Hilary Farr's Choice Of Front Door Color Will Add A Pop To Your Exterior

If you love creativity, you might be itching to renovate your home. But it's not always the right time for a major overhaul, especially one involving expensive construction. The exterior of your home could be a great candidate for renovation because it doesn't require a huge commitment. So, as a workaround, ask yourself if the front of your home looks appealing or if it could use a refresh. HGTV's "Love It or List It" host, Hilary Farr, known for her love of vibrant shades of blue, strongly recommends painting your front door blue as a strategy to upgrade the vibe and elevate your home's curb appeal. On the link between color and sales, Farr adds (via Today), "You might have a color that you adore and it's a burnt orange ... it looks great, except you just can't do that when you're selling."

If you've never painted your front door before, it's a good idea to get a sense of what will be required. It's best to remove the door, then remove its hardware and prop it on sawhorses. You'll want to sand the door to smooth it down. Only paint over latex with another latex paint or oil with another oil paint, and a semi-gloss finish is a robust choice for exteriors. Apply the correct latex or oil primer; when dry, paint your door with a foam roller or brush. It's best to start this project in the morning so that you can close your door at night. 

Hilary Farr says (via Facebook), "Sprucing up the front door with a fresh coat of paint really elevates curb appeal." Blue offers an immense world of options. A medium blue instantly becomes more sophisticated with black undertones, and then a bright mermaid blue makes an unexpectedly playful statement. Like all colors, blue exists on a spectrum from warm to cool, and if your existing exteriors are cool-toned, you might want to choose a cooler hue. When you look at the exterior colors of your home, consider what level of contrast or harmony you want to create with the door. Contrast can also create a harmonious feeling just as much as similar colors can. For ideas, check out Sherwin Williams's Frank Blue, BackDropHome's Barbie Dreamhouse Blue, and Behr's calming Oslo Blue.

Online realty company Zillow likes to study which design details seem to produce a higher sales price. For the past couple of years, they've claimed there's a benefit to painting your front door black, saying it adds an average of $6,450 to sales. Zillow suggests that a "saturated" blue door is offputting. But we like Farr's advice and say paint the color that lights you up. When you're ready to sell, and you suspect that your door color brings in fewer viewings, you can easily repaint it at a minimal cost. For now, choose a blue that you love and can live with for a long time.