You may see it just as a strictly functional portal between the outside and inside of your house, but it seems that your front door is much more significant than that.
In fact, to practitioners of the ancient art of Feng Shui, selecting the right door colour according to its direction can positively optimize energy flow and good fortune for the occupants.
If all that sounds a bit too involved or a touch airy-fairy, there’s still a lot to be said for making sure your front door is giving off the right signals.
If it’s dusty and uncared-for, for instance, with cobwebs and overgrown plants, peeling paint and smeared windows, it’s hardly going to lift your spirits each time you turn the key – and even less will it offer a warm welcome for visitors.
According to the people at paint company Dulux Weathershield, we will make a judgement about a person just 10 seconds after seeing the colour of their front door, and colour psychologist Karen Haller says this isn’t surprising: “The front door is traditionally the first impression the outside world gets, and gives an insight into your life”.
It seems that the UK’s most popular colour for front doors is white, which we subliminally associate with a calm and peaceful home. It’s closely followed by blue, which, depending on the shade, is considered to be harmonious and restorative, and favoured by successful people who tend to be a little conservative.
We associate people who have red front doors with passion and self-confidence, whereas lilac suggests mystery and spirituality, and purple is associated with wealth and power.
People with black doors, meanwhile, are considered to be the most anonymous, and therefore most mysterious, and people with grey doors are thought to be understated.
If you find your current door colour doesn’t quite match your personality, it might be time for a new coat of paint!