Dear AT,
I painted my garage door this weekend, a bold Benjamin Moore Red.
My neighbors are a bit scandalized.
Is it too much?
I am planning on painting the front door to match.
Thanks! Djiara
Dear AT,
I painted my garage door this weekend, a bold Benjamin Moore Red.
My neighbors are a bit scandalized.
Is it too much?
I am planning on painting the front door to match.
Thanks! Djiara
I think it looks brilliant, and will look even better when the door is painted.
view guerrillaaesthete's profile
What do your neighbors know? I think it looks great with the grey. It is very similiar to a couple of the Behr color schemes.
Next time go with a purple house! Then they will remember this scheme fondly.
view 42rocky's profile
I think with a red door it will look fabulous. The neighbors will get used to it :)
view suziegoombs's profile
It's hard to tell from your picture... Is the house white or a pale yellow? Is the front door seen on the right?
Based on this picture I think I might agree with your neighbors. I like the color you chose... just not so much for a garage door. It might look better if the driveway were black though.
view jick's profile
Maybe they are jealous? The red looks great.
view .Jaclyn.'s profile
they just need to get used to it. newness is always shocking. looks great. the door will give it balance.
view Lady J's profile
I think the red looks great and would look great on the front door...
But I do think that you may also want to consider making the rest of your house ONE color AND one that complements the red... because it looks like white and yellow, but that could just be my monitor playing tricks on me. And right now the yellow/white against the rest may not be doing your fantastic paint job the right justice!
view theninthcloud's profile
I kind of like it...tell them you'll think about it for a week.
(And then leave it if you like it. I can think of much worse.)
view blackbird's profile
I can't tell if it works with the rest of the colors on your house.
view Lizzykewl's profile
*gasp* How DARE you infringe on your neighbor's right to drive past a beige garage door!?
(lol, looks great)
view superflyguy's profile
Once you paint the door, you could add some red in the yard too. Flowers, etc. That might help unify it and make it less shocking to them. I, however, LOVE red on the outside of houses!
view lizzer764's profile
Keep it and paint the front door to match. I LOVE it. ;)
I just got finished painting my aunt's house. We painted the front door blue to match an accent colour that we used on interesting design details. It looks so neat!
view darcidoodle's profile
Love it!!!
I agree with lizzer764 that some red flowers and accents in the yard would really tie it all together.
view Aimi's profile
It's fantastic, and don't you DARE change it!
www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com
view TracynA2's profile
Loving the red garage door. Haters be damned.
view ms.ross-bkny's profile
I agree with theninthcloud. Pick a unifying color for the overall house (the light grey and deeper grey trim of the garage gets my vote). In doing so, it will play up the garage door w/o it stealing from the look of the entire house.
view Seaside's profile
I think it looks great!
view lz256's profile
it's sort of hard to tell the shade of red looking at a photograph on a computer screen, but I'm all for bright colors on houses. If you like it, who cares?
view inertia's profile
I think it's a touch much. I agree, screw the neighbors, but you are clearly asking here because you doubt the color choice, not because you're worrying about inciting a neighborhood riot. I like the idea of going with a strong red as you did, maybe a couple shades darker/deeper though. If you wanted to change it, it wouldn't take more than one coat to get to the new color if its only a slight bit different.
Kudos to going for something fun and bold.
view amt230's profile
Love it.
You might want to consider deepening the blue-grey trim a bit. It looks a little pale next to the red, and the same shade only a bit darker might keep it from getting washed out.
view burpchick's profile
Love it!!
view kimg924's profile
Love it! But I am biased as I have a red door too :-) No garage, but if I did I would consider this!
view AndreaU's profile
Looks great! Maybe the neighbors should take your cue and paint their own doors bright bright colors.
view danze's profile
It's splendid!
view Kit's profile
I like the idea of red but I think that might be the wrong shade. I keep looking at the roof and and it makes the door lean towards an orange hue.
view Chris M's profile
Wonderful! But ...
How does the apparently orangy-red garage door go with the apparently purply-red roof? The colors seem to clash in the photo. I would try to harmonize the two reds.
view m_j_s's profile
REFRESHING. Love it. Let your neighbors freak because you are creative and an individual. I think painting the front door to match will be great.
Personally, we have one home on our block that tastefully pushed the color barrier on exterior paint and I look forward to passing their house.
view annaland's profile
It will look good once the front door is done. Probably out of the budget, but it would look great if you had some windows in the garage door to help balance out the starkness of it.
view baltimorerowhouse's profile
I have to agree with some, that in this photo, it does look a tad bright. However, I think with some other red accents (the door, maybe some glazed pots, flowers). It will help tie it to the house better.
view robyn's profile
Your neighbors are scandalized by THAT?
view Lisa Hunter (Montreal)'s profile
I love red doors... only problem MIGHT be (can't tell from the picture) what color it really is, bright orange red washed with sunlight could be a little too loud, a fire truck engine red is a beautiful thing in big amounts though. When we (yes, proverbial we because it took two to paint it) had to choose a color for our door, we had to mix 2 different reds a chinese red (too bright) with a dark almost burgundy (way too sad and dark)... we ended up with a sexy medium red that livens up that whole side of the room. So if you love it, fcuk the neighbors; but if you still feel uneasy try another red, no need to panic.
view Djluckyonline's profile
oh, pishposh to the neighbors. it looks fantastic. throw some red geraniums or impatiens about the yard for more instant fabulous!. i would go so far as to do the front door red as well!
view evilnaughtyjimmy's profile
I really like the color and it seems to be a nice compliment to your home's trim color although it think it would be best to have only the front door this color. It is very bold and therefore all the attention is drawn to the garage not always what you want to be the main focal point of your home. Your front door is what should draw people to your home and make them feel welcome to come in. Generally your front door should be a different color from everything else on your hoome. This is a nice example: http://www.thisyounghouse.com/2008/04/the-red-coats/
view vertigo's profile
i think it looks great--paint the door red, and add some other accents of red, maybe large planters, etc. to pull it together more.
view jenniferj's profile
Your door and it looks great.
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
As someone who grew up in a red house - I like it!
view Sharon R's profile
Love the bright color. I painted my front door a Big Bird yellow (actually B. Moore's rain jacket yellow) and still get compliments. Adding spots of red in the garden will set it up just right.
view LauraE's profile
Yes, it's too much. A red front door with your nice red mailbox is just right.
"Welcome to my front door" red is the right message. "Welcome to my two car garage" is not.
view eg's profile
I would like the color for the Front door, but not the garage door. It would be more welcoming if you played up the entrance with color and accessories. I don't think there should be so much emphasis on garages and our need for the automobile. Garages usually take up 1/3 to 2/3's of our home's facade.
view weezerad79's profile
i think it looks good, but i would paint the house a sage perhaps and paint your front door red too.
view shoepins's profile
I agree, screw the neighbors. But I also agree that there's something fighty going on with the red of the garage door and the red-purple of the roof. I would try to harmonize those two by going with a slightly cooler red.
I think painting the trim a little deeper color (while a right pain in the ass) would be good too. And doing the door to match is a great idea!
view toomuchstuff's profile
I love red doors -- red front doors. They are a classic; there is nothing shocking about them.
Until you paint your front door the same red, your garage will dominate your facade, and be the most important piece -- that is why your neighbours are reacting the way they are.
By painting your garage door the same bright colour, you are giving it equal weight to your front door -- not necessarily the right message.
Your home should have one focus -- the front door. Garage doors should be made discreet, not highlighted.
I have to agree with eg
view monika1's profile
I'm in the minority but I don't like it at all. I'm all for a red door and red accessories (like a mailbox). I just never feel like the garage door should be the focus of the house. Painting the door won't be enough to balance it, the red garage door will dominate the space.
view Lorie09's profile
love the red :-)
view maike's profile
Paint the front door first and see if you like the overall presentation. If it seems like too much red, then perhaps the garage door needs some toning down. It looks like there are rectangular raised panels on your garage door. What do you think about painting those squares the same color as your trim? Would that be too busy?
view bumblebeechicago's profile
I agree that the garage door might not be the best thing to highlight, but hey it's out there right in front and I think it's better to be adventurous with it and make it fun than just leave a big old beige box dominating the front of your house. Definitely punch up the red in other places though with flowers or accessories to give it some cohesion.
view robroz's profile
who the hell cares? what, you need permission from the global web community?
do what YOU want with your door. screw what the neighbors say, what we say, and do what you please.
view indiasoup's profile
I am in the 'red rocks so paint the front door too!' camp.
It looks neat. The end.
view neutopian's profile
Love it. I actually painted a front door red once, then I painted it with a cow pattern. Most of the neighbors loved it. Find your neighbors who love your red door and you may find some new friends!
view harikuyo's profile
I think it would be great on the front door. I don't like it on the garage though. I think that the garage should be painted to match the house. Why draw attention to your garage?
view Laura's profile
The red is bold and dramatic, which is great, but the rest of your 'curb presentation' is not as adventurous, so there's a disharmony. To make your red doors work with the whole composition, I'd say pump up the drama in your landscaping, paint the drive black, and swop out your house lights for overscaled shiny nickel lanterns. The roof would look better with dark grey shingles as well , but that's an undertaking you probably do not want to venture just to coordinate with paint.
If you're not willing to go all the way to the bold side, paint the garage door the blue-grey trim colour.
view amed studio's profile
My neighbor's front door was orange and I hated it. I had my front door painted to match my car . . . RED. A year or so later, they changed their front door to red. When we replaced our front door, I got a door color to again match my vehicle. My new front door is black. I say you should use colors you like.
view williamsweyr's profile
I think the comments are really about the presumption of the neighbours and love for the colour red, but painting the garage door red would seem to unbalance the the whole front of the house, even if you do paint the front door a matching color. Garages aren't usually a design element that you want to make pop. How about a charcoal to make it recede which appears to be on the trim - or a shade or two lighter but don't emphasize the trim because it's stingy in size. Honestly, your front exterior seems fairly small and you might want to forgo a trim color altogether, or make it a shade or two lighter or darker than the body color. Modern trim colors tend to go lighter since going darker makes a house look smaller and cutesy. A red front door is sensational and maybe some charcoal lead planters with red flowers or a red bench somewhere. But congratulations for wanting to step up the drama.
view Bo Placebo's profile
I'm a little surprised by all the support you're getting here! It's a pretty shocking shade, like a safety red, and I'm falling squarely in the "not loving it" camp. It looks (from the photo) that the idea of red was so exciting you went with the brightest one you could find. It dominates the front of your house and makes it the focal feature of the whole yard. If you love red (and it looks like you do) please, for the love of pete, tone it down to a shade that's made for house exteriors.
We've got a similar color scheme on our house, light grey with ivory trim, and the red door we used to have looked trite and predictable. We're going black now and it's much more dramatic and welcoming.
view sarahjade's profile
It's fantastic...and who cares what the neighbors think. We painted our house Behr's "Italian Olive" and received an overheard "baby poop" response and praise in the same day.
view kelvarg's profile
I loooove it! It makes your garage seem so cheery and welcoming.
view nausved's profile
It's way too bright. To get the most positive reaction, you have to have a sense of color. Red is fine. Beige is fine. The garage door and the front door can match, but it doesn't match the rest of your house. Facade It's like you've renovated one room of the house in some dramatic way, and that can be seen by the other rooms; they used to be kind of dull but ok, and now they suck. Leave the red and gradually change the rest of the facade - not match but coordinate - or pick a more appropriate color, hey, maybe red. I do think a lot of the reaction is justifying "red" but the big picture is just a little off. Can't you tell by looking at it?
view K T G's profile
Another good question is: "Is your garage door the thing you want to feature about your house?"
I think your neighbors sound a little uptight, but I'm definitely not partial to the car-centric architecture that presents the garage as the main entrance of the house.
If it were my place, I'd put a grape arbor arching over the entire driveway.
I do like the red. Most auspicious and good for your regular front door, too.
view wellspring's profile
I don't like it. But then again, I don't like ANY treatment (or architecture for that matter) that draws extra attention to the garage door. I don't own a car and much prefer pedestrian-oriented/pedestrian-friendly urban design where the pedestrian is given a higher status than the car. Or at least design where the front door is given more emphasis than the garage door...
view J-fer Rose's profile
oohh. Just had another idea: replace the regular garage door with and old barn-style door. You know the kind with a "Z"-shaped board pattern?
Then the red won't just look great; it will be a necessity!
cheers
view wellspring's profile
I think it looks fantastic, with or without a matching door. don't let your neighbors sway you. the only thing i would be worried about is if you're in an historic district and only certain colors are authorized for use on home's exteriors. otherwise, enjoy it!
view erica6's profile
love it! ive thought about painting my doors with bolder colors, but just cant seem to get over sticking out like a sore thumb.. in a good way, id hope. i mean, cmon, two homes on my street are seafoam color.. i dont see how it could look much worse than that.
view deeboyayay's profile
I love the bold choice, but you might want to reconsider the shade as it doesn't seem to play well with the color of the roof.
As for the neighbors, they are probably just startled that you did something different. In the eyes of some people, doing something different or unexpected instantly makes you suspect.
Just ask Barack Obama.
view RichardinLA's profile
It would look better if it were a darker, cooler red, and if you had more striking plantings in the front.
I like bold colours in general, but I think this particular red clashes with your shingles and the pale siding, and kind of screams "here's my big garage door!", which is not what I'd want people to focus on.
That said, if you love it, your neighbours can just deal with it.
view arza's profile
I don't think the garage door should be the focal point of your home, it really seems to overwhelm the whole facade-it's certainly making a statement, and if you love it great-if not, what about some fab landscaping???
view happiestcamper's profile
I'm surprised everyone loves it. I wonder if the neighbors' opinion hadn't been included if the response would have been the same.
The garage already dominates the house by design. Painting the door such a bright red only highlights this. Paint your front door a more crimson red and the garage door a darker gray. Put some big red geraniums in window boxes with some trailing vines and maybe a tall plant between the front door and the window on the left.
view hillgirl's profile
I like it a lot
You like it, it's your house, not your neighbor's, so let it be red.
view Loreta's profile
I love the red! Do you neighbors pay your mortgage? Eff them and enjoy being the neighborhood pariah/center of attention!
view eklektra's profile
I LOVE IT!
Don't change it, red is a very positive colour and some Asian cultures believe that a red front door is very lucky, so jump right on to painting that front door as well.
view appleton's profile
It looks great! It's not too much at all. Will look even better when the front door is done. I'm sure it spices up the neighborhood.
view misohungry's profile
People are answering this question just like there is one color red and that's red. Hasn't any one of you ever bought the wrong shade of lipstick for your coloring? Seen anyone else who has? Seen anyone who can't match their clothes because they can't tell one green doesn't necessarily match another green? Or do that with browns? Blues? Pinks? Reds?
Although some people just don't like a prominent garage in a bright color, some people just know a shade of red that's not helping anything.
view K T G's profile
i'm not a fan of highlighting garages. that said, YOUR DOOR YOUR RULES. if it makes you smile pulling into the driveway, good for you.
view healthyhome's profile
I painted all my shutters and doors a "London telephone box" red ... very unusual for a Greek-island house, where the traditional color is blue. The grounds are surrounded with red geraniums and lots of green succulents and shrubs. It looks absolutely terrific, and I've had lots of compliments from my Greek neighbors. Of course, the house itself is blindingly white, and the contrast is gorgeous and combines beautifully with the blue sky and sea. Go with a color that makes you happy!
view tinos's profile
You need more red accessories in the yard, like flowers, mailbox, house trim, etc or it stands out like a sore thumb. How does it look in person with the roof (clash or blend)? The grey is great with the red btw.
view plain jane's profile
it looks great! red doors symbolize a welcoming household and good luck.
view itsabecky's profile