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Help! What Color Should I Paint My House Exterior?
Real homeowners get real help in choosing paint palettes. Bonus: 3 tips for everyone on picking exterior colors
Houzz contributor and designer at the Austin-based architecture and interior design firm, Loop Design (http://www.houzz.com/pro/loopdesign/loop-design).
Loop Design specializes in modern residential new construction and renovations. We are passionate about sustainable building practices and enjoy it when our clients bring those same interests to their project.
Houzz contributor and designer at the Austin-based architecture and interior... More »
The Houzz Discussions section is filled with homeowner after homeowner pleading for help choosing exterior paint colors. Help is on the way for three such homeowners, whose homes are featured here along with some suggestions for exterior paint palettes. But first, three general tips for selecting an attractive exterior paint palette.
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| 3 Tips for Choosing Your House Color Consider your neighbors. Before you even begin looking at the endless array of paint swatches at your local paint or home improvement store, look around your neighborhood to see if there is a common palette. That's not to say you should paint your house the exact same color as your neighbor. In fact, don't do that! Nothing looks more cookie cutter than row after row of houses painted the same or very similar colors. But if you find that most of the houses on your street are painted very neutral shades of white, gray and brown, you may not want to paint your house, say, lavender. If you live in a "Painted Lady" Victorian in San Francisco or an art deco style–townhouse in Miami, then you can probably get away with a more daring palette. |
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Consider the style of your home. And the era. Some architectural styles — the previously mentioned Victorian being one of them — have intricate details that look fantastic painted in a stand-out hue. Other styles, such as this stuccoed Spanish colonial revival, tend to look best with a more restrained paint palette. Do some research and see what colors a house like yours traditionally has been painted.
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Consider going bold. Having said all that, you should not feel obligated to paint your house in accordance with everyone else's in your neighborhood or use colors considered de rigueur for the style of your home. If you are itching to incorporate more unusual, eye-catching colors, I say go for it! But perhaps 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 Houzz homeowners needed some help with a new exterior paint palette to dress up their house. Which of the following suggestions do you think fits best?
3 Homes, 6 Palettes
These three Houzz homeowners needed some help with a new exterior paint palette to dress up their house. Which of the following suggestions do you think fits best?
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Homeowner No. 1. Houzz user M E asked for help selecting a paint scheme for a 1964 split-level home. The questions: how to tie in the tan brick and the gray roof, whether to give the columns and the window trim an accent color, and what bold color (orange? turquoise?) to paint the front door.
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by Jennifer Ott
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| Option 1. Clockwise from top left, this palette features a turquoise color for the front door, a light gray (that has a touch of green in it) for the columns and trim, and a nice, light taupe-gray color for the siding. The homeowner wanted to move away from the current "vanilla" color of the siding, but I would avoid going too dark. There appear to be a good number of trees near the house, casting shadows, and the tan brick at the base of the house is rather dark. This palette is light and bright without being too vanilla. All colors from Sherwin-Williams. Clockwise from top left: Reflecting Pool SW6486, Nuance SW7049 and Mindful Gray SW7016. |
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by Jennifer Ott
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| Option 2. The siding color (bottom swatch) is similar to what the homeowner currently has, but this hue has more green and less yellow in it. I think it would work well with the tan brick, and it also serves as a terrific backdrop for a dramatic orange front door. The light tan color, at top right, is the column and trim color. All colors from Sherwin-Williams. Clockwise from top left: Marigold SW6664, Nacre SW6154 and Rice Grain SW6155. |
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Homeowner No. 2. Amanda Leigh posted a photo of her house and asked for ideas to spruce up the exterior brick and siding.
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by Jennifer Ott
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| Option 1. It's tough see in the photo, but Leigh says the previous homeowners had painted the brick. I'm usually not a fan of painting brick unless it you just can't work with the original color or (as is the case here) it's already been painted. I think this brick should be painted a more grounding color, such as the rich taupe brown shade shown in the bottom swatch. I would remove the front screen door (or replace it with a retractable screen door) and then paint the front door a deep red color. The shutters get the darkest taupe color, and the siding gets the lightest tan color. All colors from Benjamin Moore. Clockwise from top left: Cottage Red, Midsummer Night 2134-20, Maritime White 963 and Texas Leather AC-3. |
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by Jennifer Ott
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| Option 2. Here is a cooler take on the palette. Clockwise from top left: The front door gets a beautiful French blue color, the shutters remain dark — with a deep greenish-gray color, the siding stays light with a soft gray and the brick gets painted a medium greenish-gray hue. All colors from Benjamin Moore. Clockwise from top left: Province Blue 2135-40, Mohegan Sage 2138-30, Gray Lake 2138-70 and Carolina Gull 2138-40. |
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Homeowner No. 3. Tamizami wondered if she should paint her house, which is in the streamline moderne (art moderne) style, one color or break up the single hue with accent colors.
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by Jennifer Ott
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| Option 1. You could really do some interesting things with color on this style of house. I would paint the body of the house the lightest shade in the swatch, then paint the horizontal swaths (the balconies) with the darker shade at the bottom of the swatch. I would then use one of the two darker accent colors for the garage door, and, if feeling particularly daring, use the other accent color to set off the ribbing detail. All colors from Glidden. Clockwise from top left: Sweet Tea GLO28, Bronzed Ivy GLN23, Elegant Lace and Prairie Sage GLG22. |
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by Jennifer Ott
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| Option 2. Here I would use one of the darker grays as the main house color and use the remaining colors as accents for the garage door, the balcony columns and the ribbing detail. All colors from Glidden. Clockwise from top left: Dove White GLC37, Deep Garnet GLR29, Pebble Grey GLN50 and Granite Grey GLN59 Keep in mind that you can use color as a tool to either enhance or hide architectural details. If you want something to stand out, paint it a contrasting hue from whatever surrounds it. Conversely, paint any features of your house that you want to hide or deemphasize the same hue as whatever is surrounding them. They will blend right in. Tell us: What are your tips for picking the right colors for the outside of your house? More: Great Color Palettes for Bold Front Doors |
Ideabook updated on Sept. 20, 2012.
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Marie Meko
For homeowner #2 I would choose option 2 because option 1 looks like similar colors to what they already have, just reshuffled. And that French Blue (Province Blue?) is gorgeous!
For homeowner #3 I would pick option 1; there isn't a lot of landscaping going on there and the greens will help the house look more like a part of nature.
For picking my own home's exterior color, I would stay away from anything trendy and just go with paler colors like light grey, off white, even a light green. Maybe a pop of a contrasting color on the front or garage doors.
For me, that house is screaming out for the colors on the house in the bold scenerio, though restrained. Paint the balconies and fireplace section and maybe even the roofline that beautiful bold blueish (what color is that house?), the ribbing a chrome silver, and the walls maybe a more subdued grey or a pale color of that blue family. No clue about the garage.
I suppose you would want to make sure it didn't divide the house into too many sections like patchwork. But that's why I leave color choices to the pro's!
We spent 3 (yes three!) years debating which colour to paint our newly-built house in Italy. It was so important for us to get it right as the house is in a natural beauty spot. So when we found the right shade - that we BOTH liked, we were over-joyed. We painted one wall and yes, it was the right shade. However now that the whole house is painted, we see what we should have done. Be aware that the surrounding colours (pavements, terraces, greenery, roof tiles etc) will alter the colour of your walls when it's sunny. Wish we'd taken that into account. Colour looks great when it's cloudy but not what we wanted when the sun is out.
what color did you end up painting it? What style?
I understand what you mean by 'get it right as the house is in a natural beauty spot.' In our lush green tropical neighborhood, someone painted their house a deep teal. To me, it clashes with the plants growing up all around it. Every time I go by, it kinda jars me. Doesn't have to match with the others, doesn't have to be 'greige' (really? that's a color?), doesn't have to be neutral. You want bold? Go for it! But in a surrounding you pay extra for, don't clash with what you paid for.
I've always thought architects who build shopping areas should look backwards. Why create something that will be so dated in a few years? Build something that has the grace, elegance, and distinction of the classics - Rome, Paris, even Colonial.
Still, house #3 cries out for something bolder. Maybe it's those unearthly plants in the front...
ewharvard@aol.com
ihenn - the dark trim made the house pop! Great choices. It made me laugh. Your before is so close, yet just a little difference makes a huge change for the better!
My house has T1-11 siding and I am going to be restraining this Fall. I'm tired of the golden oak and am thinking of going darker with a sable transparent stain. The trim is cedar. I'm thinking of using a solid stain on the cedar trim. Do I go lighter or darker? Roof shingles are varied - light, med., dark golden brown. The windows themselves, gutters, downspouts, frames of sliding glass doors are all dark brown.
I agree that House #3 needs something a little bolder.
Now my question: I'm in the same predicament as jcipre. The house we bought a year ago is similar to yours jcipre, and I was thinking something blue too--without looking kitschy like the 60s (when the house was built). It's a brick red right now, although it has no bricks; just siding. Only thing, the new roof and eavestroughs are brown. What combinations of blue would go with that? The choices on the three houses above have too much grey in them. And we're surrounded by trees.
http://sandyatsps.blogspot.com/2011/07/choosing-exterior-colors-use-this.html
and this one on choosing a front door color:
http://sandyatsps.blogspot.com/2012/06/choosing-front-door-color-bakers-dozen.html
and this one on how to accent exteriors because it's more than finding the right colors, it's where you put them:
http://sandyatsps.blogspot.com/2012/02/right-color-in-right-place-on-exterior.html
Benjamin Moore
A. Cream Trim: Jimcama AF 315
B. Main color: Tree Moss 508
C. Vent: Stratton Blue HC 142
D. Door and upper/lower window sash: Springfield Sage 510
E. Terracotta Trim: Tuscany 1208
F. Corbels (brackets): Casbah AF640
But, the one that stole my attention is #3. Love the style! Love all of the art deco lines. I've come to appreciate that era, it's incorporated in so many styles today but in not so obvious ways. I would love to see the inside of this one just for curiosity sake. As far as colors, I always have a tough time with this, but I think I would keep in line with the era to compliment the home.
Love this idea book!
Colors well matched will please the eyes of the others. When people look at my house, they are surprised but when they see how the colors were matched and how the structure of the house was in the same palette of colors as the wood siding, they saw my house as a concept well integrated to the wood where it is built. And my house is totally different from the other houses on my street (One has natural wood siding (cedar), an another is aTimber block and next to my house there is a house called "champêtre" or"pièce sur pièce" in the tone of blue). Every time you return home, you have to feel happy when you look at your house.
Note how the lighting changes the color perception. Follow my progress @ www.SouthBeachTahoe.com