Choosing Color: See This Home Try On 5 Exterior Paint Palettes
Dark and dramatic, or soft and neutral. See how paint color alone can change the look of a home
If repainting your home’s exterior is on your summer to-do list, you might be pondering paint colors. It can be tough trying to envision how a color or colors will look based on a small paint swatch. With the help of photograph rendering software, we are able to virtually paint a home to test out and share the options.
Palette 1: Burgundy
In the past couple of years I’ve seen navy and shades of gray become trendy colors for home exteriors. Now I’m noticing homeowners shifting toward warmer palettes.
But it’s not a return to warm beige and cream colors. I’m seeing rich shades of burgundy and taupe going up. These are robust hues, to be sure, but they aren’t so vibrant that they come on too strong. These paint colors are tantalizing yet remain tasteful.
The burgundy color rendered on this shows a nice contrast to the greens in the landscaping, yet it still pairs well with the warm hues in the hardscaping.
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In the past couple of years I’ve seen navy and shades of gray become trendy colors for home exteriors. Now I’m noticing homeowners shifting toward warmer palettes.
But it’s not a return to warm beige and cream colors. I’m seeing rich shades of burgundy and taupe going up. These are robust hues, to be sure, but they aren’t so vibrant that they come on too strong. These paint colors are tantalizing yet remain tasteful.
The burgundy color rendered on this shows a nice contrast to the greens in the landscaping, yet it still pairs well with the warm hues in the hardscaping.
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Get the look: Accents in Abalone, door and window trim in Taos Taupe and siding in Bordeaux Red, all from Benjamin Moore.
Palette 2: Dark Brown
Here’s a similar palette but with a slightly more vibrant burgundy that’s used in smaller doses on the garage panels. The siding color is a dark brown that has gray and green undertones. It’s an earthy color that doesn’t fight with the landscaping or hardscaping on the property, allowing the house to blend in a bit more than the previous example.
Normally I wouldn’t recommend painting a garage door in a way that makes it a focal point, but this particular door is visually appealing, so the small burgundy accents add to the charm.
The light warm gray trim color breaks up the deeper, darker colors and helps call attention to all of the architectural detailing on the house.
Here’s a similar palette but with a slightly more vibrant burgundy that’s used in smaller doses on the garage panels. The siding color is a dark brown that has gray and green undertones. It’s an earthy color that doesn’t fight with the landscaping or hardscaping on the property, allowing the house to blend in a bit more than the previous example.
Normally I wouldn’t recommend painting a garage door in a way that makes it a focal point, but this particular door is visually appealing, so the small burgundy accents add to the charm.
The light warm gray trim color breaks up the deeper, darker colors and helps call attention to all of the architectural detailing on the house.
Get the look: Trim in Tear Drop, accents in Red Red Wine and siding in Armory, all from PPG Pittsburgh Paints.
Palette 3: Grayish Green
Paint colors will appear lighter and brighter in the full sun. If you prefer soft and light house colors but don’t want to end up with pastels, go for hues that have a touch of brown or gray in them.
This green siding color has a healthy shot of gray in it that keeps it neutral rather than pastel.
This scheme also illustrates how to downplay your garage if you don’t have the best-looking door. By painting the entire door (trim and all) in a single shade that is just one or two clicks lighter than the siding color, you are able to break up the expanse of color without necessarily calling unwanted attention to the garage door.
Paint colors will appear lighter and brighter in the full sun. If you prefer soft and light house colors but don’t want to end up with pastels, go for hues that have a touch of brown or gray in them.
This green siding color has a healthy shot of gray in it that keeps it neutral rather than pastel.
This scheme also illustrates how to downplay your garage if you don’t have the best-looking door. By painting the entire door (trim and all) in a single shade that is just one or two clicks lighter than the siding color, you are able to break up the expanse of color without necessarily calling unwanted attention to the garage door.
Get the look: Accents and trim in Calcium, front door and window frames in Infinite Deep Sea and siding in Riverdale, all from Behr.
Palette 4: Soft Gray
If you favor a super-light and neutral house color, you can’t go wrong with a soft shade of gray. I know many people have grown weary of everything-in-gray color schemes, but on a home exterior it looks clean, simple and more modern than warm off-white hues, which can sometimes look muddy.
Those who prefer a bit more color could always go with this as a base scheme and then add a fun punch of color to the front door or as an accent trim color. With such a soft and neutral foundation, almost any other color would work well with it.
Houzz Quiz: What Color Should Your Front Door Be?
If you favor a super-light and neutral house color, you can’t go wrong with a soft shade of gray. I know many people have grown weary of everything-in-gray color schemes, but on a home exterior it looks clean, simple and more modern than warm off-white hues, which can sometimes look muddy.
Those who prefer a bit more color could always go with this as a base scheme and then add a fun punch of color to the front door or as an accent trim color. With such a soft and neutral foundation, almost any other color would work well with it.
Houzz Quiz: What Color Should Your Front Door Be?
Get the look: Front door and trim in Extra White, garage door in Cityscape and siding in March Wind, all from Sherwin-Williams.
Palette 5: Blues
Here’s another cool color scheme, but this one packs a bit more of a color punch.
The different elements on the house are colored to stand out from one another, but because the three blue shades aren’t too dissimilar from one another, the effect is soothing and harmonious rather than visually jarring.
You could up the drama and elegance of this scheme with small splashes of black or go lighter and brighter with more white accents.
Here’s another cool color scheme, but this one packs a bit more of a color punch.
The different elements on the house are colored to stand out from one another, but because the three blue shades aren’t too dissimilar from one another, the effect is soothing and harmonious rather than visually jarring.
You could up the drama and elegance of this scheme with small splashes of black or go lighter and brighter with more white accents.
Get the look: Accents in Cornflower Blue, trim in Fly by Night Blue and siding in Evening Eclipse, all from Valspar.
Read more about this home’s charming Craftsman features
Your turn: Which palette do you prefer? What other color or colors do you envision for this home? Tell us in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read other stories about exterior color palettes
Get exterior design ideas
Find a design or building professional
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Read more about this home’s charming Craftsman features
Your turn: Which palette do you prefer? What other color or colors do you envision for this home? Tell us in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read other stories about exterior color palettes
Get exterior design ideas
Find a design or building professional
Shop for home products
I think this is a fantastic color scheme that doesn’t necessarily need to be changed. I chose this image to render alternative paint colors onto because the home has a strong design that can take a variety of palettes. I want to illustrate how simply changing out paint colors can radically transform the look of a home exterior.
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