News Release

May 30, 2012 04:10 PM Eastern Time

Five Popular Front Door Colors and What They (Might) Say about You

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whether or not we realize it, the colors with which we surround ourselves – in our clothes, cars, and homes -- reveal a lot about us. For example, bright colors often indicate an outgoing personality, while subdued colors imply a more low-key persona.

How can a hue say so much about you? According to Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute, color has a psychological component through which we often communicate our moods, feelings, emotions, and personality. One way we do that is through the paint colors we choose, even on the exterior of our home.

“The entire exterior color scheme has meaning, but the color of the front door is especially important,” says Zimmer. “Like a necktie, which is the focal point of an outfit, the front door is the focal point of the home. The color there sends a strong message – in the case of the front door, providing insight into how we view our home.”

So, what does your front door color say about you and the way you regard your home? Here’s what a color psychologist might say about some of the most common front door colors:

Blue. Shown to be the most popular color in many studies, a blue front door signals that the homeowner views his or her home as a place of refuge -- calm, serene, and relaxing, the perfect retreat from an often harsh and demanding world.

Green. Green is another popular color for the front door, and with good reason. Psychologically speaking, green connotes health, safety, tranquility, and harmony, all highly desirable attributes for the home environment.

Black. Those who paint the front door black are communicating something entirely different about their homes. A black front door projects strength, sophistication, power, and authority, indicating to all who enter or even passersby that the home is a serious place inhabited by a person of substance.

Red. Regarded as a powerful “punch” color, red is the color of passion. By painting the front door red, the homeowner is saying that the home within is a vibrant place, full of life, energy, and excitement.

Brown. Whether painted or stained, a brown front door looks natural and organic, but it can send mixed messages in terms of color psychology. On the one hand, brown conveys warmth, stability, and reliability, positive attributes all, but certain darker shades of brown signal a desire for privacy, even isolation.

Very likely, the color you’ve chosen for your front door projects the way you want your home to be viewed. But if you inherited the color from the previous owner, or if you want to say something different about yourself and your home, you can quickly change the color, says Zimmer. “It takes only a few hours to prep and re-paint a standard-size front door, and by applying a durable, top quality 100% acrylic latex paint, you can make a totally different color statement that will last for years.”

For more information on exterior color, paints, and stains, visit blog.paintquality.com or www.paintquality.com. And for more on color, check out the Paint Quality Institute’s 2012 paint color trends video on YouTube.

Editors Note: Visit our image library for images that accompany this release, http://www.paintquality.com/media-center/press-releases/downloads/pr-images.html

About the Paint Quality Institute (SM)

The Paint Quality Institute (SM) was formed by Rohm and Haas Company (now a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”)) in 1989 to educate people on the advantages of using quality interior and exterior paints and coatings. The Paint Quality Institute's goal is to provide information on the virtues of quality paint as well as color trends and decorating with paint through a variety of vehicles, including television appearances, newspaper and magazine articles, and instructional literature. Please be sure to visit the Paint Quality Institute at www.paintquality.com.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.