Why must the front door be painted Muddled Basil? A dark color, visually, will make the door recede and if trim and siding does not correlate, it might look cavernous. Then you get into a storm door, if you need one. A storm changes everything.

And, why do you only have two choices for exterior hardware?

What style is your home?

What color is the trim and what color is the body of the house?

Can you show us pictures of the exterior lighting?

How about a rendering of your home?

I agree that light hardware can be nice against a dark door.

(Here the light and house numbers were chosen to match the pre-existing storm door, but we did nickel on the actual door and interior.

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Here, in contrast, is a dark green with dark hardware -- also nice, but just very different in effect.

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It depends on the overall style of the door and home. More modern, go brushed nickel; more traditional, go ORB. Not really a big deal. Lighting is a whole other question in terms of finishes.

Thank you for your replies!

Thanks for the examples, acm.... it is helpful to visualize it.

JudyG - I will try to address all of your questions.

We are building in a development with an HOA, so are restricted to the HOA's professionally designed color packages (30 to choose from). The color package we like comes with a Muddled Basil painted front door with the two hardware options. Of course, we could always change either after closing, but I would rather not. A dark front door wouldn't be my top choice, but all of their color packages have dark doors (browns and blacks and dark grays), so going with a different color package won't give me a more colorful door. I can certainly see myself painting the front door someday, but it won't be high on my priority list at first.

The best way I can describe the home is modern craftsman style. The siding will be painted SW Mountain Road, with SW Naturel and SW Muddled Basil accents. All the trim, windows and porch pillars will be origami white. That is assuming we stick with that color package.....the more time I spend on houzz, the more I start doubting myself!

The exterior lights are mission or craftsman in style. Kind of like this one, but jet black.

Oh, and there will be no need for a storm door.

Exterior colors:

I think the package/color palette is quite nice. I understand HOA/developer requirements quite well. Designed so nobody does crazy things that devalues every ones property but can get kind of bland in the long run. With that palette, lighting etc., I think the ORB door handle would be best. btw, it isn't an easy task to change door hardware "after" the fact, so go with what you think you like the best, because down the road, the door has been "cut" for the internals of the door and locks, etc., etc., etc. I think you should stick with your choice and it will look very lovely. You can add your personal touches with some landscaping, window treatments, etc. once you move in. Perhaps you have a porch that some nice wood chairs could sit on or a glider? Some colorful pots with loads of flowers. That type thing. Good luck.

Thank you for your very kind words, Flo......you made me feel better about everything.

I am still not totally sure what our decision will be, because I like both of them for different reasons. But I know in the big scheme of things, I will be happy with either choice.

Yes, when building, we tend to get hyper focused on details, and while they are important, in the greater scheme of things, when you have pre-approved items, they all should work together fairly well. Just a matter of personal taste. Wishing you the best.