blue house, red door

Having developed a massive inventory of house photos over the last five years, I have just about every exterior color combination documented in some way, shape, or form. Obviously not every shade of every color, but at least the major color categories.

I thought to myself that there must be something useful to do with all of these images! Why not create a variety of “look books” for those of you searching for color inspiration? So here goes! If you have a blue house of any shade, from slate blue, to baby blue, to navy blue, to royal blue, to turquoise blue and so on…here are my picks for the best front door colors.

A Super Safe Choice

White

A white front door on a blue house can look nice, but it is a very safe choice. Painting the front door white is a missed opportunity to punch up the curb appeal of your home, and it can also start to look dingy rather quickly depending on how often it is used and exposure to the elements.

blue house, white door
This Essex, CT home is going for subtlety with its white door and pale blue exterior.

Having said that, if you are going for subtle the home above gets a white door right. The exterior is a very pale blue and the trim is also a crisp white.

The door on the house below is technically a very pale yellow, but it is practically white. I think this little house is darling but would prefer to see a more saturated yellow to match the intensity of the blue exterior.

blue house, yellow door
This pale yellow door looks almost white against the much darker slate blue, adding a subtle pastel accent.

Classic (Also Safe) Choices

Black

A glossy black door on a blue house can look fantastic. It is a traditional choice, and not necessarily exciting, but it can make your home look crisp and sophisticated. Some people don’t like black and blue together (perhaps too much like a bruise?), but that’s an old-fashioned rule that no longer applies.

Painting window muntins black is a popular trend at the moment, and while I like the look on certain homes (like the two featured below) I would think it through carefully as the trend may be shortlived. Window and door trim looks great painted a crisp white or painted the same color as the body of the house to put the focus on the door.

Stained Wood

I realize stain isn’t technically a color, but letting your beautiful wooden door shine through with a pretty stain on it can look fabulous with a blue house. It adds contrast and texture and a certain richness to your exterior. Just take a peek at some of these stained beauties below!

Bolder (and Braver) Choices

Red

True red may be bright and bold, but it is a classic, traditional choice that many people love. In that sense, it is a comfortable color for people who want something with a bit more punch without being too different. With a blue house, a red door can cause an exterior to lean a bit patriotic depending on the shade of blue so keep that in mind.

Yellow

Yellow is one of the best front door colors for a blue house, in my humble opinion. It can be pale, bright, or rich in color, ranging from sunny yellow to golden yellow to lemon yellow and everything in between.

It is a primary color along with red and blue, so perhaps that explains why so many choose yellow or red for their blue house. It is a happy and welcoming color!

When You Really Want to Go For It

Feeling extra brave? Really want to turn someone’s head when they walk or drive by your house? Then have a look at these colors!

Red-Orange and Orange

While just a few shades away from red, something about a red-orange or orange door really catches your eye. Check out these examples below. How about that royal blue with bright orange on the upper right? This happens to be a restaurant so they went extra bold.

Purple

Purple is analogous to blue on the color wheel and though you may not think of it at first, it really looks great! Especially on a Victorian home which demands a variety of happy, fun colors.

Although I don’t have a good example in my archives, I think a royal purple or lavender would look wonderful with navy or royal blue in addition to the lighter shades below.

Pink

Whether a deep raspberry, pale pink, or rosy pink, pink is a great complement to blue. A deep raspberry like the home on the left below is a bit more sophisticated and serious, while the rosy pink on the bottom right is clearly meant to be cheery and fun.

Burgundy

While certainly more subtle, burgundy is a rich shade that is a less common choice for a blue house and one most people might overlook. I love the burgundy door on the home on the right below, along with the cream trim and burgundy accents.

blue house, Burgundy door
Rich burgundy is an unexpected choice for the front door and trim accents on this Georgetown, DC rowhouse.

Hopefully, this has provided some inspiration to you in choosing a color for your blue house (or maybe even inspired you to paint your house blue!) Which color would you choose? Is there another color you would add?Please let me know in the comments!

And remember – when choosing colors for your home, don’t be afraid to be creative and fun. Whatever YOU decide is perfect!


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24 Comments

  1. Hi.

    Hope ur well.

    We r redoing our lake home and it will be blue. I love the colours of blue house # 34 … all of them actually. We were speaking of blue house, white trim and yellow door and I was wondering if u know the name of that blue specifically and the white.

    Thank you very much
    Lisa

    1. Lisa, I am sitting here researching the exact same thing!
      We are almost done with our build – color is Biscayne blue smart siding and I am trying to select a yellow. Was hoping this site had the color name for the yellow for house #34
      Please let me know if you find it!

  2. Hi I am going into a new house it is a deep blue siding white trim I picked white shutters what color door would you suggest I was thinking yellow .

    Thanks

  3. Having midnight serf for siding was thinking of a black front door with 3/4 glass and side lights. Do you think that will make a statement? It is going under front porch.

  4. Hi! Do you know the name of the pale blue paint color on the home from Essex, CT? The first house picture. Thank you!

  5. Thank you for all the help with this question about the Future front door color. Little did I know that my dear sweet wife had already picked out the RED color that SHE likes and WE get to use. And as stated in the answers, she wants some POP / PIZZAZZ! So guess what? PIZZAZZ is what we’re getting. Everyone have a Merry Christmas and a great Coming Year. Stay safe

  6. Hi, do you know what the color is on the blue house 17 door? it looks raspberry-ish. We are getting Pacific Blue siding by CertainTeed and want to paint the front door. I love that color on the front door. If you could let me know, that would be amazing!

  7. Thank you for putting this together! It’s very useful and so niche. I have a light blue Cape Cod and the only color other than my boring white was red which was not the vibe that I wanted to create. Then I thought of yellow, but I saw this coral in your collection and that attracted me. Also the other red door blue houses looked pretty nice so I have lots of ideas now. Thank you!!

  8. Thank you for the great ideas. Are you able to tell me the “deep raspberry” paint color on the left picture or something close? I love it, but can’t seem to find something similar. Thank you!

  9. I love blue houses and when we decided to reside our ugly olive 60’s era ranch house I got to pick the color. Our house went from the saddest house on the block to the cutest all trimmed in white (our previous trim was a dull burnt orange). I would have loved a bright door but we went with a mahogany stain look and it’s pretty.

  10. Thanks for posting this! I have to say I’ve been looking for the courage to paint my front door pink and I think the image you posted is the final kick I needed. I love it.

  11. I enjoyed this “look book” inspiration very much!
    The thing that has me puzzled is what color to paint the screen door over the front door. We have an 1880 Italianate house that is absolutely classic for this part of upstate NY (I know, I know, over the line from NE; mores the pity!). We all have lovely, old, slightly fancy screen doors but I’m not sure whether to match the white house, green trim, or door color (soon to be plum and not the current boring white!). And should other, side doors be done the same even if they are not the same color as the front door? Thanks for any future thoughts you may have on this subject!

    1. Hi Lisa! Thanks so much for your feedback on the post – so glad you enjoyed it. You must have a beautiful home – I love the Italianate style! I think in your case painting the screen doors to match the front door would be ideal though certainly not mandatory. Regarding the side doors, there is no hard and fast “rule”. If you want to accent a side door then paint it to match the front door, but if you want the side doors to “disappear” and be less noticeable then paint it to match house or trim. It will help it to fade in a bit. Let me know what you decide!

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