The Surprisingly Bold Door Colors Buyers Loved in 2024
You can put hours of effort into your home’s design to entice buyers, but no matter what, the first thing potential buyers will see when they approach your house is the outside — and the last thing they see before entering your home is the front door. Your front door’s aesthetic may not be something you’ve put a lot of thought into, but it can really make a house stand out.
Being intentional about the color that your front door is painted is a simple step that adds noticeable style, sophistication, and personality to your living space — and maximizes all-too-important curb appeal. So, I talked with real estate agents and home designers in order to get a sense of what front door paint colors made the biggest splash in 2024, as well as other ways to make your home’s exterior shine.
The most popular colors are the simplest.
Allison Vaccaro, founder of the exterior design firm brick&batten, says that since front doors are how you, your guests, and potential buyers, enter your home, they “should be easily identifiable and special.”
“Color is the most basic, budget-friendly way to create some allure at the entrance,” she adds.
Atlanta-based designer Amber Guyton, of Blessed Little Bungalow, agrees. “If it’s not already a wood stain or fully glass, not painting it feels like a missed opportunity that a wreath or other outdoor decor can’t make up for,” she says.
This doesn’t have to be a complicated undertaking, which is perhaps why the year’s two most popular front door paint colors were simple, classic shades.
“In the last year, black [doors] and white [doors have] been super popular. I’d say that’s the number one choice,” says Ashley Forman, a real estate agent with Realty One Group West in Orange County, California. “A lot of people are using that for exterior colors of their home too.”
A big reason for how popular these colors are is likely because of how well they complement more common types of homes. “For more traditional homes, the architecture lends itself to black or something off-black,” Vaccaro says.
Classic blacks and whites aren’t the only colors gracing America’s doors lately.
Some homeowners are foraying into color — especially when the architecture or neighborhood calls for it.
Forman has noticed light blue, light pink, and red doors in her area of southern California.
Guyton says she’s “seen a lot more pops of color like teal, green, yellow, and coral … here in Atlanta, bungalows and cottages tend to have more colorful doors than traditional and new-construction homes in the suburbs. It adds to the character of the neighborhood.”
Vaccaro has also seen “earthy greens” like Sherwin Williams’ Greenblack and, on the brighter, more quirky side, Benjamin Moore’s Wasabi. “We have seen a large shift to mid-century modern and boho design. Both of these styles have organic colors like teals, earthy greens, and brown, so this architecture style informs the front door color selection in many cases,” Vaccaro says.
Red may be out.
Most of the people I spoke with said that red front doors are popular, but this color may not be quite as enduring as others.
“I have been repainting a lot of red doors over to more subtle colors like black and blue,” says Hema Persad, founder of Sagrada Studio, who works in LA and Tampa Bay. “I think a red front door is a trend that comes and goes.”
Don’t forget about finish.
Persad says that while she has noticed the same trendy colors like blacks and blues, “the trend seems to be leaning towards a focus on finishes and materials rather than color.” She’s seen a lot of doors being done in natural wood, for example, and high-gloss lacquer finishes.
It’s also important to remember that front doors don’t exist in a vacuum. You should be keeping the rest of your home’s look in mind when deciding on your dream door, so you end up with a cohesive aesthetic from curb to kitchen.
“The right exterior door color will increase your curb appeal and set the tone for the interior color palette and energy of your home,” notes Guyton. Curb appeal doesn’t just matter if you’re trying to sell your house or make a good impression in a new neighborhood.
As architect Dan Spiegel told Elle Decor, it’s “the one outward gesture of the entire house from the family who lives there back to the community.”
Other ways to personalize your front door.
If you’re not interested in painting your front door or live in an area with an HOA that requires homes to adhere to the same color scheme, there are other ways to add some freshness to your home’s entryway and maximize your home’s appeal.
You can add planters and window boxes, or create a charming pathway leading up to the door. Forman says she’s seen more homes with new or updated sconces on the exterior as well as digital locks instead of the typical doorknob and key.
“One thing we have noticed with doors, other than color, is the actual door design becoming more informed,” notes Vaccaro. “People aren’t as interested in run-of-the-mill doors anymore. Pinterest, Facebook and design shows have changed the game for the consumer. They know what’s possible!”
Further Reading
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