I tried three different colors for your front door.
Red, Black and Browny-Burgundy.
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Excellent job, lyban! I vote for #3.

WOW - thanks for all the responses. I was just out running errands and I drove around the neighborhood looking for inspiration. No one has red but there is lots of burgandy; there are MANY doors the same color as mine; and the black doors are my favorite. I never even thought of a color like teal - honestly I can't picture it. Maybe sundried tomato is too red but that is the darkest exterior red that SW had in their chips. Maybe I'll try to get a sample of BM cottage red. No BM stores around me, but I can get it color matched.

les - good point about black fading - hadn't thought of that.

lyban - thanks for photoshopping! Now I can see red would not work. Can you try a deep teal, a darker red, and a deep green as suggested above?

Thanks so much!

How 'bout a dark olivey green. Darker than what you have now.
SW Jasper
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BM Dark Purple
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Here is a link that might be useful: Jasper

FWIW, I posted a while back that you could always take a pic of your home, use an exacto knife to cut out your front door and then hold the paint chip under the hole to get a decent idea as to what the color would look like. Read this in a dec mag years ago and I have lots of friends that have used the idea and liked it. Good luck.

lynn r ct - What a great idea! I never would have thought of that. I'll work on that tonight!

Why not try it a lighter colour, perhaps the lightest shade of the bricks in the adjacent facade. Keep the sidelights and door frame the existing colour. I know the conventional widsom is to always have a dark door, but in your case I think the lighter tone would stand out much better and look nicer, too. Any dark colour is going to make the door look like another window.

Also, I think the reds and teals do not jibe with the essential architecture of your house. Simply because you have a bush that is dark red or purple is not really a good enough reason to paint your front door that shade, imo.

Nice job, Lyban:-) I vote for the black, even if it's going to be hot. It just looks great with your home and I love the way ti makes the pretty stonework pop.

BTW, I have a black ("Charleston Green" technically but looks like black) door that faces south. It does get hot, but I haven't had to repaint it or anything and it makes the black wrought iron planters stand out from the street.

Okay, yall are going to think this is weird....but what about a climbing vine going over your entrance. Something that stays green all year. It would go over the archway.

I like your door the color it is - it just needs a little something there.

Smiles:)

A few blue greens:
Duron Fjord
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BM Newburg Green
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BM Naraganset Green
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Blue Steel
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Cindyloowoo,

Beautiful home! My question to you is what is the name of those purple hedges in front of your home? Are they Burberry bushes? I have been seeing them a lot lately in fromt of homes in my area...Zone 7.

Here is a teal, burgundy and green.
Hard to get the right green because I am using paint.
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johatemp, that is the perfect solution!

Decorpas, our shutters and door are also Charleston Green, and I love it.

Love the vine idea, but I still love the door in black.

kswl, yes...there is nothing so pretty to me as Charleston Green;-) I'm glad someone knows what I am going on about! I'd love to see pics sometime (My wood shutters are also CG).

Re the vine idea, would that damage the exterior stucco of the house or would it climb on a trellis?

The purple/reddish bushes are barberries. There were recently pruned in this pic - they grow very fast and have thorns. They would not have been my first choice, but that is what the builder put in so we will live with them. They are very hardy, almost impossible to kill. We are in zone 5. They come in a dwarf form that I would have preferred.

The smaller purplish plants in the far right of the pic are coralbells (sp?). They are a perenial that grow long sprouts of flowers later in the season. They are beautiful in the spring and summer and look brown and dead in the winter.

I like the Charleston Green idea - that would pull the green out of the stone, but would still look black. Is that a SW color?

Thanks.

Like the color Lyban posted best.. is it the Cottage Red. I think it is the only one I like out of all those colors :)

Here is a blue
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ok, I did a search on colorcharts.org for Charleston Green and variations in the spelling and nothing came up. Can anyone provide a manufacturer or a color sample?

I don't think the brighter blues and greens are doing anything for the facade. And they feel more colonial to me. I actually looked more closely at my immediate neighbors' homes this afternoon. The left and right neighbors have burgandy (sort of purplish in some light) doors as well as one directly across the street. The other home across the street has dark green. The other exterior features are all different than mine, some brick, some siding, a mix if different stones. I think I will stay away from burgandy and go with a very, very deep red or very, very deep burgandy. But two doors down, they have a deep indigo blue - sort of leaning toward a deep teal. The stone on that house is the same color as mine, but they have siding and not stucco. It was good to see a real life example. But I always thought of that house as "colonial" and my house as more "french country."

How about SW Rookwood Dark Red, SW Polished Mahogany, SW Iron Ore, SW French Roast?

Please excuse my crude work here (I just use Paint in Windows), but perhaps painting the trim also would have more impact.

Here is a link that might be useful: painted door & trim

I vote for black. Fine Paints of Europe (they sell it in Rings End stores in CT) has a glossy black that is the best I have ever seen. Your house has such classic lines that I think it would carry the black so well. The door paint is very hard to describe but the effect is stunning. I ordered literature and if I remember corectly I received a great deal of information. I ultimately purchased one of their color fans ($30 with a $25 coupon toward paint so good deal). PS - if you want to buy a fan, check your local distributor, many of them stock them so you can save shipping fees. I learned this too late.

http://www.finepaintsofeurope.com/dutch_doors.aspx

This is the page on their web site that shows some doors that replicate their paint effect.I would really suggest you order some literature. Their paint is more expensive than most but considering your door is really going to be the highlight for your whole home -the jewelry as they say - I think it is worth it.

Ever since I saw the doors on their literature I have been on a kick to paint my front door with their black but my husband, who never cares about any decision in decorating, is dead set on not painting the door. He has that 'ol "WOOD GOOD" mentality but I am still working on it.

I do think you are doing the best thing by canvassing the neighborhood. Sometimes all you learn is what you don't like but that is good too.

I would opt for a red tone. I want to bring up something I dont know if its true. We bought some wood doors and were going to paint them. (Our choice in these wood doors was only because of their particular style and the leaded glass, not for the wood grain) Anyway we were told not to paint them black, because it would void the warranty of the door, and that no manufacture would honor its warranty if a door was painted black. This was from a neighbor who worked for a window and door manufacturer. I do not know if it pertains to wood doors only, because they would be more likely to crack in the sun and heat,or how much or if any of that is true. I would like to know because I like that off black charcoal color for a front door and shutters and have begun to reconsider it in our new project. I see so many black doors I wonder about it. Any one ever heard of this?

Hi,

sorry about the Charleston Green confusion- it is a term used for a certain color here in the south (there's a long story that goes along with this!). Sherwin Williams has it in the Historic Charleston collection. It is also sold here as part of a historical collection in the Lord and Evans paint line.

a bit of the story:

The shutters, painted in what looked like black, but what was often "Charleston green" - a color rooted in the black paint given to Charleston by the federal government after the war, paint that the citizens, the story goes, could not bear to use as it was, for not only was did it resonate with mourning, it was from the Yankees, so they tinted it with a bit of yellow to make Charleston Green.

Here is a link that might be useful: charleston green

Black from a distance can turn a door into a cave entrance. We have a brick red door, but our house is yellow, so it isn't really apples to apples.
I'm curious to see how the dark green would look.
Jo

My front door -- but there is a black-painted tall-backed pub bench there now and the two small tree have been removed .......

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awm03 - WOW, painting the trim too makes a huge difference. The door looks so big. Thanks.

decorpas - I'm in PA so I guess that makes me a yankee :) Funny thing, I NEVER noticed the keystone over my door until I started looking at the photoshopped pics on this thread. PA is the Keystone State. Interesting history about the paint color.

pollyanna - I never heard about black paint voiding a door's warranty. There are many doors painted black in my neighborhood - all done by the builder. But they are steel doors.

I had another thought while cruising the neighborhood for ideas. Do you think I could paint it to look like wood? There are some doors like that in my neighborhood, but I think they are a different material - fiberglass maybe? I'll do some research. I would love to have a real wood front door, but my dh would NOT be pleased!!!!!!

Teacats - we cross posted. I love your entry, it is beautiful!

Cindy,

is your door fiberlglass? If so, you can use a product called Zar to give it the appearance of real wood. IF you feel confident doing a faux treatment, Zar gives the best results I've seen. It's used all of the time for trim work, doors, etc. I first ran into it at a set painting store, but I then met and talked with the Zar rep and he explained the applications of it to me. I used it on my kitchen cabinets and interior doors. I was thrilled.

I was thinking last night that given the style of your home, a wood door would be perfect. the country French/Provence homes I've seen (and I've studied the architecture quite obsessively) often have solid wood doors.

I just think that would look great on this home. You may have to mix the stain together to get the right look, but it would be worth it to me, to complete the look.

Your home is charming and the stonework is something I would want to play up. I can see the wood door doing just that.

here's a link to Zar, but you can also google it and see it on You Tube. The folks at Zar are super helpful even during your project. I LOVE this product!

Here is a link that might be useful: Zar

Lovely house!
Do any of these colours float your boat?

My door is steel. I found some instructions are various websites about using a wood graining tool to create a wood look, but I'm afraid it would look cheesey and fake. I would love a real wood door, but that's not gonna happen :(

homemaker, thanks for the pics. I like #2, 4, and 7 the best. #2 is very close to the current color, just darker. I like the red, but I think it needs to be darker. What color is #4 - charcoal gray? And, the black looks nice which is what I was leaning toward already.

I like #2 also as I think that it blends so well w/ what is currently there. Or the deep burgundy/red since it ties in w/ the barberry. I think that doors should have the same color repeated elsewhere unless it is such a classical home that it calls for a red or black door.

Often I think that a black door where there is nothing else 'coordinating' looks like a big black hole. Teacats seems to have enough contrast elsewhere to pull it off but I'm not sure that your home does.

I think black would be beautiful - or a black cherry red (almost so dark that it's black).

I'm so happy to see all the photoshoppers. Great job everyone!

Cindy, I did the closer shot to see some of the details you were wanting. I really like the dark reds and plum colors alot. I was playing with different pots I found from the Accents of Salado website (one of my favs) Still looking for a cool black one. Here's some of the colors with the kickplate, door knocker, house numbers and plants.

This one was my favorite. It would almost "look" black from the street if it's dark enough. But up close, it has a beautiful dark plum that would give you the interest you wanted.

Red

Deeper Red/Burgundy

Teal

Charcoal Black..playing with a copper pot too

Plum with the trim painted thanks to AWM03 for the idea

Here is a link that might be useful: Accents of Salado

We went with Martha Stewart's (Lowes') Shiraz on our front door and I absolutely love the color. Dark plummy color - I had gone in thinking I would pick out either black or a very dark chocolate brown but something about this color just caught our eye. I was hoping to add some elegance and I had tired of the bright red. Worked out perfectly although I definitely notice that the front door doesn't stand out from the street as much but I love it's understated elegance.

We liked it so much we went with it again on one of our rentals that had a similar exterior color scheme as our own, and again were very pleased with the effect on that home.

For our other one we went with BM Cottage Red and it is a great traditional red color and it finished off the home's classic over all look (white house with deep very dark almost black hunter green shutters).

I could easily see either of those looking great on your beautiful home - although I'm leaning more towards the Shiraz personally.

Great virtuals you guys - I tried (and even bought some software, lol!) but just haven't got the knack or talent :).

Lindy - Thanks for photoshopping the colors with some of the details. It helps a lot to see what it could look like. I love that website. I'll have to bookmark it for when I have some time to browse.

I love the plum! That is a color I would have never thought of on my own. I like the dark red and charcoal too, but I think the plum will set my house apart from my neighbors. I'm not sure about painting the trim though. I like the contrast between the dark plum and the existing trim color.

Lindy - what is the name of the color you used - you do you have a recommendation?

Thank you to everyone for all of your wonderful ideas and for helping me think out-of-the-box.

Cindy

Cindy

I used the Photoshop color wheel and not a specific color but try Ben Moore's "Galaxy". I believe it's Kitchenkelly who has that one on her front door if you do a search. One strip over from that is a really pretty shade called Vintage Wine with a tad more red than the Galaxy. I think it looks fantastic on the fandeck anyway! LOL

I thought the plum might be great! I would try one a little bit redder, tho.

I just saw a new color in the Affinity paints from BM called Caponata. You might take a look at that. Also Bordeaux Red in their regular paint.

lindybarts,
I only use paint when I photoshop but am about to buy Photoshop elements 6. Can you tell me if I buy this program when I paint a door can I get the paneling to show thru as you did for the above doors compared to my paint that gets just the straight cover up of paint color also like my doors above.

Lindy -- Brillant virtuals! LOVE the darkest plum with those gorgeous pots and plants -- excellent ideas all around! :)

Jan

lyban, when I do a color on Photoshop, I choose the "Fill Layer" tool and then it has a box for "opacity". I usually put it at about 50-60% and then most of the architecture will come through. The Ben Moore paint program also has that feature to dial it up thick or paint it thin.

teacats, that you so much! Those were easy pictures to paint for some reason. The lighting was perfect for Photoshopping.

Les, Caponata is really pretty. I wonder if the online sample is the same as the real life version. Cindy...check it out.

Nothing wrong with the color it is now, however will tell you there is a Model home not far from us in same shade as your home, and they did the front door burnt orange, is what I would call it, not gaudy orange, a deep shade.

BM Black Forest Green might be nice. It's a dark green that is so dark that it almost looks black - but is less harsh. I have it on my front door and love it.

Personally I think it looks fine now. Why risk having the paint bubble or chip down the road because of the heat?
If you are determined to change the color, its a classic looking house, I would stick with a classic looking color, some variation of black/almost black or a deep red.
Does your HOA rules say anything about this?

Beautiful home!
Beutiful Landscape!
I think is perfect but if you want some contrast and interest in the entry my vote goes to a dark-pine-green or the exact color of the barberry bushes (burgundy)
in theory, burgundy is a better option because looks better with your grey shades than the green.
Any other color does not belong and black is not an inviting color
I do not think is a good idea to add a gold kickplate.
I like the clean/crispy looking of your home.
congratulations

Cindy, I forgot to tell you how pretty your house is:)

I have seen vines being trained on a string....you just attach it to the house where you want it to go. I saw the most beautiful pic somewhere of ivy being trained on a big brick wall in a harlequin pattern.

Another thought I had....you window above the door - could you paint the trim around the window the same color as your door? All of your other windows have stone trim(darker). You could also maybe paint the arch trim around the door. I am thinking this would give it a more cohesive look to your house - 2 big urns with plants & your done.

I also really like that plum color that Lindy last posted, too.

Smiles:)

Fabulous job, lindy!

I vote for the plum. :)

Lindybarts, i did not see your plum photoshop work. It looks beautiful and classy.

Thank you all so much for your kind comments and advice. I really like the plum and I'm going to look for some paint chips tomorrow. Also, looking for planters.

We do have an HOA, but there are no color restrictions. My only concern about the plum/burgandy is I don't want to pick a color too close to my immediate neighbors. Three immediate neighbors have burgandy, one has dark green. I think that deep plum would be differnt enough but also look great with the stone.

I don't think you can paint stucco, can you? I never thought about painting the areas around the window and door b/c of the stucco. Any experience with this?

Cindy

Cindy,
Real stucco (the one made of portland cement and sand) and fake stucco (EIFS or Dryvit) can be painted.
I am not sure that is a good idea to paint the window and door area. maybe just the trim to match the color of the stone.
For some reason I am remembering what I tell my DH sometimes: Do not fix what is not broken :)

OK, I went to SW and picked up some paint chips in various shades of plum. Now that I'm looking at them, all I can think of is, "I can't paint my door purple!" Please help me stay on track. I'm leaning toward SW Arresting Auburn or Marooned, or maybe Raisin - I don't know!

Lindy - you were so kind with the photoshopping. Could you do a few more with these colors?

SW Arresting Auburn
SW Marooned
SW Sommelier
SW Raisin
SW Carnelian

Thank you so much!!!!!!!! I am obsessing about this way too much.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arresting Auburn

I love red!