The front door of your home is like the cover on a book, the wrapping on a present, or the icing on a cake – it’s a preview of what’s to come. Your front door assures you that you’ve arrived safely home. It warmly greets your guests and welcomes them in. With so much of your home’s reputation resting on your front door, we wanted to share some tips and inspiration to help you make your front door a true representation of the family and home that resides within.

Color

Updating the color of your front door is one of the easiest ways to improve your curb appeal and make a great first impression. When focusing on exterior colors for your home, we recommend you start with the “60-30-10” rule as a guideline:

• Body color (60%)
• Trim color (fascia, windows, overhangs) 30%
• Accent color (doors and/or shutters) 10%.

You can tweak the “60-30-10” rule based on your home’s architecture, fixed features and your personal taste. The “60-30-10” rule would not apply to the monochromatic color schemes and single-color exteriors that have gained popularity in the past few years.

Since the paint color you select for your door will only be used on about 10% of the exterior of your home, it can be a great place to experiment and go bold with your colors.

Lighting

A well-lit front entrance not only looks lovely, it’s also practical. Wall lanterns on each side of the door will give your home a warm, welcoming look, while assuring the safety of those who enter. A pet peeve of the staff at Hirshfield’s Design Studio is that people buy exterior lighting  too small for the scale of their home. Bulk up a bit with your lighting — you want your front door lighting to be impactful not missing in action.

Low-level path lights will brighten your walkway while highlighting nearby flower beds, shrubs and ground cover. Low-level path lights can also be used to define the boundaries of long driveways. Convert decks, porches, and patios into romantic retreats by concealing mini-lights under steps, railing or benches.

Accessories

Plants, light fixtures, house numbers, door handles, mailboxes and door-knockers can all help enhance the look of your front door. These front door accessories can be pretty low-cost, and therefore, low-commitment pieces so have fun with them and switch them out often.

Now, let’s indulge in some front door decadence!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer is upon us, which means warm weather and superb days are ahead! While taking in the beauty of the summer season, take a moment to reflect on your front door. For more Entryway Inspiration, click here!

Hirshfield’s is your local Minneapolis-St. Paul paint retailer. The paint experts at Hirshfield’s are here to help you with everything from window-treatments to paint colors. Hirshfield’s manufactures paint right here in Minneapolis.