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by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers
The garage is a major component of your home’s exterior, so don’t skimp when it comes to the garage door! Many people opt for a simple standard white finish that goes with anything, but there’s so much more you can do. Here are some ways you can add distinction to your façade with a beautiful painted garage door.
Garage Doors in Solid Colors
With so many colors available, you can give your garage whatever sort of finish you like. White homes are particularly popular these days thanks to the rise of the modern farmhouse, and practically any saturated hue looks great when offset by white siding. If you have colorful siding instead, selecting a contrasting color will have a similar effect. Imagine a red garage door on a blue or green house, or vice versa. Put a warm color beside a cool one and both will pop!
You can also pair colors on the same side of the color wheel or even in the same family, so long as the tones differ enough (i.e., one darker than the other). This look is often used when the house has a variety of textures—like shingle and vertical siding along with stone/brick elements—to keep the overall picture from being too busy. Just make sure to balance the whole view from the street when you choose the garage door color, because the same one will look very different surrounded by painted siding versus veneer with natural tones.
Two-Tone Garage Doors
You’ll also find a variety of garage doors sporting two-tone color schemes that grab attention all on their own. While you can always finish your door with a completely custom paint finish—like panels in different colors, adding bold vertical stripes, etc.—this is almost always reserved for eclectic modern designs. But there is a traditional option that you’ll see way more often—carriage house garage doors.
Carriage house doors are inspired by those used when horse-drawn carriages were the preferred mode of transportation. As such, they have old-fashioned construction that harks back to rural barns and urban carriage houses. These doors are composed of two main parts—the base and overlays. While many people choose a simple white paint finish for the entire door, which allows shadows to define the overlay pattern, this is a great opportunity to go with a two-tone scheme. Want a classic look? Pair a colored base with white overlays. Whether the base is the same color as the house’s siding or not, the white overlays will make the garage catch the eye. Some homeowners combine two colors or even paint overlays over a wood-tone base, so there’s still plenty of ways to make carriage house doors your own!
Stark Garage Doors
While white, grey, or black garage doors might seem simple at first, they can definitely have some real design oomph behind them. It all depends on the rest of the exterior! Many contemporary homes and bold transitional farmhouses mix greyscale and rich wood finishes to hit the organic modern vibe. If you’re a fan of Scandinavian style, you’re probably already well acquainted with this combination. But it doesn’t end there—black doors also pair well with red brick, grey doors look great with cool stone veneer, and white doors can be the crisp and clean solution for strong colored siding. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask a pro for advice!
No matter your garage door goals, Clopay® has an awesome collection of products for your consideration. They have everything from basic to dramatic designs for traditional and contemporary aesthetics in a variety of steel, faux wood, and real wood packages. You’re sure to find a fitting complement for your home whether you go with a factory finish or a primed surface you can customize with paint yourself!