The Discussions section is filled with homeowner after homeowner pleading for help choosing exterior paint colours. Help is on the way for three these homeowners, whose homes have been featured here and a few suggestions for exterior paint palettes. But first, three general hints for selecting an attractive exterior paint palette.
3 Tips for Choosing Your House Color
Contemplate your neighbors. Before you start taking a look at the endless array of paint swatches in the regional paint or home improvement store, look around your area to see whether there is a frequent palette. That is not to say you need to paint your house the specific same color as your neighbor. In fact, do not do that! Nothing looks more cookie cutter than row after row of houses painted exactly the same or very similar colours. But if you discover that the majority of the houses on your street are painted very neutral shades of white, brown and gray, you may not want to paint your house, say lavender. If you reside in a “Painted Lady” Victorian in San Francisco or an art deco style–townhouse in Miami, then you can most likely get away with a daring palette.
Conrado – Home Builders
Consider the style of your home. Along with the age. Some architectural styles — the formerly mentioned Victorian being one of them — have complex details that look fantastic painted at a stand-out colour. Other styles, such as this stuccoed Spanish colonial revival, tend to look best with a more controlled paint palette. Do a bit of research and see what colours a house like yours traditionally was painted.
Ana Williamson Architect
Contemplate going daring. Having said all that, you should not feel bound to paint your house in accord with everyone else in your area or use colours considered de rigueur for your manner of your home. If you’re itching to include more peculiar, eye-catching colours, I say do it! But maybe limit the bold hues to accents — on your front door, the fascia, the door and window trim, and so on.
3 Homes, 6 Palettes
These three homeowners needed some help with a new exterior paint palette to dress their house. Which of the following suggestions do you believe fits best?
Homeowner No. 1. user M E requested for help choosing a paint scheme for a 1964 split-level home. The questions: how to tie into the tan brick and the gray roof, if to provide the columns along with the window trim an accent color, and what daring color (orange? turquoise?) To paint the front door.
Jennifer Ott Design
Option 1. Clockwise from top left, this palette comes with a turquoise shade for front door, a pale gray (that has a touch of green in it) for the columns and trim, along with a pleasant, light taupe-gray color for your siding. The homeowner wanted to move away from the current “vanilla” color of the siding, but I’d avoid going too dim. There seem to be a good number of trees close to the house, casting shadows, as well as the tan brick at the bottom of the house is quite dark. This palette is light and bright with no too sweet.
All colours from Sherwin-Williams. Clockwise from top left: Reflecting Pool SW6486, Nuance SW7049 and Mindful Gray SW7016.
Jennifer Ott Design
Option 2. The siding color (bottom swatch) is comparable to what the homeowner now has, yet this colour has green and less yellow in it. I believe it would work nicely with the tan, and in addition, it functions as a terrific background for a dramatic orange front doorway. The light tan color, in the top right, is your pillar and trim shade.
All colours from Sherwin-Williams. Clockwise from top left: Marigold SW6664, Nacre SW6154 and Rice Grain SW6155.
Homeowner No. 2. Amanda Leigh submitted a photograph of her house and asked for ideas to spruce up the exterior siding and brick.
Jennifer Ott Design
Option 1. It is tough see from the photograph, but Leigh states that the previous homeowners had painted the brick. I’m usually not a fan of painting brick unless you just can not work with the first color or (as is the case here) it has been painted. I believe this brick ought to be painted a grounding color, such as the rich taupe brown shade shown in the bottom swatch. I’d remove the front door door (or substitute it with a retractable screen door) and paint the front door a deep red color. The walls have the darkest taupe color, and the siding gets the lightest tan shade.
All colours from Benjamin Moore. Clockwise from top left: Cottage Red, Midsummer Night 2134-20, Maritime White 963 and Texas Leather AC-3.
Jennifer Ott Design
Option 2. Here is a cooler shoot on the palette. Clockwise from top left: The front door gets a gorgeous French blue color, the walls remain dim — with a profound greenish-gray shade, the siding stays light using a soft gray and the brick gets painted a medium greenish-gray colour.
All colours from Benjamin Moore. Clockwise from top left: Province Blue 2135-40, Mohegan Sage 2138-30, Gray Lake 2138-70 and Carolina Gull 2138-40.
Homeowner No. 3. Tamizami wondered if she ought to paint her house, which is in the streamline moderne (art moderne) style, one color or divide the single colour with accent colours.
Jennifer Ott Design
Option 1. You could do some interesting things with color on this style of house. I’d paint the entire body of the house the lightest shade in the swatch, then paint the flat swaths (that the balconies) with the darker shade in the bottom of the swatch. I’d then use one of the two darker accent colours for your garage door, and, if feeling especially daring, use another accent color to set off the ribbing detail.
All colours from Glidden. Clockwise from top left: Sweet Tea GLO28, Bronzed Ivy GLN23, Elegant Lace and Prairie Sage GLG22.
Jennifer Ott Design
Option 2. Here I’d use one of the darker grays as the main house color and apply the remaining colors as accents for your garage door, the balcony columns along with the ribbing detail.
All colours from Glidden. Clockwise from top left: Dove White GLC37, Deep Garnet GLR29, Pebble Grey GLN50 and Granite Grey GLN59
Keep in mind that you are able to use color as a tool to either improve or conceal architectural information. If you want something to be noticed, paint it a contrasting colour from whatever surrounds it. Conversely, paint any attributes of your house that you want to conceal or deemphasize the same colour as whatever is surrounding them. They will blend in.
Inform us What are the tips for picking the proper colors for the outside of your house?
More: Great Color Palettes for Bold Front Doors