Should doors be painted the same color as walls? Yes, and here are 5 expert-approved reasons why

Should doors be painted the same color as walls? If you're learning how to paint a wall or embarking on a house renovation, it's a question you're sure to ask yourself or your interior designer.

The short answer is: yes, you can certainly paint doors the same color as walls for a seamless, modern, and restful aesthetic. In fact, we encourage you to try this space-boosting paint idea.

'Enveloping your space in a single color is a wonderful way to create rich, engaging interiors,' says Andy Greenall, creative director of Paint & Paper Library. 'This on-trend approach to decorating incorporates doors, along with all other architectural features into your design scheme.’

Of course, there are other ways you can approach painting a room, with white doors and trims, or, of course, you can contrast the color of the door to the walls instead. There's no wrong answer. But painting doors the same color as walls is a contemporary option that will create an elegant aesthetic. 

Should doors be painted the same color as walls?

'There are a variety of different approaches to painting doors and woodwork, each creating a different atmosphere in a space,' says Ruth Mottershead, creative director of Little Greene. 'For an enveloping and intimate feel, embrace the color-drenching trend and paint your doors, woodwork, walls, and ceiling in a single color.'

Not sure where to start? Belove we share five expert-approved ways to paint your doors the same color as your walls. 

Paint doors the same color as walls to make the space look bigger

Small room ideas often involve creative ways to increase the sense of space through clever interior design ideas. And utilizing paint tricks is an ideal strategy to make a small room look bigger.

Patrick O’Donnell, international brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball says: 'Whilst the default setting for most woodwork in our homes tends to be a multitude of whites and off-whites, considering alternatives, especially on doors, can sometimes offer interesting options and can actually help the perception of space. 

'Especially in smaller spaces, where carrying the wall color over your woodwork in a suitable wood finish can help elongate a wall. You will still get a gentle contrast due to how light responds to the sheen, between an emulsion and eggshell. 

'Secondly, it can be just a case of aesthetics, for the love of ‘color drenching’ ie. painting all surfaces in one space the same color, but the appropriate finish for each substrate.'

Helen Shaw, Director of Marketing (International), Benjamin Moore, adds: 'Creating an all-encompassing floor-to-ceiling finish in one color, including trims, skirting boards, and doors, cleverly create the illusion of a larger space as it blurs the edges. This color drenching effect can be especially useful when working with a small space.'

Color drench for a modern aesthetic

Depending on what look you want to achieve for your living room ideas, painting the doors and walls in the same color can look particularly striking, while also being inviting and cozy.

When color drenching is combined with other architectural features, like wall paneling, the final effect is an elevated space with a high-end feel.

'Going full-out color drenching adds a feeling of grandeur and creates a bold look that provides the perfect backdrop for your favorite furnishings and accessories,' says Helen Shaw. 'This seamlessness throughout the space is ideal when working with a particularly small space as it feels more expansive.'

Little Greene's Ruth Mottershead adds: 'The color drenching approach to decorating, incorporating all elements of including doors into a space, and is well suited to living rooms, bedrooms, and entryways, delivering a contemporary and cocooning finish.'

Disguise a less favorable door

Painting doors the same color as the walls is an interior design trick that can be used to hide a door that might not be your favorite part of the room.

'If you are looking to hide a door, simply incorporate it fully into your design scheme in a tonal color or by painting it the same color as your walls, which will camouflage the door, integrating it into the space,' explains Ruth Mottershead.

'Mid-tone and darker colors work particularly well in this situation, harnessing the character and depth of a space, creating intimacy and warmth.' 

Farrow & Ball's Patrick O'Donnell adds: 'Whilst a door will never disappear completely, you can soften its presence within a room by painting it the same color as your wall.'

Make a good first impression in an entrance

The entryway is the ideal place to paint doors the same color as walls and start experimenting with color drenching.

'The entrance is the room that not only greets guests entering the home but is also what usually connects one room to another,' says Benjamin Moore's Helen Shaw.

'It is also often a fairly small and sometimes irregularly shaped room, so keeping the same color throughout on the walls and doors, like a white or neutral color, creates harmony, continuity, and a sense of space.'

And Paint & Paper Library's Andy Greenall explains why entryways are a good place to begin, commenting: 'Halls and entrances are often visible through open doorways from multiple rooms, so are a great space for using a single color across all elements, including doors. This will also make it easier to choose a palette that interacts well with multiple rooms and colors throughout the home.'

As hallways are often small spaces, color drenching is a clever trick to employ to make the room look bigger.

Ruth Mottershead adds: 'This approach can be used to create the illusion of space, simply paint the doors, walls, and ceiling in the same shade to extend the walls upwards. This works particularly well as a narrow hallway idea, as these spaces are often also lacking in natural light.'

Create a sense of calm

Color drenching creates a seamless aesthetic and removes any visual jarring that can occur when contrasting shades are used. This makes painting doors the same color as walls a particularly good idea for spaces where tranquility is key, like bathrooms, bedrooms, and nurseries.

Pam Gruhn, founder, of Frenchic, says: 'Smaller bedrooms and nurseries in particular, where you may well be looking for ways to create a tranquil environment to promote relaxation and sleep, benefit greatly from a single color for trims, doors, and walls.'

She adds: 'Having doors painted the same as the walls is a simple trick for a pared-down look that makes the whole space look effortlessly sleek and chic.'