It’s fun to follow the latest home exterior design trends and see what’s hot today. When certain colors become trendy, it’s fairly easy to buy a can of paint and change the color of a bedroom or bathroom. But when you’re considering changing the color of your home’s exterior, the decision is a bit more complicated. Many siding materials used for exterior design, such as stone and vinyl, can’t be painted. Wood siding should be painted at least every five years to maintain the wood’s integrity. Other cladding can be painted as well, including asbestos shingles, brick, and fiberboard.
When it comes to time to paint the exterior or invest in replacement siding, homeowners can play it safe by selecting white or cream. Classic colors like these are always in style, work for many different architectural styles, and make it easier to sell your home. They don’t clash with accent colors on a house and match well with most brick and stone. White or cream siding can be accented with different colored shutters, window trim, entry doors, and roofing shingle colors.
Earthy tones are another group that will look good on your home for years to come. Yellows, greens, and browns blend beautifully with the natural landscaping around your yard. The lighter versions of these colors are almost as versatile as white and cream, and can be complemented nicely with bold or dark trim and shutters such as black or dark green. On the other end of the spectrum, darker browns and shades of green are often used on larger homes, accented with trim pieces in cream or white.
Blues and grays are another color group that is very popular for exterior home colors. Blues can range for very light to as deep as navy. Gray is a neutral color which, on the lighter end of the spectrum, can make a house appear larger. As with earth tones, white or cream trim works great against blue or gray siding.
Lately, the trend has gravitated towards bolder home exterior colors. Think of warm colors like barn red, terra cotta, and mocha, as well as cooler bold colors like ivy green and darker blue. While some homeowners are not comfortable with bolder colors, they can work well with certain home styles and sizes. You also want to take your neighborhood into account – if it’s full of traditional homes in whites, creams, and other fairly neutral colors, you don’t necessarily want to be the only brick red house on the block. It can also make it more difficult to sell your house if you put it on the market.
If you’re just not sure where to start with choosing a new siding color, it’s a good idea to work with an architect or reputable siding company. They have the expertise to recommend siding and trim colors that will complement your home. Or use an online interactive tool to test out different siding and trim colors, window options, and shutters. Thompson Creek’s website has a great Dream Home Wizard – choose the style of your home, then select the siding style and colors. The tool also allows you to change around the type of windows, entry door, gutters, and shutters you want. It’s a fun way to test drive different color schemes without actually committing to a color just yet.