You could have the dream bathroom, perfect living spaces, and the ideal floorplan – and you’d still be overlooking something crucial. Yes, the interior needs to be right, but today we want to talk about something that is at least equally important: your dream home’s exterior. In this post we’re talking about external house colour schemes.
So, first things first: don’t underestimate how important exterior house colours are to the overall look, feel, value and day-to-day enjoyment of your home.
And second, don’t kid yourself that choosing those exterior colour schemes are easy. Get it wrong, and your home could look and feel flat, and do a great disservice to the design, features, and architecture. Get it right, and your place will burst with life, maximise its value, and change the way your family thrives within it!
So how do you hit the bullseye with your external house colour selection?
Choosing exterior house colours
1. Get it historically right
If you’re painting an older house, don’t go getting all super-modern and smart – and instead, honour your home’s history.
Tip: If there are other period homes in your neighbourhood, get in your car and do a tour – and don’t forget to take a notepad.
2. Bring the past into now
At the risk of being contradictory, you could always try jazzing up the past with a modern twist. The key is to use modern colours smartly so that architectural features are dramatised, not ruined.
Tip: Consider your immediate neighbours. If you spot something amazing about their exterior colour schemes, use it as inspiration – but don’t just rip them off!
3. Go natural
Struggling to settle on your favourite house colour schemes? Why not look to your garden or local environment for inspiration? The trees are earthly, green and brown, the beach is blue, green and even pink, and your front yard tulips or roses could inspire some brilliant exterior house colour ideas.
Tip: Don’t forget the roof, no matter what style it is! Whatever exterior house colours you go for, don’t forget that if your roof colours are set, you need to ensure your colour selections match.
4. What else won’t be painted?
Just like the roof, there are other parts of your home that can’t or won’t be changed in terms of their colours. We’re talking about exterior colour schemes for brick houses, stone homes, beautiful wooden doors, the various cladding systems, and other features.
Tip: If you’re thinking about painting a feature of your home but you suspect it should be kept ‘natural’, remember architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s words when he said: “Wood is wood, concrete is concrete, stone is stone.”
5. Get the number of colours right
Once you start browsing and researching external house colours, it can be easy to get carried away. While accent colours for various features of your home can look great, be reluctant to use more than two or three basic colours.
Tip: Too few colours and your home can look uninteresting. Too many and it will be overwhelming. Try to see colour from a designer’s perspective.
6. Know about light & dark
Noticed how huge, grand homes are often painted white? Light colours work beautifully to emphasise size and dignity, while dark colours will highlight the architectural details which can work well on smaller, simpler homes.
Tip: And don’t forget that contrasting colours will draw attention where you want it – just be sure they don’t clash. For safety, stay within colour families.
Just don’t forget that whatever house colour schemes get over the finish line at your dream home, colouring the exterior is always a grand adventure and a perfect opportunity. Use the exterior colours to bring out your home’s best, explore and illustrate your personality, and maximise its enjoyment and value.
