We have all seen brightly colored front doors on homes, the most popular color is red. The experts tell us it will improve the curb appeal of your home and make it more welcoming. But they're not the first to come up with this idea, it's an old practice from many different origins. This is what history is saying, about the red door.
In Feng Shui, a red front door means “welcome.” Feng Shui is a Chinese philosophy in which the arrangement and color of objects in a room relates to the flow of energy. The front door is known as the “Mouth of Chi” where energy enters. If you believe in or follow Feng Shui, painting your front door red would create welcoming energy.
A red door means “welcome” in an old early American tradition. If a family had a red front door tired travelers traveling by horse and buggy would know that a home was a welcoming place to rest. They would be able to spend the night there.
A red door provides protection. In Biblical times, the Hebrew slaves were instructed to smear blood of a lamb on their front doors to protect their first born from the angel of death. In old Catholicism churches painted the doors of the church red to represent the blood of Christ. Passing through the door would mean that you were on holy ground. Some believe a red door protects the occupants from evil.
A red front door means mortgage-free. In Scotland, homeowners would paint their front door red to signify that they had paid off their mortgage.
So, maybe having a red front door isn't all about having great curb appeal after all. When we take a moment and search history, we can discover many truths on why we do the things we do today.
