Are you looking for ways to take your curb appeal up a notch? Your front door might not be the first thing you think about, but doors can make a powerful impact.
If you happen to live in a tan, light brown, or beige house, adding a little color to your door can work magic. It can change your home’s overall outdoor personality.
As simple as changing your door color or style might seem, it’s not as easy as the home improvement shows make it look. There’s a lot to consider, from the door’s material to the perfect color combination when deciding on an exterior door.
Before you break out your paintbrushes or call a professional, take a little time to get to know all about them. Once you narrow in all your possibilities, you’ll be ready to implement some of these design ideas for doors. Then, you’ll stand on the curb, look at your new door, and admire how well you’ve done.
Types of Doors
Serving as the entryway to our homes, exterior doors are designed with security and energy efficiency in mind. Although most of them are constructed from wood, steel, or fiberglass, one might be a better choice for your home than the others. The differences are subtle, but it’s good to know about each of them before making your budget.
Wood
Wood doors are popular because they have a natural sense of elegance and can be customized. Whether you want a glass portion or you need a custom size, wood doors are easy to tailor to your needs.
Although they are often one of the most inexpensive types of doors, you will need to think about their overall upkeep. To avoid warping or the deterioration of age, wooden doors need to be removed, sanded, and refinished every couple of years.
Steel
Doors made from steel are desirable because of the security they offer. Generally considered more energy-efficient than wood doors, they are filled with insulation and work overtime to keep the elements out.
Steel doors have a lot of longevity, but they are not immune from occasional dings or dents that can begin to rust.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass doors are a great choice for high-traffic areas. They offer the same heavy-duty security as other types of doors, but they are a little harder to damage.
Weather-resistant and designed for energy efficiency, they can be made to look like wood grain or left any plain color. Fiberglass doors don’t need to be replaced as often as other doors.
10 Front Door Color Ideas For Tan Houses
Tan houses are the perfect blank canvas for door colors that will enhance your curb appeal. Able to easily pair with any bright, subtle, or natural-looking hue, the possibilities are endless. Once you take a look at these ideas for door color, you’ll find one that inspires you to go out shopping.
1. Stay in the same color family
Going bold and bright might not be your style, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Making a difference with color doesn’t have to be a wild affair. To keep things simple and classy, try using a color a shade or two darker than your current door. The results are so subtle and elegant that all your neighbors will mimic your choice.
2. Take the landscaping into account
Another way to ingrate a new door color is to take a look around the area leading to the door. If there’s a lot of gorgeous plant life, mirroring the plant colors with your door can add a sophisticated touch. It also adds a little old-world style.
3. Don’t stress — distress!
Adding a distressed door to the front of your home is a great way to repurpose an old door. If you have a few DIY skills, some sandpaper, and a paintbrush, you’re already halfway to achieving the look. No matter what color you choose to use during the process, you’ll end up with the most unique door in the neighborhood.
4. Make the front door stand out
For those who want their doors to serve as a statement piece, go bold. Tan houses can get lost amongst the nature surrounding them. When you add a colorful door, it’s certain to stand out. You can order doors in nearly every color, or you can head to the hardware store, pick out your favorite color, and do it yourself.
5. White is often overlooked
You don’t have to go crazy with color to make a huge impact. We often don’t think of white when choosing colors, but it has a lot to offer exterior doors. Adding a fresh coat of white paint to your existing door can instantly make your entrance look bigger and fresher. Plus, it’s so often overlooked that you might have the only one on your block.
6. Let stained glass take care of the color
No matter which door material you choose, you can always add stained glass. Rather than concentrating on the color of the door itself, let colorful stained glass make the statement. Should you choose not to integrate it into the door, it also makes a beautiful entrance when installed above or beside your front door.
7. Add more than one color
With a little painter’s tape and a couple of paint colors, you can create a multi-colored door that gets all the neighbors talking. When you frame out the existing portions of your door with a bolder second color, you’ll notice how well it shows off your door’s features. The color you use is up to you, but adding more than one of your favorites will give you a customized door you’ll feel proud to open.
8. Use a contrasting door color
Unless you have a home owner’s association that says you must use certain colors, you can go way outside the box with contrasting colors. If you like things that stand out a little more, aim for a color that doesn’t match at all. All you need to do is find your home’s color on a color wheel and look across it to find the perfect contrasting shade.
9. Leave the wood alone
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with leaving the wood grain on your wood doors alone. Although wooden doors don’t offer the same statement as brightly colored doors, they do look natural and warm. You don’t have to replace your wooden door either. Your old wooden door will come right back to life with some sanding and staining. It might take a little longer than installing a brand new door, but you can accomplish the task in a weekend.
10. Accentuate with lighting.
Regardless of the door color you choose, it’s important to make sure your lighting showcases it. Even if you’re not keen on the idea of completely replacing a door, clever lighting can add a fresh look. In addition to increasing your home’s security, a well-light door always looks finished and clean.
Now that you’ve learned all about doors and door colors for tan houses, the motivation is all that’s left to find. Your local hardware store is an excellent resource for learning how to install it yourself, and there are always technicians ready to come out and take on the job. When you see your new door hanging for the first time, you’ll be glad you made the change.
