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Original poster

The psychology behind your front door! what colour is yours? when you buy a house do you change it?

58 replies

Christabel3 · 01/06/2013 13:33

Touch wood (all things proceeding without hitch) we will be moving in to a house with a weak white old front door. The house is a very terrace. Not new build but not period. HOuses in the row of five kept well though. 'Mine' is the least loved at the moment. It is quite shabby inside but the first thing I want to do is replace the door which looks early 80s. It's white. I'm thinking a Red door! Just because. Would a Georgian door look doh! on a house built in 1980 (circa).

I read that red door in feng shui means welcome! I also read that there's an old scottish tradition that when you have paid off your mortgage you painted your front door red. That amused me. How funny to advertise your business.

The different colours meant different things. I'm not sure what white means, but I feel the urge to get rid of it. And there are plenty of things INSIDE the house that need to be refreshed. Not sure why I am so keen to put a new front door on the house ASAP

Can you go 'too grand' with the front door sometimes? I remember my mtoher laughing at a house with stone lions on the drive wayy pillars!..

OP posts:
Original poster
Christabel3 · 01/06/2013 19:40

love that quiz!

it has to be red i think. i do like black doors too but i read that analysis and it doesn't fit with me at all!

i saw some american houses on google images, they were grey with yellow front doors and it looked amazing.

OP posts:
Original poster
Christabel3 · 01/06/2013 19:54

oh tell me to calm down! i have just ordered the numbers 88 from Madrid design studio. Blue enamel, French style numbering, art nouveau style. so gorgeous. can't believe I am crazy enough to spend 24 euro before on house numbers before the contracts are signed!

I have a funny feeling everything wil be ok though.

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HormonalHousewife · 01/06/2013 20:37

Mines varnished...and theres no possibility of painting it.

wonkylegs · 01/06/2013 21:16

Our current one is black, I wanted red but next doors is green and we would look like we had a Christmas theme going on so I went for black with chrome fittings as it's smart on the traditional Edwardian door.
Our new house (in process of buying) is a perfect massive Victorian cherry red door, I'm so excited.

DogsAreEasierThanChildren · 01/06/2013 21:21

I want stone lions!

Ours is white, and I only mentioned to DH today that I'd like to change it. We haven't been in this house very long - our old front door was black (Victorian house so looked right).

MoottonBun · 01/06/2013 21:23

elah11, where did you get your purple paint from? I have been thinking about re-painting ours a sort of deep Cadbury purple but can't find anything even remotely similar, gloss paint colours seem limited. Anyone know where you can get custom colour gloss paint?

BOF · 01/06/2013 21:26

Red is definitely the most welcoming.

Corygal · 01/06/2013 21:30

Mine is cobalt blue, with large silver numbers and deco letter box - all courtesy of Wilkos and Poundland (except the 30s thing), total spend was 8 quid.

I say this not as a stealth boast (entirely) but because Wilkos gloss works brilliantly on front doors for some reason and some of the colours look quite swank. You have to wait for the pound shop to get nice big steel numbers in, not the hideous teeny 70s one they usually have.

Use bigger numbers than you think you need and match the age of the typeface to the age of the house.

WhispersOfWickedness · 01/06/2013 21:30

Ours is white UPVC Sad I hate it Sad

waltermittymissus · 01/06/2013 21:32

Mine's a lovely forest green.

It means I'm effortlessly stylish, apparently.

BOF · 01/06/2013 22:00

Come and admire my knocker. You can see a bit of chipped paint of the vile green that is underneath the red. I need to repaint.

NotSpartacus · 01/06/2013 22:01

Mine is blue, because we have not got around to painting it since we bought the place over five years ago...

I am on the hunt for the perfect pea green.

waltermittymissus · 01/06/2013 22:15

BOF I was a bit Blush when you said 'vile' green as mine is green...

But man, that green is really vile! Grin

Original poster
Christabel3 · 01/06/2013 23:28

denman03 your house sounds lovely. like that combination of grey house and black door. classy!

OP posts:
usuallyfoundinthefastlane · 01/06/2013 23:45

I painted my door green today. It was previously dark brown (inherited from previous owner) with many dings and scratches from swinging scooters etc through (my DSs not previous owners), no doubt will be that way again soon.

mawbroon · 02/06/2013 00:00

I want a Green Door.

And an old piano

GrinGrin

Startail · 02/06/2013 00:29

Don't paint it red or pink if it's in the full Sun.

My parents did their garage door a beautiful deep wine colour, it looked beautiful for five minutes, before it faded to blotchy pink.

stealthsquiggle · 02/06/2013 00:45

Ours is varnished wood. Colour would be nice, but fitting properly with no howling draft or putting your shoulder to it to open it would be better Grin.

OP - good luck with your purchase.

CointreauVersial · 02/06/2013 00:52

Ours is royal blue, and it was that colour when we bought the house.

It suits the style of house (1930s), but I probably wouldn't choose it. It's meh.

nooka · 02/06/2013 01:13

I grew up in a house with a very large black door, then our first two houses we painted the front doors blue, and our current front door is a bright sunny yellow. We live in a wood clad house and when we were choosing colours we had over ten testers on the go as we couldn't decide. dh wanted red for the walls but we were told it would fade to pink very quickly, so he accepted my green choice if I went with his yellow. Our garage door is yellow too, so it certainly stands out!

Grockle · 02/06/2013 02:28

Mine was white UPVC when I moved in. The house is Edwardian & it looked horrid. When I had the windows replaced, I got a lovely new black door. I love it - looks really smart & matches the rest of the house (white gable with black beams).

I worked somewhere that had a yellow front door which, apparently, signified a safe haven for Jews during WW2.

wfrances · 02/06/2013 09:10

i painted mine black ,

Original poster
Christabel3 · 02/06/2013 10:29

/corygal, can you explain that to me 'match the age of the typeface to the age of the house'. This sounds interesting and I want to know what you mean! you sound like you had great luck with the 'door furniture'. So, Wilkos paint is great for front doors is it?

I was looking on line and it seems to be composit this and composite that. Is an old fashioned wood door cheaper ? Confused

herring Yellow front doors look lovely on a grey house.

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Original poster
Christabel3 · 02/06/2013 10:31

That's interesting about a yellow door indicating a safe haven for Jewish people in WWII. I hope that was a SECRET at the time though

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Pickle131 · 02/06/2013 18:21

I just had a new door put in my Victorian house because the old one was so drafty and people could see right through the etched glass. We went for a dark green in the end rather than the very harsh green we had before and I love it. I also had stained glass made for the two panels and fan light and now nobody can see me in my PJs even with the lights on Grin