The Elegant Exterior: Add a Black Accent
See 10 homes that successfully flirt with the dark side
If my recent exterior color consultations are any indication, I’d say black is continuing its run as a hot exterior hue. But not everyone can, or wants to, use this powerful color on the entirety of their home. For one thing, it’s not the best choice in a hot and sunny climate, as black absorbs more heat than lighter hues. Many also find it a tad too somber-looking when used in large doses. If you love the drama and elegance of black but don’t want to go all in with it, consider limiting its use to accents only, or as a secondary color on the home.
Think of a black accent as an exclamation mark on the exterior of your home, especially when paired with a backdrop of lighter hues. For this stunning contemporary home, a black-clad structure adds a fantastic bold element.
Here, large swaths of black help define and accentuate the interesting shape of this home. The traditional gable roof is made modern due to the thick, linear black accent.
Black-hued siding gives this home a cool, edgy vibe, while the stonework brings a charming feel. It’s a little bit modern, yet a little bit rustic.
Use black to accentuate the linear form of your home. Here, the black accent strip plays up the horizontality of this home, making it appear wider and even more expansive than it already is.
Or go with a vertical accent. Here, a bit of black works to highlight the vertical elements. Larger homes that are clad in one solid color and material tend to look monolithic, so I like how this facade is broken up through the clever use of color and different materials.
Fans of dark and dramatic exterior hues who are leery of using black as the main house color can still go deep with a palette of dark grays and black. The wood cladding brings in an earthy, organic quality that keeps it from going gloomy.
If you have a bump-out or other protruding element on your home that you want to visually stand out, paint it an eye-catching hue. Just be sure to pay attention to the amount of contrast used in the overall palette. Because the main house color here is also rather dark, the black accent isn’t too high-contrast, and therefore the effect is more subtle than it would be if the main house color was a lighter hue.
This striking Victorian-style home is the epitome of elegance with its black-painted details. By limiting the black to small elements here and there, and with the main color a warm and light neutral, it doesn’t look too heavy or overdone. It’s just right.
Many of these examples have been contemporary or modern homes, but black accents can work on any style of home, even on homes of a more traditional design. Just keep in mind that our eyes are drawn to the most intense colors in an exterior scheme, so use those hues to set off details that are worthy of the spotlight.
Your turn: How have you worked in black accents on your home? Please share a photo in the comments section below.
More exterior colors: Blue | Green | Yellow | Orange | Red
Your turn: How have you worked in black accents on your home? Please share a photo in the comments section below.
More exterior colors: Blue | Green | Yellow | Orange | Red