When to Paint Your House Brown
Nature loves brown, from rich soil to sunlit sand, and so do home exteriors with a traditional or Craftsman bent
With its association with the natural world, it's no wonder that the color brown became the de facto choice for Prairie and Craftsman houses. Brown, from dark to light, fit these styles in a way other colors could not. Perhaps this is because these styles are celebrations of the natural and organic world that rely less on a cool and cerebral machine aesthetic and more on emotion and craft.
I do, however, find houses painted brown without any relief or variation to be a bit overbearing. Brown houses that incorporate other colors in the details are the most interesting and rich, as you'll see here.
I do, however, find houses painted brown without any relief or variation to be a bit overbearing. Brown houses that incorporate other colors in the details are the most interesting and rich, as you'll see here.
A home nestled in the woods is an ideal candidate to be painted brown. With a rock base and brown body, this home appears to be just another structure set in among the trees and earth, especially as its proportions stress the vertical.
Adding an accent color, such as forest green, to some of the details, such as the window frames, further strengthens the home's connections to the site while also breaking up what could be an overwhelming amount of one color.
A more polished and urbane scheme is a better fit for a suburban setting. In this case, a brown body color paired with white trim gives the exterior more presence and stature. This scheme works especially well for a large structure like this one, as the white trim and accents break down what could be an overwhelming mass.
While dark brown paired with bright white trim is a classic color scheme, a nice variation is to combine medium brown with cream trim. This will yield a softer and quieter exterior while retaining the architecture's classical formality.
Brown isn't always dark, and it can be combined with varying tonalities to articulate each element of the exterior. A very light brown body combined with medium brown for the eaves and dark brown for the window and door frames allows each element of this Craftsman style home to be distinct.
Dark brown, like black, tends to fade into the shadows. This is a chance to dematerialize a particular aspect of the structure. Painting the very top level dark brown, as was done here, keeps the focus on the lower, brighter portions of the structure and allows the roof to float above it all.
Brown isn't just for horizontal and vertical sidings. It lends itself to a stucco exterior, especially in a more traditionally designed home. I find that, because of the lack of detail and the monolithic quality of stucco, it's best that the color be lighter. Dark brown would simply be oppressive unless there is an abundance of other details.
While the focus here has been on traditionally designed homes, brown can work for more modern aesthetics, given the right circumstances. It’s ideal for a home such as this one, which is rooted in place and employs natural materials. As such, it follows many of the tenets of the Prairie and Craftsman styles even if its form and structure are more International style.
More ideas for exterior paint colors
More ideas for exterior paint colors