Now that the weather is warmer, we see people walking around their homes with painting and siding contractors in preparation of taking that necessary step to repaint or side their homes. When the big decision has been made, the real work begins – the color scheme.
What color should your house be? There are more things to consider when choosing a house color than one might think. How much do you love the existing color? If you feel your house looks stunning in the color it is already painted, why not use the same color on the house and make changes to the trim and front door? With new coordinating colors for the trim and front door, people will notice a change even though the house color remains the same.
If you’re ready for a new color, consider the style of your house and how you want to present it. If your house is small and you would like it to appear larger, choose a light color for the house with coordinating trim in the same color family one or two shades darker than the main color. If your house has some interesting architectural details, these can be accented with darker coordinating colors. Be careful, however, not to use too many colors. Keep the contrast to a minimum to highlight detail rather than overwhelm it. When detailing a traditional-style house (in contrast to a Victorian), using coordinating colors in the same color family will be the most flattering. If the appearance of size is not a consideration and you like dark colors, be aware that dark colors do make your house appear somewhat smaller.
Check out the other houses in your neighborhood. Are the colors subtle, bold, or a mixture? Is the area wooded, with the houses mostly in earth tones of tans, browns and greens? Or are you in a more open neighborhood or on a main road with a nice variety of classic colors (white, grey, barn red, yellow), as well as a nice variety of house styles (which would dictate more of a variety in color schemes)? It is always best to choose a color that does not contrast too greatly with the surrounding houses. Beautiful complementary houses make beautiful neighborhoods. One worthy note to those who belong to a homeowner’s association or live in an historical area: there may be color restrictions, so be sure to check this out before any purchase of paint of siding is made.
If you simply cannot decide on a color scheme, browse through some home improvement and decorating magazines. You’ll get a nice idea of color combinations with coordinating trims, shutters and doors (which can present problems of their own for some people). You’ll also get great ideas for coordinated color schemes from local paint and home improvement stores, which are well stocked with complementary color pallets.
Very often, your summer landscape can play a major role in your color decision. If you enjoy flowers of a certain color in your front landscape, it would make sense to choose a house color that does not clash with the color of the flowers. For example, pink, lavender and violet flowers look stunning with a grey house in the background. Yellow and orange flowers make a striking statement in front of a beige or tan house. If your landscape is predominantly evergreen, even in the summer, colors in earth tones will complement the evergreens beautifully.
Trim color should provide a subtle to moderate contrast to the house color. Too much of a contrast will make a traditional-style house seem smaller. However, if used on a Victorian or non-traditional style home, attention will be drawn to the details through greater contrast.
Shutter color should complement the color of the house. If the shutter color is too similar to the house color, the shutters can all but disappear. Dark shutters on a light background or light shutters on a dark background can provide the perfect accent to the home if the colors complement rather than contrast each other.
The front door is a strong focal point. It can be painted the same color as the shutters, the trim, or any other color that complements the main house color. If the door has detailing, the detailing can be painted a different color. For example, the door can be painted the color of the shutters, with the detailing painted the color of the trim.
Whatever color scheme you eventually decide upon, you’ll delight in having a newly-painted or sided house…even if it’s the same color as before.
©2010, KH Adams, Trumbull, CT
