The Magnificent Front Doors of Beacon Hill

Hi Everyone,

Anyone who’s read this blog for a few years has probably surmised that I prefer painted brick to plain old red brick.

In fact, I wrote a post about the best paint Pcolors to go with red brick.

Also, this post that I barely remember, lol How to change red brick back if you don’t like it painted.

 

And, this post that I remember quite well about a husband who loves the ugly brick fireplace.

That was probably the same hub who loves the ugly, bloated sectional.

 

By the way, as an aside, I hope you dear husbands, or wannabe husbands don’t feel like I’m always picking on you.

 

Even though, I clearly am. ;]

Of course, it’s only fiction. However, in all of my years in business, it is more common that husbands are not so into design.

 

But, getting back to the red brick.

 

I’m sure that more than one of you has not failed to notice that I’ve ended up in a city where there are billions of red bricks. And, that’s just on Beacon Hill, alone, I daresay.

Beacon Hill, for those that don’t know is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Boston with a rich history. It is also home  Massachusetts State House.

As it happens, I find myself frequently walking through Beacon Hill. All of my new doctors are at the far north end at Mass General Hospital. And, I frequently go there for coffee, lunch, or dinner with new friends.

So, with phone in hand, whenever I feel the urge to take some pics, I do.

 

Beacon Hill is known for its quaint, charming architecture, mostly from the 19th century, but some dating earlier.

 

But, most of all, Beacon Hill is known for its gorgeous Georgian-influenced, classic New England front doors.

Beacon Hill, I featured in one of my first Boston posts, right after Christmas for some night-time shots of the classic, homes decorated for the holidays.

 

However, this post is all about the front doors in winter, spring, and summer.

 

The best doors are painted in a high-gloss finish. And, the majority of the doors are either red or black—however, not all of the doors.

In addition, many of the front door areas in the spring and especially summer feature exquisite window boxes and planters. Because this is New England with a strong English influence, gardens are a big deal here.

Ummmm… Not mine. Just yet. But, all in good time. And, there are some lovely things growing back there.

Anyway… Enough of the chitchat.

 

Presenting some of the most exquisite front doors of Beacon Hill.

 

What I’m doing is mostly dividing the doors into seasons, beginning with winter, then spring, and summer. In a few cases, you might see the same front door in a different season. Then, when fall comes, I’ll add those images, and I’ll keep adding others that I’ve missed.

We’ll begin with these two classics which I published last winter.

 

Stunning front door Farrow & Ball Hague Blue - Photo LBI - Beacon Hill, Boston

Above is the beautiful Hague Blue from Farrow & Ball front door.

 

Beacon Hill - Boston neighborhood Classic Red door

This red door and most of them appear to be Benjamin Moore Heritage Red. It looks deeper on the chip, but out in the light, it looks like the perfect red paint color.

 

See 20 favorite exterior paint colors.

 

Benjamin Moore - classic red doors of Beacon Hill Summer 2021

And, here is the same classic red door taken last May.

 

classical red door Beacon Hill Boston - Benjamin Moore Heritage Red

This is a sister door a couple of houses down.

 

 Forest green door - red brick

This is the house between the two.

 

Believe me. I don’t know where every house is in terms of the exact location on Beacon Hill.

 

Yet. haha

 

However, I do remember that these three beauties are on Brimmer between Chestnut and Lime. This is the south-western portion of Beacon Hill that is known as “The Flat of the Hill.”

You may recall that we touched on some of the history of Boston and how it’s grown considerably in square miles, particularly in the 19th century.

 

pale gold door Beacon Hill Topiaries

I’m pretty sure this home with an interesting front door is also on the flat of the hill. But, it’s the plants that make it! Right? Just gorgeous!

 

Okay, I was supposed to be starting with springtime.

 

Remember this post where I featured the hundreds of glorious flowering trees last April? I heard from numerous sources that this spring was especially spectacular.

 

Beacon Street Springtime Boston 2021

Awww, one exceptionally lovely reader used to live here at 95 Beacon Street. She moved out shortly before I moved in. Thank you Pat, for all of your kind wishes, and help.

 

dark pink - raspberry red front door Beacon Hill
Most of the flowers that people put in their boxes and planters are real. However, not all of them are. These might be artificial, but aren’t these colors gorgeous?

This front door is more of a raspberry color.

 

Benjamin Moore strawberry red 2003-20

It could very well be Benjamin Moore Strawberry red; one of the 144 colors in the Laurel Home Paint & Palette Collection.

 

gorgeous home Beacon Hill beautiful window boxes
This incredible home is near Louisburg Square, I think on Mount Vernon Street. I’m not 100% sure about that. Clearly, this was taken at the height of spring.

 

beacon hill black front door window boxes

Another view of the same home featuring one of the classic doors of Beacon Hill.

 

Doors of Beacon Hill Robins Egg blue door springtime

This stunning door was snapped by me on Cedar Street. Cedar is not on the flat, but the hill is manageable. It is one of the longest streets running northwest.

 

Doors of Beacon Hill Robins Egg blue door summer

I took this pic of the same door on a cloudy day very recently.

I prefer taking photos on cloudy days, usually. Or, at least when there aren’t a lot of shadows.

However, sometimes bright sun yields some striking images.

 

Exquisite home Beacon Hill

For example; this gorgeous home on Mount Vernon Street. You can see a winter night-time view of this home in this post.

 

black doors of Beacon Hill

A detail shot showing that the house could stand to be repainted.

 

Francis Parkman House - Exquisite homes Beacon Hill

This is the gorgeous front door of the Francis Parkman House, now a museum, at 50 Chestnut Street.

 

Francis Parkman House Museum exquisite front doors

A little closer view

 

Georgian doors of Beacon Hill - black door - leaded sidelights

I adore everything about this classic Georgian-style front door!

 

Exquisite portico - wrought iron balcony - doors of Beacon Hill

This house I shot last April kind of stopped me in my tracks.

But, then, so did the one below.

 

painted brick house - brick red front door Beacon Hill

I took a lot of photos on May 11th and this home caught my eye. It is behind a gate, so this is the only angle I could capture. As you can see, not all of the brick is red.

 

Doors of Beacon Hill - beautiful green door white paint
Another cool painted brick home with a refreshing jade green door.

 

Farrow & Ball Arsenic
It’s in shadow, so could be Farrow & Ball Arsenic. Or, maybe it is a little deeper.

 

Benjamin Moore Geddy Verdigris

Actually, Benjamin Moore Geddy Verdigris cw-550, one of the Williamsburg colors, looks like an even better match.  Please remember, if you don’t already know that paint colors outside tend to look brighter and more washed out than on interior walls.

Below is the last springtime front door, for now

 

Boston Architecture - Beacon Hill Red Door

 

Now, we’re getting into the front doors of Beacon Hill taken in summer.

 

The other evening, I went out to pick up something at Nordy’s Rack. Yes, it’s totally fine to hate me. lol  It’s just around the corner. I mean, is there a better reason to move to Boston Back Bay?

Yes, Tatte! But, it’s late, so let’s not go there, right now.

 

Black door with ferns Boston

 

After my trip to Nordy’s, I decided to go for a walk. I didn’t have any place in mind. But, since I was already on Boylston, I headed past the garden and through Boston Common. And then, like a homing pigeon, straight back to Beacon Hill!

It was a lovely evening and the sun was low in the sky since it was after 7:00. Alas, because of how far east Boston is, our sun is now setting just after 8:00 PM.

 

front doors of Beacon Hill - incredible red door - red and green garden - iron fence

I got another shot of this classic jaw-dropping entrance on Cedar Street, I believe. Dripping with charm, it is. How can anything be THAT perfect?

But, there’s more.

 

Heritage Red - Exquisite red doors of Beacon Hill - street light - mailbox in Beacon Hill

Two versions of this stunner.

I love the composition of the one above. But, the image below zooms in.

 

Exquisite red door - street light - mailbox

And I saved my favorite of the front doors of Beacon Hill for last.

 

Stunning red doors of Beacon Hill - black shutters - balcony

It’s just everything together. The door and surround, windows (that need washing, lol and so do mine!), the plantings; even the fire hydrant.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these wonderful front doors of Beacon Hill.

 

best paint colors to go with red brick + The gorgeous front doors of Beacon Hill!

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You might also enjoy this post about the best front door paint colors.

xo,

PS: Please check out the newly updated HOT SALES.

 

And, also the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is open to EVERYONE! Happy shopping!

They’ve added 100 new brands. Plus, if an item that you wanted was taken, please keep checking back. Often people get two sizes because they don’t know which one will work better and then they return the pieces that don’t fit.

 

22 Responses

  1. Hi Laurel, I am thrilled to have found Laurel Home recently. The front doors of Beacon Hill came at the perfect time. Love them all. The locksmith is working on our new front door right now that will have brass hardware. We have a brick home with white trim. I have added black shutters and would like to paint the new door black. There is a front porch so that there will not be a storm door and would like advice as to the color black to paint the door. Many thanks, Nancy

  2. Hi Laurel,
    Thank you for this beautiful post of Beacon Hill. You are one “dang” good photographer!!!

  3. Lime Green, leaning toward chartreuse green..or electric avocado…getting the picture? I love funky bright/light greens for doors.

  4. Laurel, I delayed reading this because I knew I would feel sad all over again, having moved. And I do —but I also was surprised when I came upon 95, and appreciative of the shoutout!! You do a great job of showing and describing your beautiful adopted city. Always love your blog posts. One of these Im going to return and knock on your door!

  5. Thanks for sharing this feast of gorgeous doors with us! What a blessing for you to live surrounded by such beauty. You deserve it, Laurel :] I didn’t think I’d love red doors with red brick, but I like these examples. Very classy. I especially love the red door on the painted brick home, though. And I can see why that last door is a favorite of yours; the whole vignette is striking – every detail of it!

  6. I really like the soft blue greens so much more than the reds which seem a bit clashy to me. That soft creamy yellow too – love it!

  7. Teal color at Francis Parkman home? looks so good with that sort of terra cotta brick, which is what I have. I’d love to use it on my home in the Atlanta area.

  8. My husband believes every red door we see indicates a house without a mortgage – wholly owned by the resident. Is that true or is it just wishful thinking?!

  9. Beautiful. It’s interesting that every door has brass hardware. I would be curious to see some other metals used, or would that deviate from the historical nature of these front door?

  10. Hi Laurel, I was in Boston a week ago and saw these doors in person. These houses are so beautiful and the flowers are like what you’d see in Europe. When I passed the boulevard where I thought you lived (from that picture that you showed us on the blog) I waved at you down toward the Back Bay. When I told my traveling companions that I knew a woman who lives over there, they were impressed and asked who you were and so I had to say that you were a virtual friend and that I had actually never met you. You live in a gorgeous city with such kind, friendly people. Good choice!

  11. They’re all gorgeous. My favorite is the teal door at the Francis Parkman house. Any guess what color it is? I don’t know how you get anything done 🙂 I’d spend all my time walking & admiring all these beautiful homes.

  12. Beautiful! Question here:
    Is the interior side of the door typically painted the same as the outside?

  13. Thanks for this post Laurel, I’ve been trying to decide what color to repaint my door for along time now. I want black with my beige house but I live in Florida and my husband says that won’t work. Maybe I’ll think about the pale blue and cream one you posted.

  14. Laurel I wanted to Thank you for your suggestion of the perfect red color , we recently painted our front door Heritage Red and it is just perfect! Love it! Thanks Again

  15. Hi Laurel,
    I loved this tour of your new area. Those folks sure know how to make a good first impression. Just beautiful!

  16. Laurel, that was a lovely stroll; thank you! Any idea what determines whether the door handle goes on the left or right?

  17. Laurel, thank you for another interesting and informative post presented in such a way that it’s fun to read. And I also really appreciate the upbeat and friendly tone you write in (never arrogant).

  18. Lovely photos, Laurel. Do you think it’s coincidence that the other place to see these Georgian doors with delicate tracery fanlights above is Dublin?

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Hi, I’m Laurel, and Laurel Home is the website and blog for Laurel Bern Interiors.
I’ve been creating new-traditional interiors since 1988. The blog is where I share all.

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