where you sit or stand around for long periods of time so focal points can change as you move to new areas. The photo may have competing focal points but actual usage of the space wouldn’t cause an issue. I love how things are coming together and eagerly await each post. Nice work, Maria!
Maria,
What’s on the wall opposite the front entrance? You can see that wall in the first picture but not the second and I’m betting your treatment is pretty cool.
Hi Maria:
Am loving sharing your reno via computer. Not surprisingly, you have made some amazing choices. In particular loved the orange color choice for your master closet and the amazing kelly green door. I am only sorry you are no longer using Benjamin Moore paint. Would you be able to offer a BM color match for both of those great choices. Thanks in advance.
Lori
Hi Lori,
Benjamin Moore does not have a Kelly green in this shade whatsoever.
Maria
I have it for you in Dulux though it’s Market Green 30 GY 21/429. Hope that helps, Maria
Okay here’s the orange, it’s SW 6661. Maria
It is so fun to see the pieces of your house come together! You are making it look so easy and seamless even though it never is. Your mention of art at the end of the post made me thing of another post idea I’d love to see from you: How to hang art in a long narrow hallway. Hang art of both sides of the hallway or just one side? Scale? Frames all the same or OK to mix it up? I’d love to get some tips from you!
Look forward to seeing more of your house as it progresses along!
Hi Maria.
You are certainly imprinting your love of colour in every corner of your new house, turning it into a vibrant and energising home. Sharing your journey with you is a treat. Could I live there? Sure could!
I’m happy for you, you are so generous in sharing your feelings and the reasoning behind choices. Thank you.
Have you considered removing your screen door and replacing it with a rectractable screen door? I had Phantom screen doors put in my last house, a single one at the front and a double one for the French Doors at the back. It was great to have the breeze when I wanted it, and to be able tro just have the front door show nicely without the screen when I wanted to showcase it. The retractable screen doors also look better than regular screen doors and allow more air to circulate since the whole door is a screen.
I love the green door, it is such a happy color, and the painting at the end of the hall totally caught my eye. Our front door is painted Benjamin Moore “Yellow Raincoat”. Our house is a newly renovated 1840’s brick with the original door which we refurbished after redoing the entire house. All the doors in our neighborhood are pretty much painted black, but we wanted something cheerful and welcoming, I love it!
Looks amazing Maria! Totally YOU!
Hi Maria,
Love the door! Actually, I love any exterior door painted any colour but white!! Just a question about the picture light you say you are going to buy. Do you have any tricks for hiding cords that plug in or do you just run it behind the picture?
Have a great Canada Day weekend!
Love that fresh Kelly Green, Maria!
I’ve just repainted my front door in Benjamin Moore’s Peerage – a dark purple – which brings out some of the purple tones in the stone on my home’s exterior and helps bring it forward visually. I’ve paired it with an oriental-style polyolefin carpet in shades of purple, and I’m mulling over my hardware options. I’ll also plant perennials with purple and white blooms.
Love the door. Mine is classic black. I’ve always wanted that and now have the house for it. And, now that I do, I’m thinking about something else. But, that’s me! I’ve noticed you’re using a lot of colors outside the Ben Moore realm. Any particular reason?
Hi Maria,
I’ve been following your blog for a while and I just realized I’ve never left a comment. As a blogger myself I should know better 🙂 I’m a young designer in Atlanta and think you have the best advice for designers out there. It’s so refreshing to have a designer giving other designers advice rather than just to the client. I have learned some very valuable tips from you. I am constantly linking to your site and sending your articles to other designers in my area. You have a fan in us GA peaches! Thanks for the door inspiration, it’s the perfect green.
Dear Maria,
I’m a huge fan of yours! The post about front doors is timely for me because I am having the whole exterior house painted right now, including the front door. Would you share your thoughts on how to treat the inside of the front door? I will be painting the outside of the door a deep midnight color, and the inside is already a mid-tone wood stained finish. There is no other midnight on the inside to relate to, so should I keep to original door color inside? Thanks much.
Yes your inside door should relate to your entry or adjoining rooms in some way! Thanks for your comment! Maria