Feng Shui & Exterior House Colors

Certainly a nice look for the Christmas season, but it may not be to your liking the rest of the year. (Side note: A half-circle doormat like this is never to be used outside of a home—it symbolizes your money flowing away.)

I’ve previously discussed using the color red for the exterior of the front door.

But what if red just won’t work in your situation? On a green house, red can look too Christmasy. On a bungalow house, red can sometimes (but not always) look  garish.

If you’re starting from scratch, I’d recommend using the formula that is often cited as successful for a man’s suit outfit: 60-30-10. (That’s suit, shirt, and tie.) For a house, 60% is the color of the exterior walls, 30% is the trim color, and 10% is the front door color. Start with the wall color, and there can be constraints beyond your control, such as neighborhood restrictions. If there are absolutely no restrictions, go with what feels right to you—asking yourself such questions as: What’s my favorite color? Do you want your house to blend in or pop out? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with painting your home your favorite color. If fame helps your career, then popping out is not a bad thing.(I’ve discussed bold exterior colors in a previous post.)

The trim color has one job, and one job only—to make the wall color look more fabulous—much more fabulous! I often recommend what you might call a “dirty” color—a color that has been toned down and darkened a bit. The trim color cannot compete with the wall color—the result would be chaotic.

Now for the door color—it’s often only a small percent of the whole front of the house, but it must stand out—like a jewel. It can truly be any color that is very noticeable and looks exquisite with the other colors. It must not be repeated anywhere on the front or sides of the house—it should stand alone on the house. It can be repeated in the yard, but only along the path to the door, and by the roadside near your driveway or sidewalk entrance. Doing so connects the dots, so the eye is drawn from the road to the door. That’s how you move energy!