Feng Shui front door colors: 10 ways to use the principles of Feng Shui
Contemplating Feng Shui front door colors to ensure your home makes the right impression? From timeless favorites to more contemporary shades, there’s a wealth of hues to consider that use the principles of Feng Shui.
Complementing the façade of the house is important, but so, too, is the note the color will strike, be it cheerful and welcoming or more formal and classic. The principles of Feng Shui might also influence color selection of your front door ideas and the maintenance needs of a particular choice will likely come into play, too.
Here, we’ve gathered a host of beautiful Feng Shui front door colors, both classic and contemporary in their effect for inspiration and asked the experts to share their advice as well.
Feng Shui front door colors
Feng Shui is an ancient practice, but one that has become popular in western interior design over the past several decades, and something we should certainly take note of when choose deciding upon the best front door color ideas for our home.
In Feng Shui, your front door design is one of the most important areas of your property. This feature also represents the face you show to the world, and should be chosen with just as much care and consideration as you would the rest of your home décor ideas.
1. Attract positive energy with black
(Image credit: Emily Kates / Vivian Johnson Photography)
A smart choice for north-facing properties, black front door ideas instil positive energy and a renewed connection to nature. It’s intertwined with the water element, which represents wisdom, maturity and healing. Water is also connected to your social connections, so black can be a supportive color for building relationships and fostering communication.
For classic good looks, black is a winning choice for a front door color. ‘A deep black front door is always in style,’ says certified color expert and interior decorator Pattie Kelly of Inspired Home Interiors. ‘Black can be a natural partner to more traditional homes, and it’s a shade that will standout, making the front door a focal point.’
2. Use blue to envisage new beginnings
(Image credit: Tim D Coy / Margaret Ash Design & Home)
Another great option for north-facing homes is blue. Blue front door ideas – from sky blue through ocean blue and on to cobalt – bring serenity and tranquillity to any home because they are on the cooler end of the spectrum, and look beautiful for both city and cottage front doors.
The color blue also represents the wood element, which supports growth, knowledge and new beginnings. What’s more, a dark blue has been noted to support mindfulness. Shades like this blue is a perfect partner to traditional homes, too, ensuring the front door is attention-grabbing but sympathetic to the architecture.
‘I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules about blue,’ says Samantha Todhunter, founder of Samantha Todhunter Design. ‘Some feel it has a froideur about it. I disagree, it is about the colors you work in with it that will make the difference. Working with blue is endlessly interesting and playing with tones and textures can change it from a vibrant jewel box to subtle and serene.’
3. Go with green for growth and renewal
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
Green front doors promise to renew your connection to nature and is said to evoke feelings of balance, vibrancy and good fortune. The principles of Feng Shui recommend that you paint with green if your home faces east.
Green is in general a calming, relaxing color. Being the color that represents nature, it’s one that makes us feel good and positive. ‘The poet and philosopher Goethe used to describe green as a useful color, a good color to have around,’ says Francesca Wezel, founder of Francesca’s Paints.
Linked to the wood element, a green front door will invite new opportunities into your life and promote growth, expansion and kindness. What’s more, this verdant and uplifting color trend will blend beautifully with foliage placed alongside the front door or in nearby borders for a harmonious look.
4. Paint with gray if your property faces west
(Image credit: Future)
Decorating with gray has become de rigueur in interior design. Undeniably the new but enduring neutral, this cool color will add a contemporary edge, elegance and a refinement to a front door, and is a go-to for anyone who wants an easy-to-live with tone.
The best choice for a west-facing front door, gray also represents the metal element, so it is color scheme associated with determination, self-reliance and sophistication. In addition, it’s the color associated with travel and help.
5. Instil purity and cleanliness with white
(Image credit: Future)
Evoking purity and cleanliness alongside confidence and sophistication, white is a wonderfully versatile color for the both the interior and exterior of your home. Connected to the metal element in Feng Shui, white also represents precision, communication and happiness. The west-facing direction is also tied to this element.
For a smart but subtle entrance, follow this home’s lead with the door painted to match the façade. Bear in mind that cleaning a front door is a more regular task the lighter the front door paint color.
6. Warm up with red
(Image credit: Erika Bonnell Interiors/Stacy Zarin Goldberg)
Contemplating red front door ideas? While the color might sound like a dramatic choice, it’s actually a hue that’s easy to live with, and definitely worth your consideration.
Red is the most prosperous color in Feng Shui, as well as a compelling and dominant color choice for the transformation of negative energy. Red is also connected to the fire element, which represents passion, aspiration and warmth.
As with any color used in decorating, there are many variations of red to choose from, and it’s a good idea to think about which way your room faces when selecting. The principles associated with Feng Shui suggest that this color would be best suited to south-facing door. It is also a fantastic color choice for those living in colder climates.
7. Perk up with pink
(Image credit: Walls and Floors)
Pink front door ideas really do work, especially if you own a south-facing home. This controversial hue can actually form a reliable door color that channels anything from a contemporary to a classical country-house spirit, as long as you find the right tone the exterior of your home. Not everyone would risk using pink for their front door color scheme but use the right shade and it will make any room look fresh, modern and very grown-up.
Color conjures up different reactions in everyone, adds designer and decorator Sarah Fortescue. ‘To me, pink warms my heart, it cushions my entire body and I feel its warmth and comfort. There is an infinite spectrum of pinks, however, depending on the style of front door you are decorating, the history of the house, its scale and function, pinks can vary hugely.’
You’ll be pleased too; the decorator Nicky Haslam is a long-term believer in pink being the most flattering color for doors and walls. It is certainly worth considering the colors you use alongside pink. Pink can also look wonderful alongside black. The key is balance – but neutrals next to pink will always make it look elegant.
8. Ground your space with brown
(Image credit: Taylor Lombardo Architects)
The return of the seventies has been influencing exterior and interior trends for 2022; with a palette of either a warm taupe or tan brown that will pair beautifully with the surrounding nature. This season sees a return to simple, restrained color palettes – and being close to nature has moved from greens of the forest to a soft, neutral palette of fossil tones and natural elements.
In Feng Shui, brown and other grounding neutral colors are connected to the earth element and used to balance, stabilize, and nurture the inhabitants in the home.
When it comes to front door color ideas, brown is probably not on your decorating agenda, but it’s time to rethink this once detested shade, as the color is suitable for just about any front door style.
9. Inspire with yellow
(Image credit: SondraP / Getty Images)
At the lighter, bolder end of the spectrum, yellow is a color of optimism ‘The use of yellow can create a mellow and uplifting exterior all at the same time. It transports us back to long lazy sun-drenched days in the Mediterranean and it can brighten us up on gloomy days.
Representing stability, harmony and rootedness, yellow is connected to the earth element. But yellow can be a tricky color to master, says Mike Fisher, creative director and founder of Studio Indigo. ‘In particular bright primary yellow as it can be quite harsh and childlike despite its sunny and positive connotations.’ He likes to use darker yet richer fall version of yellows in an ochre or saffron hue which work particularly well on the front door.
10. Create a lasting impression with purple
(Image credit: Future)
From the deepest aubergine shades and striking royal purples, through to lavender, mauves and soft lilac, purple is a versatile Feng Shui front door color which can be used to on south-facing front doors to create a bold and beautiful aesthetic. Reminiscent of countryside vistas, soft lavenders can also have a beautifully therapeutic feel to exteriors.
While bold, violets and royal purples such as Pantone’s Very Peri can be seen as a daring choice, they can work brilliantly for the exterior of your home, explains Paula Taylor, trend specialist at Graham & Brown.
‘Last year we predicted the striking blue-purple to be a big player on the paint scene – a bold splash creating that vibrancy that we are so in need of during these uncertain times.’
What color is good luck for a front door?
Within the principles of Feng Shui, the color red is considered to be good luck for a front door. Red represents good fortune, protection, and symbolizes fire energy. It is also a color of power and authority – an exceptional choice for those of us who want to make bold statement.
How do I Feng Shui my front door?
The principles of choosing the best Feng Shui front foor colors are as follows:
North-facing door
Feng Shui element: Water
Choose: Blue, black, white, and gray
Avoid: Green, brown yellow, red, purple and pink
South-facing door
Feng Shui element: Fire
Choose: Red, yellow, pink and purple
Avoid: Black, blue and brown
East-facing door
Feng Shui element: Wood
Choose: Green, brown and neutrals
Avoid: White, gray, yellow, pink, and purple
West-facing door
Feng Shui element: Metal
Choose: White, gray, yellow and light brown
Avoid: Black, blue, red, purple, bright yellow and pink