Choose an exterior paint for your house that complements its design and setting.
Painting the exterior of your house is a big job---and a big decision. A new color can change the whole look and feel of your home. Going from a dark shade to white can make the house seem to breathe new life, while switching to a shocking pink or purple can announce to the neighborhood that there are new neighbors in town. Paint suppliers offer dozens of contemporary exterior paint colors to choose from, so take your time and investigate your options.
Inspiration from Outdoors
Even though many of us live in environments that change visually throughout the year, you can choose certain features of the setting of your home as a starting point for your exterior color. If you live in a seaside community, you might choose a color that complements the surf, like a pale blue or gray. If your house stands near a meadow dominated by green shades much of the year, look for a pale yellow or jewel tone that contrasts nicely with emerald. On the other hand, if your house is sited in a thickly forested area, you are probably wise to go with a warm, bright color such as a peach or orange that will prevent the house from fading into the surrounding woods.
Consider the House Style
Regardless of whether your house is new, old or somewhere in between, there might be something about the style in which it was designed that will give you ideas for the right exterior color. Genuine or reproduction antique houses, with clapboard siding, tend to look best in white or pale yellow shades evocative of Colonial era architecture. During the arts and crafts era, olive greens, mustard yellows, copper tones and browns were popular, so if your home draws on the arts and crafts style, consider those shades. Wood tones such as maple or cedar often maximize the interesting symmetry of contemporary architecture.
So Nice to Come Home To
Ultimately, it's important that your house reflects your personality and preferences, inside and out. Along with thinking about what exterior shades are currently trendy and what would fit in well with the neighborhood, listen to the inner voice that helps you understand what home means to you. Picture yourself at the end of a long work day, walking or driving down your street toward your house, happy to be home for the night. In this vision of serenity, are you picturing a classic white structure? A homey dark green? A vibrant red? The fantasy in your mind's eye of you and your family or friends enjoying your home may be your best indicator of what color you really want.
Know the Rules
Some neighborhoods and towns have regulations about exterior colors, particularly within historical districts or gated communities. You can find out at Town Hall whether there are any specific limitations on the exterior color you choose for your home based on where it is located.
Related posts
Trendy paint colors include bright yellows and modern neutrals like gray.When it comes to choosing colors for your home, the hundreds of options at the local hardware store are often overwhelming....
Paint creates the first impression of your colorful or conservative home.Painting the outside of your home involves significant decisions about curb appeal, landscaping and architecture. It should...
The right color for your home's exterior contributes to curb appeal and value.The color of your home's exterior is one of the most prominent elements of your home's curb appeal. Some of the factor...
Enhance the beauty of your home's exterior by choosing an exterior color that complements the color of the bricks.Although some homes are made entirely of brick, you will commonly find home exteri...
Choose a historically accurate, contemporary or simply favorite exterior color scheme.Choose an exterior color scheme for your home by basing choices on several notions. The age and architecture o...
