Can you have windows in a different colour to your front door?

When little children draw pictures of houses, anything goes as long as it’s colourful. A brilliantly vermillion front door and sky blue window frames is perfectly acceptable. They pick up a different crayon and do a green window upstairs to match the front lawn. Another upstairs window is yellow to match the yellow roof, and then finally one that matches the lovely purple chimney pots. Surely everyone would be happy to live in a house like that?

Then you ‘grow up’ and convention narrows your view. Your sense of colour matures. You worry about what the neighbours might think. You allow yourself to be are influenced by what everyone says you ought to do. And your house gets a colour scheme that you’re not really happy with.

So, can you have differently coloured windows and front door?

Of course you can, but to be happy with your colour choices, resist the temptation to be influenced by the unwritten rules of what’s considered acceptable.

One rule says that window and door colours don’t have to be the same so long as they complement each other, or they complement the building material of your property.

Just be aware that which colours complement each other is actually a matter of what you think works, rather than what someone else thinks. So, if you decide to add some stand-out character to your property with a differently coloured front door, you should first research which window frame colours you think will pair best with it.

That said, you can safely team a white front door with pretty much any colour you like for your windows. If you want to be more adventurous, a daring black is considered a modern colour for a front door, as are dark shades of blue, plum or green. These can look amazing when contrasted with the right window colour, but again you must do your research to discover what works best for you.

Should you consider the colours of your neighbour’s windows/door?

Did you ever holiday somewhere exotic where the homes are all brightly coloured, but none of them match? While you probably wouldn’t go to such extremes, there’s nothing to stop you pushing boundaries to achieve the look you want. Who knows, you might inspire other people in your neighbourhood to be more daring with their colour schemes.

On the subject of colour research…

The Residence Collection colour palette has been curated to help you choose your ideal colour combination of windows and doors for your home. This consists of an eclectic mix of authentic finishes covering a number of architectural styles.

Here you’ll find delicate and subtle shades like Clay and Sage of the Coastal Collection. Imposing Noir and Eclectic Grey of the Dramatic Collection. Richly hued Oak shades of the Forest Collection. The utilitarian Pyrite and Anodised Grey of the Industrial Collection.

These and more are all in our colour palette book. You can download your own copy here.