Which colour front door offers the warmest welcome?

Red was the top choice when the Society asked members which colour was the most welcoming for the main entrance to a property.

Almost one in five (19%) plumped for that hue, but white wasn’t far behind, scoring 18% of the vote.

Blue was in third place, with 12%, just ahead of a natural wood finish, which was the most popular non-colour choice.

In descending order of appeal, green, black and yellow brought up the rear in the vote, with 7%, 4% and 2% respectively.

Stephen Westland, Professor of Colour Science at the University of Leeds, said the results showed how colours can become associated with positive and negative emotions.

Stephen said: “The Leeds Building Society study shows the most welcoming door colour is red and the least welcoming door colour is yellow.

The findings are somewhat in line with existing research into colour preference - many studies throughout the world have revealed the public's least favourite colour is yellow and their most favourite colour is blue. It’s therefore no surprise that yellow doors scored poorly in terms of how welcoming they are, while blue doors scored well.

It was interesting that in this study red and white both score highly as welcoming colours for doors and that black, as well as yellow, scores poorly.

I’ve been puzzling over why red is the most popular choice – as it’s such a warm colour, it literally might communicate that the interior or the owners are warm and welcoming. Black is often associated with concepts such as formality and this is one reason why few respondents selected black as a welcoming colour.

Colour is important for several reasons, not least because it can convey meaning, not just in an abstract sense but also in real-world applications, depending on context and culture.”

Leeds Building Society members were polled on their views on welcome door colours as part of a wider survey asking how they prepare their homes for winter.

The most common maintenance jobs at this time of year were servicing the boiler (64%) and clearing gutters of autumn leaves and debris (43%), although one in five respondents said they weren’t taking any specific actions to make their homes ready for winter.

In the garden, cutting back plants was the top priority (for 70% of respondents), while almost half of respondents (49%) were taking steps to put away outdoor furniture or take steps to protect it against the worst of the winter weather. Wildlife was another focus, with 39% of people saying they would instal feeders or make more effort to put out food for the birds.

When the hours of darkness are longer, lighting was chosen as the key security measure over intruder alarms or CCTV, with two-thirds of respondents (66%) favouring security lights and more than half (57%) preferring timer switches on house lights.

Richard Fearon, Leeds Building Society’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Part of our purpose as a business is to help people have the home they want, so we’re always keen to understand how our members make their homes their own.

Putting a personal stamp on your property is often seen as a big advantage of ownership over renting and something many people look forward to as they plan their purchase. Proud homeowners often invest a lot of effort, time and money in getting their property exactly how they want, to make it into somewhere they enjoy spending time as well as welcoming to their friends and loved ones.

The front door colour choice was a light-hearted question for members but it’s interesting to get the expert insight into how this decision affects how you and your visitors may feel about your home.”