Front and Center Color: When to Paint Your Door Yellow
Bring a burst of eternal sunshine to your home's entryway with an invigorating yellow front door
Houzz contributor and designer at the Austin-based architecture and interior design firm, Loop Design (http://www.houzz.com/pro/loopdesign/loop-design).
Loop Design specializes in modern residential new construction and renovations. We are passionate about sustainable building practices and enjoy it when our clients bring those same interests to their project.
Houzz contributor and designer at the Austin-based architecture and interior... More »
Few things call out a greeting to visitors and passersby quite like a vibrant yellow front door. An association with happiness, high energy and warmth can make yellow a great choice for the entry to your home. If you live in a cool climate with many cloudy, overcast days, yellow accents can perk up the exterior of your home on even the dreariest mornings. Because of its intensity, this color is best paired with neutral hues —white, grays, toned-down blues and tans.
Check out these inspirational images featuring yellow front doors along with sample palettes of front door, trim and siding colors.
Check out these inspirational images featuring yellow front doors along with sample palettes of front door, trim and siding colors.
| |
| 1. Yellow Door With Warm Wood SIding Even though it reads as orange, this gorgeous wood siding acts as a neutral. The gray fiber cement siding board reads as a neutral too, so you could paint this door any color you like. Yellow is a great choice because it pairs nicely with the similarly warm-hued wood but offers a nice contrast to the cool gray. |
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: Get a similar look with (clockwise from top left, all from Sherwin-Williams): Funky Yellow SW6913, Site White SW7070 and Web Gray SW7075, with warm redwood siding. |
2. Yellow Door With a Cool Gray Exterior
This yellow with a touch of green in it looks fantastic against the blue-gray siding. The white trim offers a crisp accent. This fresh, contemporary palette perfectly showcases the interesting architecture.
This yellow with a touch of green in it looks fantastic against the blue-gray siding. The white trim offers a crisp accent. This fresh, contemporary palette perfectly showcases the interesting architecture.
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: Get a similar look with (clockwise from top left, all from Valspar): Lavish Lime 6008-10B, Ultra White 7006-24 and Blue Twilight 5001-1C. |
| |
| 3. Yellow Door With Corrugated Metal Siding Corrugated steel panels are extremely popular in contemporary residential architecture. But they can easily look cold and industrial if not paired with the right accent colors. Warm and friendly hues such as yellow and orange are great choices with this material. This pure yellow door creates a welcoming splash of color against the gray and black. |
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: Get a similar look with (clockwise from top left, both from Pratt & Lambert): Summer Petal 15-7 and Deep Charcoal 25-18, with cool corrugated metal siding. |
4. Yellow Door With a White Exterior
Yellow doors aren't just for contemporary homes. A soft white color on the exterior of your house means you have your pick of the rainbow for the front door color, no matter what architectural style your home may be.
I'd suggest a bold hue, so it really stands out against the white. Bright yellow with subtle charcoal-gray accents has lots of impact against the soft, light color of this house.
Yellow doors aren't just for contemporary homes. A soft white color on the exterior of your house means you have your pick of the rainbow for the front door color, no matter what architectural style your home may be.
I'd suggest a bold hue, so it really stands out against the white. Bright yellow with subtle charcoal-gray accents has lots of impact against the soft, light color of this house.
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: Get a similar look with (clockwise from top left, all from Kelly-Moore): Rajah Gold KM3471-3, Metro 75 and Papier Blanc OW226-1. |
5. Yellow Door With a Light Gray Exterior
This highlighter-yellow entry has a major wow factor and is best paired with soft, light neutrals, such as the white and light gray used here. With this color greeting, how could you not feel a surge of happiness every time you entered your home?
This highlighter-yellow entry has a major wow factor and is best paired with soft, light neutrals, such as the white and light gray used here. With this color greeting, how could you not feel a surge of happiness every time you entered your home?
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: Get a similar look with (clockwise from top left, all from Pittsburgh Paint): Fresh Lemonade 110-6, Silver Feather 530-1 and Fog 517-3. |
6. Yellow Door With a Dark Brown Exterior
Yellow works with other neutrals besides gray. For instance, it looks great against this dark brown stained wood siding. Broad swathes of dark brown can appear dull and lifeless, so pairing the color with a vibrant hue, such as this pretty lemon yellow, adds a little zest.
Yellow works with other neutrals besides gray. For instance, it looks great against this dark brown stained wood siding. Broad swathes of dark brown can appear dull and lifeless, so pairing the color with a vibrant hue, such as this pretty lemon yellow, adds a little zest.
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: Get a similar look and even throw in a fun accent color, with (clockwise from top left, all from Benjamin Moore): Lemon Freeze 2025-50, Fernwood Green 2145-40 and Clinton Brown HC-67. |
7. Greenish-Yellow Interior Door
The inside of your door does not necessarily have to match the outside color, but if you do go with a bold color on both sides, consider how the hue will impact your interior space. With light neutrals dominating this space, the greenish-yellow door offers a nice dash of color.
The inside of your door does not necessarily have to match the outside color, but if you do go with a bold color on both sides, consider how the hue will impact your interior space. With light neutrals dominating this space, the greenish-yellow door offers a nice dash of color.
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: This chartreuse yellow door would look great with a dark khaki-green exterior accent color and a soft beige-gray house color. Clockwise from top left, all from Sherwin-Williams: Lively Yellow SW6702, Connected Gray SW6165 and Popular Gray SW6071. |
by Susan Wallace
»
8. Yellow Door With a Dark Blue-Gray Exterior
This fantastic screen door by metal artisan Susan Wallace needs no further embellishment, but I love this greenish-gold hue on the door's frame. The cool blue siding sets both off nicely. This must be a fun house to trick-or-treat at on Halloween night!
This fantastic screen door by metal artisan Susan Wallace needs no further embellishment, but I love this greenish-gold hue on the door's frame. The cool blue siding sets both off nicely. This must be a fun house to trick-or-treat at on Halloween night!
|
by Jennifer Ott
»
|
| Example palette: Get a similar look with (clockwise from top left, all from Mythic Paint): Gold Beach 086-5, Ports of Fancy 136-6 and Castle Rock 134-3. Tell us: Have you used yellow on the exterior of your home? Post a photo in the Comments section below. |
Comments
Studio S Squared Architecture, Inc. great article! enjoyed.
8 months ago · Like
· 
1
1
denton14 My favourite pictures are 1,2,4 and 7. Simply gorgeous!
8 months ago · Like
Denise Vilim I don't think I would have ever considered yellow as an aesthetically viable choice for a front door, but it certainly looks amazing on these homes!
8 months ago · Like
itchypixie I'd love to paint my front door yellow and am looking for just the right shade. The trouble is, my house is brick!
8 months ago · Like
· 2
2
sduck2 I painted my cottage door butter yellow after being dark red for so long. It makes it seem happier and less serious.
8 months ago · Like
· 2
2
chickadee We painted our door a bright yellow last year and everyone compliments us on the colour. It looks great in all seasons. Normally we have a wreath on it, but I took it down for the photo. 
8 months ago · Like
· 11
11
mgranskou Here's my yellow (tumeric) door to complement what will after one more year of rain be rusted red Corten sidiing. They're both fall colours and yellow says "welcome, come on in" to visitors. 
8 months ago · Like
· 7
7
Le Chic Maison We recently did a yellow door on an updated bungalow. We love how it turned out. 
8 months ago · Like
· 5
5
arpooja I like the contrast of colors.
8 months ago · Like
azapplewhite Jennifer, what a great article with helpful and great information
8 months ago · Like
yousaytomato You should also paint your door yellow if you follow feng shui and your door faces west.
8 months ago · Like
Daria Malahova very light, imponderable
8 months ago · Like
happymonk yellow is for caution, too. check the color out in all kinds of daylight & lamplight before you make the plunge!
8 months ago · Like
Cherry Hill Cabinetry I painted my door a bright golden yellow (Valspar Soft Duckling #3001-2A) after tiring of the red door we had for 17 years...and I LOVE it! It is so welcoming and makes me smile every time I pull up to my house! :) 
8 months ago · Like
· 12
12
Becky Harris I can't tell you how timely and helpful this is. I am about to repaint my house and want a yellow door and a medium gray that goes with it. THANK YOU!!!!
5 months ago · Like
· 2
2
Laurissa Millican My husband and I live in a small town, so we get mixed reviews on our bright yellow door. We painted it that color not long after we bought our brand new home.. bright yellow is one of my favorite colors, inside or out. 
4 months ago · Like
· 4
4
avantext Loved the article. We painted our house last December and decided to go bold! 
4 months ago · Like
· 3
3
ltcroucher avantext, I have the same house colors. Blue Board and Batten siding and a bright yellow door. Aren't these happy colors? Even my little dog thinks so!
4 months ago · Like
jasmineaubert Yellow door, great for directions, nobody misses it ---!
4 months ago · Like
staceyyrick We painted the front door of the house we are flipping a bright yellow. Such a happy color! 
4 months ago · Like
· 1
1
itchypixie I'm so happy to see that! I live in a brick townhouse, as I said, and was unsure of painting my front door a bright, sunny yellow. It's not easy to find many pictures of brick houses with yellow doors, either. Awesome, Stacy!
4 months ago · Like
· 1
1
ellenknickmeyer Hi, laurissa_millican, i don't know if you'll ever see this, but could you tell me what colors you used on your house?
2 months ago · Like
shorn45 I painted my door BM's Savannah Green and my siding is Weimaraner. Love how it turned out! 
2 months ago · Like
· 4
4
Ideabook published on Oct. 22, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
