How To Choose Your Perfect Front Door Paint

Isn't this weather glorious? Perfect for us to get cracking on painting our front doors! Paint on front doors needs lovely sunshine, not too hot, though, or the paint may blister, but not too cold, or the paint won't harden in the right way, so a breezy sunny day (in England, at least) gives a glorious excuse to smarten up the front of your the perfect conditions for painting outside. 

Your house is like a reflection of your character so, whether you live in a gorgeous English cottage, smothered with roses, or a suburban Victorian semi, or even a shiny new London pad, take the time to make your home one that makes you smile.

Front doors always draw the eye so picking the perfect paint for your front door will really get you on track to give your home a heart that beats in time with your own.

But have you seen the paint aisles? There are umpteen gazillion different paint shades so how's a girl to choose? 

Step this way, if you please!

I LOVE giving this kind of advice to my clients and I hope these posts can give you an inkling of what goes on behind the scenes of Modern Country Style. So if you're feeling completely discombobulated and don't know where to begin then drop me a line...

I suggest that a good place to begin is by pounding the streets. When you're out and about, have a good look at homes that warm your heart. Take a look around your neighbourhood: is there a particular style that draws your eye?

Next, make the very most of all the available sources of inspiration. Check out your favourite books, magazines  and, ahem, blogs that reflect a kerb appeal that gets you buzzing. Don't be afraid to get ripping! Collate all your favourites into one place. You'll find that gradually, graaaadually, your own style will begin to emerge.

Next, take a long, hard, honest look at the parts of your home that can't be changed. Is it the porch? The shape of the windows? The symmetry you love? Do these steer you towards a certain look?

Most importantly, what is your house exterior built from? Bricks, stone or render? Each of these has there own unique charm but will create a different appeal and most certainly should have an impact on your colour choice of front door. 

For example, if your house, like ours, is built using local stone, with their traditional slate roofs, then consider leaning towards muted, heritage colours. However, if your house is a lovely red brick beauty, then warmer colours will fit the bill.

You don't have to feel a slave to these ideas; it's your house after all! But, to create a house that gives the appearance of being casually but perfectly put together, it's best to pull together shades from the same end of the spectrum.

Lastly, as I'm always banging on about here, look at the way the front door faces. This is an essential part of the process because the sunlight really bleaches colours. They'll appear sooooo much lighter even when first painted so if you want impact in the sun, choose with care.

Also, bear in mind that darker colours in the sunshine will fade very noticeably so it may be worth sticking with paler shades, unless you're a paint-your-front-door-once-a-year kind of home-owner!

But in the shade, the world's your oyster....

Coming up soon....I'll be sharing my favourite paint colours for front doors. Do you have any to share?

All images from here...

Exteriors: Modern Country on Pinterest.