Should your front door colour match your hallway? Interior experts reveal 3 reasons why it should (and 3 reasons it shouldn't)

Your front door is the easiest place to stamp your personality on the outside of your house or flat. But, when choosing a colour, should your front door match your hallway?

From bright yellow to muted sage, there are so many front door colour ideas to choose from. But while you might love the idea of a letter-box red front door, you might be less keen on the idea of a red hallway colour scheme, but does that matter? Should your front door be the starting point of your hallway colour palette, flowing into each other in the same shade or complementary colours, or can they be completely different?

Like with anything, personal preference will come into it, but there are pros and cons to each way of thinking. I asked the experts when you should and shouldn't match your front door to your hallway to help you identify the best approach for the look you are going for in your home.

Why you should match your front door to your hallway

1. It makes it more cohesive and welcoming

If you’re hoping for one room to flow coherently into the next, 'matching your front door and hallway creates a seamless transition from the exterior to the interior of your home, to make it more welcoming and inviting for guests,’ says Lee Trethewey, Interiors Expert at Sustainable Furniture.

'Creating cohesion through your front door and hallway will reinforce the design style of your home,' he adds. This gives you the perfect jumping-off point to continue the aesthetic into the rest of your living spaces.

While bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms give you the opportunity to play about with different patterns, prints and paint colours, keeping the common spaces like your hallway ideas calm and inviting can be a good idea.

2. It can create the illusion of more space

According to Lee, ‘matching the exterior and interior of your home can actually create an illusion of added space as it softens the visual boundaries of your home and helps you see the space as a whole,’ making it one of the best small hallway ideas to try out.

Jo Trotman, Marketing Manager at The Residence Collection, agrees. ‘Consistency in the colour or tone can also visually expand the space, making the entryway feel bigger and more open, especially in smaller or darker hallways,’ she adds.

Try a lighter and brighter hue to really make the most of the space, as darker shades can have the opposite effect and make it feel more cramped.

3. It’s less likely to become dated

Even though it’s fun to add new pieces and play around with different home decor trends, you might not want to have to redo your hallway – or front door – all that frequently. Even though we move through it many times throughout the course of a day, unlike other rooms where we spend the majority of our time, it’s a space we only pass through, which is why it doesn’t necessitate a makeover all that often.

Coordinating your hallway to your front door allows for ‘A seamless design between the interior and exterior of your home and can create more of a timeless appeal,’ Lee adds. So, ‘matching your front door and hallway is a safer option as it’s less likely to become dated and out of style over time.’

Plus, ‘depending on the materials used for your front door and interior walls, and the type of paint you’ve chosen, matching them can also be a smart way to make use of any leftover paint,’ points out Michael Rolland, Paint Expert and Managing Director at The Paint Shed. ‘Not only will this save you money, but it’s also more environmentally friendly.’

Why you shouldn’t match your front door to your hallway

1. Not matching allows for greater expression

Many of us often paint our front door with curb appeal in mind, especially on streets where fellow owners might lean into a similar aesthetic. Or you might even be thinking about potential future buyers when you give your front door a fresh lick of paint. However, matching our hallways to these front door ideas might not reflect our usual style or personality.

Given that we only catch a glimpse of our front door as we dash in and out, limiting our hallway to this same colour or shade can restrict our creativity and expression. And that’s the last thing you want to be doing when it comes to your interiors.

If they don’t match, you can try out different things and really get to know what you like, without having to worry about what others who might be walking by might think.

2. It gives you more options overall

Choosing not to match your front door with your hallway ‘also offers adaptability, making it easier to update one area without needing to change the other, providing greater flexibility for future design changes,’ says Hillarys Trend Expert, Victoria Robinson.

If you’re someone who constantly likes to switch things up, having to paint your front door or hallway every time you change the colour of the other could get a bit tiresome after a while. Not to mention, the costs can soon add up too.

3. Darker on the outside doesn’t always work as well inside

‘Your front door is exposed to the elements on a daily basis, so it’s often best that it’s designed from a functionality point of view,’ Lee admits. And ‘this may not match up with your home's interior, which is perfectly fine. For instance, you may want to ensure your home is light and airy, but having a light coloured front door can be impractical as it will gather dirt easily and require regular cleaning.'

So, in that case, having the two differ makes more practical sense. It’s why white is one of the top front door colour mistakes to avoid.

What to consider either way

Before you choose which option is best for you, there are also a few other factors that you’ll want to consider. ‘When deciding whether to match or contrast, first consider natural lighting, which affects colour perception in both exterior and interior spaces. Lighter colours can brighten darker areas, while darker tones can add warmth and cosiness,’ Victoria explains.

You’ll also want to take into consideration the overall style of your home. It’s all well and good to opt for a modern design, but it might look jarring against a more traditional architectural style. Complementing the existing look can help to decide for you, while still giving you some leeway when it comes to the colour that you opt for.

And finally, ‘the material of your door can influence how colours appear and how well they match or contrast with interior finishes,’ Victoria adds. Meaning, if you plan on updating your existing wooden door, certain colours will work better than others. The same can be said for aluminium, composite and uPVC doors. If you are replacing your front door this is also something to consider.

So, will you be opting for the simplicity and elegance of matching your front door and hallway, or taking a more flexible approach by keeping them different?