Featured image colors: Siding: Cloud Cover (OC-25) | Door: Concord Ivory (HC-12) | Trim: Gray Owl (OC-52)
One of the most exciting parts of building or renovating a home is choosing the exterior colors! A stylish exterior color scheme combines complimentary paint color selections for the siding, trim, doors, and shutters. It should also be in keeping with the home’s architectural style and call attention to its best features.
Tips for Choosing an Exterior House Color Scheme
Most exterior house color schemes are composed of at least three colors:
- A base color for the siding
- An accent color for the trim, shutters, garage door, and other architectural details (these could also be painted in varying complementary colors)
- A feature color for the front door
When choosing colors, keep in mind the colors of any stone or brick accents on your home, as well as the roof, decking and landscaping materials. The undertones of nearby materials can affect the way a paint color looks on your home.
Undertones are subtle warm or cool shades that influence the appearance of a paint color, but aren’t always apparent at first. For example, if a white paint has a beige or yellow cast it has warm undertones, and if it has a blue-gray cast it has cool undertones. With grays, you’ll often see brown or green undertones on the warm side and blue or purple undertones when cool.
Matching the undertones of paint colors to the undertones in nearby materials is a great way to start narrowing down paint color options! Here are 15 eye-catching color schemes to get you started finding the perfect color for your home.
Exterior Paint Color Ideas & Inspiration
When choosing exterior home colors it’s also important to keep your home’s architectural style in mind. Neutrals like Coventry Gray and colors from Benjamin Moore’s Historic Collection are popular choices for traditional home styles like this one.
Siding: Coventry Gray (HC-169) | Door: Jet Black (2120-10) | Trim: Decorator's White (OC-149)
Historic homes with architecture details like corbels and shutters can be brought to life with contrasting color combinations. Hawthorne Yellow adds just the right pop of color to level up the curb appeal on this home:
Siding: Wedgewood Gray (HC-146) | Trim: Hazy Skies (OC-48) | Door: Hawthorne Yellow (HC-4)
This Victorian style home’s siding is painted in Pale Oak, with a contrasting white trim color in White Dove to highlight the detailed carpentry.
Siding: Pale Oak (OC-20) | Trim: White Dove (OC-17) | Door: Conch Shell (052)
Of course, a historic color palette is always suitable for traditional style architecture. This classic Colonial home features Hale Navy, an elegant navy blue with gray undertones that’s an all-time Benjamin Moore favorite of homeowners and designers. It's layered with Pure White on the trim and Black Tar with a semi-gloss finish as a shutter color.
Siding: Hale Navy (HC-154) | Shutters: Black Tar (2126-10) | Trim: Pure White (OC-64)
Old Navy is another dark blue that anchors a historic color palette. This home's magnetic design uses a monochromatic color scheme on the trim, gutters, and soffit in order to put all the attention on the red front door. This complementary palette is a striking twist on a classic primary color palette.
Siding, Trim, and Gutters: Old Navy (2063-10) | Door: Raspberry Blush (2008-30)
This historic home takes a softer approach to color, using a mix of popular grays and whites to create subtle dimension.
Siding: Gray Owl (OC-52) | Trim: White Dove (OC-17) | Shutters and Door: Blue Springs (1592)
Classic cottages and bungalows look charming painted in almost any color. The pale blue-green of Beach Glass sets off this Craftsman-inspired home, paired with the neutral off-white tones of White Dove on the trim. October Mist on the door and garage completes the analogous color palette.
Siding: Beach Glass (1564) | Garage Doors: October Mist (CC-550) | Trim: White Dove (OC-17)
Benjamin Moore’s Seapearl house paint gives this traditional cottage a bright, warm look paired with the sophisticated soft green-gray of Greyhound.
Siding: Seapearl (OC-19) | Trim: Chantilly Lace (OC-65) | Door: Greyhound (1579)
Speaking of creamy whites... beige colors are the perfect complement to a Spanish Revival or French Country style home! This home's exterior palette pairs the warm shades of Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee on the stucco with the dark contrast of Marshlands.
Siding: Swiss Coffee (OC-45) | Door and Window Trim: Marshlands (CC-512)
Contemporary and transitional architecture lends itself to silky whites like Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White. Warm whites and browns emphasize the natural textures on this coastal front porch.
Shingle Siding: Annapolis Gray (HC-176) | Door and Trim: Cloud Cover (OC-25) | Porch and Railing: Oxford Brown (ES-67)
It's just as gorgeous on the back of the home!
This southern coastal home's paint colors are anchored by White Dove, whose barely-warm undertones reflect the soft white sands of the beach. The palette pulls from the surrounding nature's colors with exterior accents in turquoise blue and warm dark brown.
Siding: White Dove (OC-17) | Door and Window Trim: Oxford Brown (ES-67) | Shutters and Gate: Turquoise Powder (2057-50)
A simple palette is also a great fit for modern-style homes. The clean lines and crisp angles of the architecture look natural with a black and white color scheme. This home pairs the monochromatic colors with bright red on the front door.
Siding: White Dove (OC-17) | Door and Window Trim: Oxford Brown (ES-67) | Shutters and Gate: Turquoise Powder (2057-50)
This modern home takes a more layered approach to the neutral color palette, with a section of ruddy brown stain adding focus around the entry.
Siding: Gray Owl (OC-52) | Siding: Woodluxe Semi-Transparent Stain Boston Brick (2092-30)| Doors, Trim, and Garage: Ebony King (2132-20) | Soffit: White Dove (OC-17)
Charcoal gray and deep navy reflect current color trends and provide a stylish update to ranch and farmhouse-style homes. This modern farmhouse makes a statement painted in Benjamin Moore’s dark gray Wrought Iron, with a lovely natural wood accent in Benjamin Moore Woodluxe Platinum Stain.
Siding, Trim, and Gutters: Wrought Iron (2124-10) | Siding, Trim, and Gutters: Woodluxe Semi-Transparent Stain Platinum Gray (HC-179)
Whatever your home’s architectural style, with a little creativity and patience you can create an exterior color palette that’s as unique as you are. Whether you plan to DIY your home’s exterior paint or hire professionals, the right products will ensure you love the end result!
Order Exterior House Paint Online at Ring’s End
Whether you're a homeowner or a pro, you'll find the right products for your painting projects at RingsEnd.com. We ship across the U.S. (excluding AK, HI, and SC) with free shipping on exterior paint orders over $150.
Before committing to exterior house colors, be sure to test it out using a paint color sample. Online tools like color visualizers can be helpful for brainstorming, but colors often appear differently in-person than on-screen. Need help? Give us a call, or chat with us online. Our expert team is ready to recommend the best paint brands and products for your home!