How a Dark Green Front Door Paint Color Brought a Rich, Classic Look to Our Home
Looking for the perfect dark green front door paint color? See why I chose Sherwin-Williams Ripe Olive and how it transformed our home’s entry for fall.
While I’ve loved our blue front door for years, I was ready for a little change. Heading into fall and winter felt like the perfect time to try a color that’s a little moodier and more timeless. I wanted something richer that would also blend beautifully with our brown brick.
After trying a few Sherwin-Williams paint color swatches, I landed on Sherwin-Williams Ripe Olive. It’s a gorgeous dark green front door paint color that’s perfect for a classic look. It adds both drama and warmth and brings depth to our front porch, giving it a more grounded and timeless feel.
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If you know me, you know that I love to paint our front door. We’ve lived in our home for more than seventeen years, and in that time, the door has been at least five different colors!
This fall, we transformed our blue front door, painted Sherwin-Williams Endless Sea, into a rich dark green that leans almost black and complements our brown brick beautifully! Sherwin-Williams Ripe Olive (SW 6209) did just the trick!
Why I Chose This Dark Green Front Door Paint Color
When I started looking for a new front door color, I knew I wanted a deep, rich color that felt classic but not too harsh. I leaned toward either a very dark green or a dark, almost black-brown. I tested three Sherwin-Williams colors before making my final decision:
- Ripe Olive (SW 6209): The color I ultimately chose. It’s the darkest shade on the same color strip as the popular shades, Sea Salt and Comfort Gray, two popular soft blue-green paint colors. Ripe Olive carries some of those same undertones, but in a deeper, moodier version. It definitely reads as a dark green, but with a hint of blue-gray.
- Rock Garden (SW 6195): A dark green that’s a tiny bit more saturated green. It has more noticeable green tones than Ripe Olive, which gives it a slightly less neutral feel.
- Sealskin (SW 7675): A very dark black-brown that creates a bold, dramatic look. It’s a beautiful color and one I might try someday since I do have a habit of repainting our front door from time to time!
I ended up choosing Ripe Olive because it’s rich without feeling too heavy. It pairs beautifully with our brown brick exterior and feels grounded and timeless. The color shifts a bit throughout the day, looking dark and dramatic in the shade and softer and warmer in the sunlight.
Why I Painted Only the Door (and Not the Sidelights)
When I decided to paint our front door, I debated whether to paint the sidelights the same color or keep them light like our trim. In the end, I chose to paint only the door and leave the sidelights off-white, and I’m glad I did.
- Lighting: Our front porch is small and north-facing, which means it stays pretty shaded most of the day. Keeping the sidelights white helps brighten up the entry and makes the porch feel a little more open.
- Contrast: I love how the dark door color stands out against the lighter trim. It keeps the look classic and balanced rather than too heavy in our shaded entryway.
- Style: Painting the sidelights the same color as the door can give a more contemporary or dramatic look, but separating the two feels more traditional, which suits our home’s style.
- Future plans: If I ever go with a more neutral dark brown or black color in the future, I might consider painting the sidelights too for a bolder look. But for now, I love the mix of the dark door and lighter trim.
Choosing to leave the sidelights light keeps everything looking fresh, even with the deeper door color. It adds just enough contrast to make the new dark green front door paint color stand out beautifully.
Styling Our Front Porch for Fall
Once the door was painted, I added a few fall touches to pull our porch together for the season. I kept things simple this year with a few pumpkins and simple planters, and I updated an old wreath with new touches and colors.
- Simple fall pots: I kept our summer ferns in their white planter boxes for our fall porch. Our local Kroger had the most beautiful fall pots full of ornamental cabbage, celosia, yellow mums, ivy, and coleus. I couldn’t resist purchasing one for our porch, and I added some pretty mums in a pinkish-lavender shade to pair with this mix.
- Pumpkins: I went with traditional orange pumpkins this year and added a couple of small ornamental pumpkins to the flower pots for a fun touch.
- Updated wreath: I made the wreath on our door last fall. You can read the full tutorial in this post. I added a few richer details this year. Browns and burgundy velvet ribbon, and few berry stems, and some pheasant feathers gave it a warmer, more layered look that ties in perfectly with the new door color and the colors of our fall flowers..
I love how cozy our porch feels for fall, and I’m loving how everything looks with the new green paint color! I can just imagine how pretty it will look for Christmas!
The Finished Look: A Classic and Welcoming Entry
It’s amazing how much difference a simple paint color change can make. The new dark green door feels timeless and classic, and it completely changed the look of our entryway. It adds just the right amount of contrast against our brown brick and gives the porch a cozy, welcoming feel that works in any season.
I love how the new color ties in with the fall touches and makes the whole space feel more grounded. It’s a small update, but it gave our home a fresh new look that feels just right. And knowing me, this probably won’t be the last time our front door gets a new color, but for now, I’m loving this one.
If you’ve been thinking about changing your front door, I definitely recommend giving a dark green a try. It’s such a beautiful, timeless option that works year-round and adds so much character to your entryway.
Would you ever try a dark green front door? I’d love to hear what colors you’re drawn to right now.
Thanks so much for stopping by today.
Happy Painting!
