Room Door Colour Ideas: Bedroom, Hall, Kids and Study Door Colours, Colour Combinations With Walls, Floors and Furniture, Whites, Woods and Bold Accents, Light and Mood Effects and Paint or Polish Choices

Think about the mood

Cool colours such as soft blue, grey and green calm a bedroom, warm colours such as cream, tan and terracotta feel welcoming in halls, and bright accents lift children's rooms and study corners. Choose the mood first, then the shade.

Bedroom doors

Soft whites, greys, sage greens and natural wood tones suit bedrooms, and a door slightly darker than the wall adds definition. Avoid very bright colours that tire the eye. Matching all bedroom doors keeps the corridor calm.

Hall and living area doors

Neutral colours, polished wood and deep greens or blues suit halls and formal rooms. Doors of the same colour along a hall feel orderly. A feature door in a bold shade can give a focal point.

Kids' and study doors

Children's rooms can take playful colours such as yellow, coral or sky blue, and study doors can be deep and calm. Use washable paint on kids' doors. Choose colours that are easy to repaint as tastes change.

Combinations that work

• White walls and walnut doors. Classic contrast.
• Cream walls and sage doors. Soft and natural.
• Grey walls and white doors. Crisp and modern.
• Beige walls and brown doors. Warm and traditional.
• Navy doors and white frames. Bold and clean.

Light, floors and furniture

Check colours in daylight and lamp light, and in relation to the floor and furniture. Dark floors suit light or mid-tone doors for balance, and light floors can take darker doors. Keep one wood tone family where possible.

Paint or polish

Paint gives any colour and hides imperfect wood, and polish shows the grain. Choose paint for flush or MDF doors, polish for good timber. See door paint and door polish.

Indicative costs

These ranges show common figures per door including labour. Fitting should be done by a trained carpenter or fixer, and the frame and wall checked for level before the door is hung.

Prices move with brand, model, size and stock. Use these ranges to judge a quote, then compare the exact model and what is included.

A short checklist

Decide the mood, test two or three colours on the actual door and view them at different times of day. Keep the colour names for touch-ups. It also helps to think about the light switches, skirting boards and frames, since a door sits among them. White skirting and frames make coloured doors look crisp, while matching frames to the wall can make a door recede. Try one door first, live with it for a week, and then paint the rest if you are happy with the result.

Frequently Asked Questions