Navy Blue Front Door Colors for Four Complete Exteriors
A navy front door looks best when the walls and trim around it are chosen with it. This page shows four very dark navy shades, each on a full house with wall, trim, shutter and roof colors, so you can see how the door sits in a whole exterior.
Quick answer
Use a very dark navy on the front door and shutters, light trim with an LRV above 70 around it, and walls that match your roof and fixed materials.
Every wall, trim and door color here was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
4 complete exterior color schemes
Walls, trim, front door and roof together. Each scheme takes its colors from public-domain paintings, so the pairings are ones a painter already put side by side.
Sage and Ink
Walls #8FA390
Trim #EBDBD5
Front door & shutters #272835
Roof: charcoal
Soft sage walls, blush white trim and an ink navy door and shutters on a two-story colonial, with a charcoal roof. The light trim makes the dark door and shutters stand out from the street.
Pale peach walls on a ranch house, with trim, door and shutters all in midnight navy and a black roof. Using one dark color on all three keeps the look simple.
Deep bronze walls, soft cream trim and a slate navy door and shutters on a farmhouse, with a brown roof. The cream trim keeps the dark walls and the dark door from blending together.
Dusty rose walls, soft cream trim and a deep harbor blue door and shutters on a craftsman bungalow, with a black roof. The blue door stands out against the warm walls.
Exterior paint is seen in much stronger light than a room. Full sun bleaches a color by a shade or two, while the shaded side of the house and overcast days pull it cooler and darker. Test a large sample on two sides of the house.
Color
Swatch
Full sun
Overcast
In shade
Golden hour
Soft Sage Green LRV 34
Pale Peach LRV 74
Deep Bronze Brown LRV 15
Dusty Rose LRV 28
Warm Blush White LRV 73
Try these colors on a house
Pick a color for the walls, the trim, the front door and the roof, and switch between house styles. Shadows and siding lines follow your choice.
Roof colors are typical shingle, tile and metal colors, not paint. Every other color comes from a painting on this page.
Front door and shutter colors
#272835LRV 2
Ink Navy Black
At LRV 2, this is the darkest door here and reads close to black with a cool blue undertone. It suits a sunny entry with light trim. It is measured from the painting Alfred Sisley by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Sherwin-Williams SW 9179 Anchors Aweigh is the closest match.
At LRV 3, this very dark shade has a cool blue undertone and works on doors, shutters and dark trim. It comes from the painting Portrait of a Young Man by Cosmè Tura, and Sherwin-Williams SW 6237 Dark Night is a very close match.
At LRV 6, this is the one that reads most clearly as navy rather than black. Use it on a front door and shutters against light trim. It is measured from Rocks at Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île by Claude Monet, and Behr HDC-CL-26A Indigo Ink is a near-identical match.
At LRV 8, this is the lightest door color here, with a deep, cool blue undertone. It keeps its blue on a shaded porch where darker navies can turn nearly black. It comes from The Laundress by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Sherwin-Williams SW 9185 Marea Baja is a near-identical match.
At LRV 34 with a green undertone, this is a mid-tone wall color that lets a near-black navy door stand out. Expect it to look a little lighter on sunny walls. It is measured from the painting Alfred Sisley by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
At LRV 74, this very light wall color has a warm red-orange undertone and reflects a lot of light. It suits a ranch house, but check it in full sun, where it can look paler. It comes from Portrait of a Young Man by Cosmè Tura.
At LRV 15, this deep wall color with a warm yellow undertone suits a farmhouse and sits well with a brown roof. It needs light trim to keep it from looking heavy. It is measured from Portrait of a Young Man by Cosmè Tura.
Sherwin-Williams SW 6152 Superior Bronze
Very close
Valspar 3007-9A Twilight Jungle
Very close
Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab
Close
#AF8687LRV 28
Dusty Rose
At LRV 28, this mid-tone wall color has a pink-red undertone and looks warm beside a deep blue door. It suits a bungalow with cream trim. It comes from Portrait of a Young Man by Cosmè Tura.
At LRV 73, this very light trim has a warm red-orange undertone. Use it on trim, fascia and the garage door, where it gives a navy door strong contrast. It is measured from the painting Alfred Sisley by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
At LRV 71, this light trim has a warm yellow undertone and is softer than bright white. Use it on trim, fascia and the garage door, beside a dark wall or a navy door. It comes from Portrait of a Woman by Jan van Ravesteyn.
How do I choose a wall color to go with a navy door?
Start with what cannot change. A roof, brick, stone or a concrete walkway will stay the color it is, so the walls and door must work with it. Look at those materials in daylight and note whether they lean warm or cool. Choose a wall color that leans the same way.
The roofs on these houses show the range. Charcoal goes with the sage green walls. Black goes with the pale peach and dusty rose walls. Brown goes with the deep bronze walls, where warm tones match warm tones. A black or charcoal roof is the easiest to pair, which is why one of the two appears on three of the four schemes.
If you are keeping brick, treat it as the wall color. Then choose only the trim and the door. A navy door against warm red brick gives clear contrast. Hold a door sample right against the brick or stone before you commit.
How much contrast should the trim and front door have?
Contrast decides how the door reads from the street. Every door color here has an LRV of 8 or lower, which is very dark. Against trim at LRV 71 to 73, the door stands out sharply. That is the look on the sage green, farmhouse and bungalow schemes: light trim, dark door and shutters.
For a softer look, bring the trim closer to the door. The peach ranch scheme uses #1A3037, LRV 3, on trim, door and shutters. Against walls at LRV 74 that is a strong line, and the pale wall does the work of lightness.
Keep the garage door with the trim color on most houses. A dark garage door next to a dark front door competes for attention. Use one dark accent, the door and shutters, and let the rest stay lighter. If the walls are already dark, as with the bronze at LRV 15, light trim is what keeps the navy door from disappearing.
Why does navy look different in sun and in shade?
Exterior color changes with the light. In full sun, a color looks lighter and often brighter than the chip. In shade, the same color looks cooler and deeper. A door on a covered porch is in shade most of the day, so a very dark navy can look almost black there.
For a door in shade, choose a shade with a little more blue, such as #365563 at LRV 8, so it still reads as blue. For a door in full sun, the darker #272835 at LRV 2 will still read as a deep ink color.
For walls, choose a shade darker than the one you like on the chip. Large painted areas look lighter outdoors. The sage green at LRV 34 and the dusty rose at LRV 28 will look a step lighter on a sunny wall. Pale colors like the peach at LRV 74 can look nearly white in strong sun, so check them before you buy gallons.
How should I test navy and wall colors on my house?
Test with large samples, not small chips. Paint a board or piece of poster board about two feet square, with two coats. Move it around instead of painting patches on the wall that you will have to cover later.
Check two sides of the house, such as the side facing the street and the side that gets the least sun. Look in the morning, at midday and in the evening. Look on a cloudy day too, if you can. Each time, notice whether the color turns warmer, cooler, lighter or darker.
Place the samples next to the things that will stay: the roof shingle, brick, stone and walkway. Put the door sample beside the trim sample, since the two are judged together. Stand at the curb and look at the house from the street, because that is how most people will see it. Leave the samples up for a few days before you decide.
FAQ
What is the best navy blue for a front door?
It depends on your light. #3C4254 at LRV 6 reads clearly as navy. #272835 at LRV 2 looks close to black, and #365563 at LRV 8 keeps more blue in shade.
Should shutters match a navy front door?
On all four schemes here, the shutters use the same color as the front door. That keeps the look simple and ties the dark accents together.
What trim color goes with a navy front door?
Light trim gives the most contrast. Warm Blush White at LRV 73 and Soft Cream at LRV 71 both work well beside a very dark navy door.
What does LRV mean for a front door color?
LRV is light reflectance value, from 0 for black to 100 for white. The navy doors here range from LRV 2 to 8, so all of them are very dark.
What wall colors go with a navy front door?
This page pairs navy doors with soft sage green, pale peach, deep bronze brown and dusty rose. Choose the one that matches your roof and any brick or stone that stays.
Save these colors
A card with these house color schemes: walls, trim, front door and roof. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
