Posted on January 1, 2022 by KylieMawdsley
The Best Paint Colours for the INSIDE of Your Front Door
(partner post to ‘The Best Paint Colours for the Outside of Your Front Door’ )
Other than ceilings and bodies, doors are often the most ignored paintable surface in a home. I’ve had clients repaint their ENTIRE HOME without giving a second thought to the inside of the front door – leaving it in all of its ‘factory white’ glory.
So, that’s why today, we’re going to talk about why you SHOULD paint your door, as well as a few colour considerations!
DOORS IN YOUR HOME THAT CAN BE PAINTED
DOOR #1 THE FRONT DOOR, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER DOOR CLOSE BY
In our previous home, the entryway had three doors that all looked the same and were all shut 95% of the time (front/garage/suite). This was a great reason to single out the main door and paint it a key colour. Regardless, even if your door is lonesome, it deserves a little TLC (or KLC if you hire me to help you pick a paint colour!).
DOOR #2 A BACK DOOR LEADING OUT TO YOUR YARD or GARDEN
A back door (not including a sliding door) that leads out to your garden/backyard can be a great place for a dash of colour!
DOOR #3 LAUNDRY ROOM OR OFFICE DOOR
With laundry doors often being located in central areas, it’s okay to add a little love to at least make them interesting! Same with office doors, which are often near the entryway of a home.
This next door would LOVE a lil’ colour…
DOOR #4 A PANTRY DOOR IN YOUR KITCHEN
If you have a pantry door in your kitchen that stands out compared to your cupboards (ie, you have colourful/wood cabinets and a white pantry door), you could paint your pantry door to reduce the level of contrast.
DOOR #5 ALL OF YOUR INTERIOR DOORS
If you’re not a fan of white doors, don’t be afraid to add a little colour to your life!
Do the interior and exterior of the door need to be the same colour?
Absolutely not! Just think, if the exterior of your door is already painted and the interior is white, then there’s ALREADY a difference – and a high-contrast, drastic one at that.
What’s the best way to sample the paint colours below?
Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out soon to grab paint samples – stop there! Please check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…
- samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location
- they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
- if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room
Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE
How to Pick the Best Colour For Your Door
- Choose an accent colour that suits the interior of your home. Accent colours tend to be in the darker range (like the last one or two colours on a colour strip.) You can repeat an accent colour that already exists in your space OR choose an accent colour that complements/contrasts your home.
- If you aren’t a fan of dark colours, there are some mid-tone colours and neutrals that work too!
- Look at the permanent features in your space for inspiration. If you have tile, linoleum, brick or stone, there should be some colour inspirations that will help tie your door into the scheme of your home
- Consider the temporary inspirations in your space, like your wall colour, furnishings, textiles and artwork
- In the ideal world, while they don’t need to be the same colour, the interior should coordinate well with the paint colour on the exterior of the door
THE BEST PAINT COLOURS FOR THE INSIDE OF YOUR FRONT DOOR
Remember, just because you LOVE a paint colour doesn’t mean it will suit your room. Refer to your surrounding floor, furnishings and general decor style to ensure your home can pull off the look you want!
The above blobs are just approximating some of the colours listed below
THE BEST NAVY BLUE PAINT COLOURS FOR YOUR FRONT DOOR
- Benjamin Moore Hale Navy – a rich navy blue that isn’t too primary toned
- Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue – navy blue with a weee wink o’ green in it
- Sherwin Williams Cyberspace – a more toned-down approach to navy blue
- Sherwin Williams Naval – another gorgeous navy option
THE BEST BLUE-GREEN OR TEAL PAINT COLOURS FOR YOUR FRONT DOOR
- Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue – a beautiful blue/green/gray blend
- Benjamin Moore Caribbean Teal – a slightly darker blue-green blend with some gray to calm it down
- Sherwin Williams Peacock Plume – a stunning blue-green with some gray
- Sherwin Williams Cloudburst or Grand Canal – striking, stronger teal paint colours
- Sherwin Williams Festoon Aqua – a bit lighter and brighter!
The Best Blue-Green Paint Colours
The 7 Best Teal and Navy Blue Paint Colours for Your Front Door
THE BEST BLACK & CHARCOAL PAINT COLOURS FOR YOUR FRONT DOOR
- Benjamin Moore Black 2132-10 – hard to go wrong if you’re looking for black (find more blacks in this blog post re: exterior door colours)
- Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray or Chelsea Gray – medium-toned charcoals with a touch of green
- Sherwin Williams Dovetail or Gauntlet Gray- soft, warm gray paint colours
- Benjamin Moore Metropolis – a warmer gray compared to Dovetail
- Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray – a darker gray-green blend, or the lighter version, Cityscape
The Best Paint Colours for a Kitchen Island (similar options to the door)
OTHER FUN, DIFFERENT OR MORE COLOURFUL PAINT COLOURS FOR YOUR FRONT DOOR
- Benjamin Moore Coral Reef – a beautiful coral blend between orange and pink
- Benjamin Moore Hodley Red – a beautiful rich burgundy colour
- Benjamin Moore Incense Stick – a deep purple with an earth-toned base
- Sherwin Williams Sommelier – see more gorgeous red and burgundy paint colours here
- Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter – nothing wrong with going neutral! (FULL REVIEW HERE)
If you didn’t see it above, I DO have an awesome blog post re: the best paint colours for the OUTSIDE of your front door, where you’ll find some equally as gorgeous options and more pretty pictures to check out!
The Best Paint Colours for the OUTSIDE of Your Front Door
READ MORE
The 7 Best Navy and Teal Paint Colour For Your Front Door
6 Budget-Friendly Ideas to Update Your Home
How to Pick Exterior Paint Colours in 5 Easy Steps
Need help?
Check out my E-Design & Color Consulting Packages!
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, AWESOMELY UPDATED IN 2022
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Oh I so want to paint the inside of my front door.. but nervous after wrecking one brand new front door lol… It really is all in the roller isn’t it… I will give it a try and pray it turns out lol.If Not, I will be calling you.
I really really want a new front door, but am not sure what I need to buy, I was hoping to get a second hand door and spruce it up…but I also have a side window…do you normally replace the whol sha-bang? I like the idea of having a different color on the inside, thanks for the insight Kylie!!
Hey Nikki! You need to be very careful as doors that don’t come ‘prehung’ can be a HUGE pain in the butt! Ideally a door comes prehung as then it’s set tight and snug in it’s frame. Otherwise you usually need to retrofit your existing frame to accommodate the new door and it’s hinges – which isn’t always easy or affordable.
Is your existing door just a solid fibreglass door or does it have a window in it? If it is fibreglass and solid have you thought about having a window added (approx. $250 installed). If it has a window have you thought about replacing it with something more modern? (and then getting the matching side window to match). In the end it would probably save you about $1000. Unless you know somebody TERRIBLY handy….
Let me know what you think and if you’re interested in the door window idea let me know and I’ll further those thoughts!!!
so then what would you paint the egde of the door? The inside color or outside color?
That’s a tough one, but I lean toward painting it the colour of the exterior – particularly the inside edge where the hinges are so that when you open the door to guests it’s consistent.
Thanks for asking!
~Kylie
I want to paint my inside front door. The outside is already black but the hallway is all Taupe colour is BM Inischuk and I love it. Please give me a colour paint that would look good. It is a small foyer.
Thank you.
Nan.
Hi Nan, thank you for asking. While I do my best to answer ‘generic’ decorating/paint questions, when it comes to specific rooms/needs I direct my readers to my Online Consulting, this way I can look at photos and spend some quality time with you and your home! It sounds like you would be in the ‘Single Room Paint Colour’ Package which is $45. Here is the link if you are interested ? https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
What kind of paint is best for interior front doors? Like flat, or should it be trim paint? I have leftover paint that was used on my house exterior and painted on the exterior of the front door that I was thinking of using and wondered if it would be ok. Thanks for your input!
Author
Hi Amy! I would definitely do a satin finish. This way it’s wipeable/washable but not too shiny. You’ll find traditional wall paint (eggshell/flat/matte) a bit high maintenance!
~Kylie
Can the outside of my front door be stained and the inside Ben painted a dark gray (iron ore)
Even though all other interior doors and trim is gray? Open concept and kitchen island is iron ore .
Author
I don’t see why not!
I love reading all your helpful post. I have a dark wood
stained front door that I don’t love. It’s super dark and shiny, not my favorite. This gives me some ideas.
Thanks
Author
That’s what I like to hear, thank you Pam!
I love the idea of painting interior front door! In our foyer there is a coat closet on each side of the front door. Would I paint those doors as well?
Author
Hi Denise, I would likely JUST do the front door, to make it stand out a bit!
Great ideas, thanks for posting about painting the interior of the front door, exactly what we’re considering! We have a sidelight on either side of our front door – would you paint those on the interior as well, or only the interior of the front door to make it stand out? The exterior of the front door and sidelights will likely both be painted the same colour (loving the BM Hale Navy).
Author
Hi Melissa! While there are exceptions, I generally paint both the door and the sidelight 🙂
does the inside color of my front door need to go with the color of my kitchen that is across from it? you open my door , enter my front entry, and then the kitchen is right there.
Author
Hi Erica, yup, it should coordinate and match or complement it somehow!
Hi we just recently painted our living room with assessable beige from Sherwin-Williams, we also put in dark wood floors and all of our furniture is espresso colored. We will in a ranch home and when you walk in front door you see the kitchen and the kitchen door as well, which we painted the kitchen same color as living room. Do you have any color recommendations for the front door ? And should I paint the kitchen door to the backyard the same color
Author
Hi Heather! When it comes to personal questions, I do refer to my Edesign so I can look at your room as you’d HAVE to pull your colour from things like your fabrics, any tile, accent colours, etc…it’s a pretty important choice and I would have to see photos to see what would work!
Hi I’m poised to paint all of my interior doors charcoal black. Im loving the nordic/Scandinavia vibe for my home but wonder if painting ALL my doors black and trim white us too much? I live in BC as well, Cariboo area????. Thanks and any tips you offer in helping me woukd really be appreciated.
Author
Hi Shauna! I would probably just do the doors for now, see how that feels – I think doors/trim could be an awful lot! I just did my own interior doors BM Revere Pewter, darkened by 50% with a few KEY doors in a dark colour – I love the balance that gives me and I will blog post about it soon!
~Kylie
Hi there,
Thank you for this post. May I ask – what’s the color on the green door in the photo above (next to the dark/black wall)?
Author
Oh MAN, that is a good question! It was quite a few years ago and I know that I couldn’t find the chartreuse that I wanted in SW or BM, so it was a Behr colour. I ‘think’ it was Lemon Grass, or darned close to it ;).
Replacing a front door and side lights, selling house, should I paint the front door outside and inside the same color? was thinking black, the out side trim is light grey, inside trim white with taupe walls
Author
Hi Cheryl, you can do it the same as long as it suits the exterior and the interior! Mine is black all the way around, but I’ve had homes where I’ve adjusted the interior to suit it a bit better :).
Hey Kylie! I’ve been thinking about painting our doors dark. We have all neutral tones greys throughout the house, so I was thinking a near black colour. Our master bedroom is painted Oxford White with one Wrought Iron wall behind the bed. Since we already used Wrought Iron and loved it, that’s what I was thinking for the doors, too. But would it be too much in one room to have a black wall, a black door and black double closet doors? The room is average sized, room for a bed and dresser. Mainly I’m asking: in this instance, would it be better to use the same colour as the accent colour, or go lighter?
Author
Hi Jojo, well, I can speak RIGHT to this as I have BM White Dove on my walls with Wrought Iron as my feature wall in MY bedroom! So, if it were ME, I wouldn’t. Sometimes you can actually dilute the impact of something with overuse. I actually have a lot of my doors painted BM Revere Pewter (50% darker) and I would take an approach more like that rather than more of the dark colour :).
Hi Kylie! I love your posts! I am going to paint the interior of my front door a medium dark color, with the frame matching with white dove trim we have. The question is the single sidelight, match the trim or the door? Also, if we match the door what about the support piece between the door and the sidelight? White or door color?
Thank you!
I can’t be the only one with this question. I want to paint the inside of my front door Sherwin Williams Storm Cloud. The walls are Northstar. Do I leave the wood outline around the door white or paint it to match the door?
Hi! So I am building a tiny house on a lake. I am trying to create a space that is very fun, bright, and beachy feeling. I want it to look very different than a house I would live in permanently. This is just a fun little get away home so I want to create a happy space. The outside is going to be navy with a teal door, tantalizing teal from sherwin Williams. The question is, should I paint the inside of the door the same color or should I paint it white? I plan to have pinks, yellows, teals, and other fun colors accenting throughout the tiny house. Very much like a tropical oasis. I am also considering painting the few lower cabinets in the kitchen a fun color too and have pondered the same teal. The upper cabinets will be white. Thoughts?
Author
You know, with it being a small home and loving this colour ANYWAY, I would be inclined to wrap it around on the inside of the door too :). HOWEVER, I would worry that doing it on the lower cabinets as well could be ‘too much of a good thing’. How about something a tone or 2 lighter???