Design Thoughts: Should All Interior Doors Match?

I’m currently debating whether or not to paint the interior doors in my home office.

Last week I posted this picture on Instagram and Facebook with the following caption: It takes me forever to make design decisions in my own home. While I’m still debating what color to paint the sideboard, I’m also considering painting the doors in here a light grey. Thoughts?

You all are always so good at sharing your thoughts and opinions, and it’s ever so helpful!  Some of you were on board the grey train while others were team white.

A Common Question Arose

However, one question or common theme that many asked was – What color are the other doors in your home?  It seems many of you felt that if I painted the doors in my office grey, I’d have to commit to painting all of our interior doors this same color.  Or else this room would feel disjointed from the rest of the house.

Freshly Painted Pantry Door

This kind of got me thinking………especially since I recently painted our pantry door Sherwin Williams Amazing Grey.

(chandelier, pendant, chairs, table, toaster, slipcovered chairs – Restoration Hardware)

When considering the idea of painting our pantry door I didn’t just weigh the design of the space but also the functionality.  In fact, what ultimately drove me to want to give this white door a color was the constant struggle I faced to keep it looking clean.  This door sees a lot of use from our family of four.  I found that every smudge would stick out like a sore thumb.  Constant scrubbing was becoming a pain in my side.

I wasn’t looking to make a visual statement with the door color as I didn’t want to detract from the black island and pendants.  That’s how I landed on this soft grey that would coordinate well, provide a low contrast to our antique white cabinet color yet be much more manageable as opposed to white.  For such a small, simple project I think it pays dividends in the custom-look department.

They’re Not All Going Grey

Though as much as I love this soft shade of grey.  I have zero plans to paint all of the doors in my home this color.

The interior of our front door is SW Urbane Bronze as is the interior of our back door.  And the hallway doors on the first floor are all painted white to match the trim work.  I’m of the mindset that not all doors, just like not all walls, in a home need to be painted the same color for a home to have visual design flow.  In some cases you want the door to stand out or feel special in some way so you may want something other than your basic white.  And in other cases you want the door to blend in rather than stealing the show.  I think it’s okay to have both scenarios happening in your home.

As you can see in the picture above all three door colors are within the same visual plain – grey, white and charcoal.  While they’re all different they work well together.

Should All Interior Doors Match?

Clearly, I’m not one to follow design rules.  But I am curious to hear your thoughts on this.  Should all interior doors in a home match?  Or do you think it’s okay to mix and match door colors so long as they all coordinate?

I plan to paint the other side of our pantry door with chalkboard paint………..but who knows when I’ll actually get to that little project.  😉

For more painted door inspiration, follow my Pinterest board here.