Outside Influences
Create an exterior color palette that complements the rest of the home and wows the neighborhood. Here's how to prepare, what to remember and what to avoid
Think that selecting the exterior color of a home is purely a matter of personal taste?
Not so, says Cristina Acosta, a Bend, Ore.-based color consultant. There's a good chance you'll need to set aside your personal favorites in order to conform to community standards, deed restrictions, the physical shape of your residence, its architectural style and even geography.
"Colors are very subjective and people have strong feelings about them," she says. And that includes your neighbors. The fact remains that though a home painted a nice shade of baby blue or pastel pink would blend in very well in Miami, it would look decidedly out of place in Manhattan.
But that's not to say that you shouldn't let your own personality shine when contemplating a new coat of paint for your home. Acosta, owner of Cristina Acosta Art & Design, advises taking the time to consider all the factors that will have an influence on your decision.
First determine if there are any ordinances related to colors within your municipality. A development, or a historic district, may also have covenants that restrict the use of bold colors. Experts suggest also that you consider the colors that are the most suitable for the architectural era. You can, they note, go against the grain and paint a historic New York brownstone a bold tangerine color if there are no laws against that, but most people won't, preferring instead to respect the integrity of architectural styles.
These days, finding the right colors to blend with the architectural style of your residence is easier than ever.
Sherwin-Williams, the Cleveland-based national supplier of paint products, has even created special palettes for certain well-defined architectural eras. The Classical/Colonial Preservation Palette, for instance, uses yellowish-whites to simulate ancient marble. Rookwood Shutter Green was used on outside blinds for its resemblance to the bronze shutters of Renaissance buildings. Meanwhile, the Suburban Modern Preservation Palette for 1950s-style homes uses brighter, sunnier colors that reflect the post-World War II sense of optimism that was a facet of American life in the days when Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House.
James Martin, president of Denver-based consulting firm The Color People, suggests that when considering colors for your home, you take into account those architectural elements that cannot be painted. These include the roof and any brick, stone or metal window trim.
Martin likens picking a new look for a home to pulling together an attractive outfit for work. You start by selecting three colors - a main color for the siding, a second color for the eaves, moldings and trim; and a third one for accents such as doors, railings and window sashes.
Homeowners should pick colors that blend and complement each other, Martin says. One part can be darker or lighter than another but not so much that it grabs all the attention.
"After all," he says, "the goal is to create a cohesive look where all the parts work together."
Martin likes to add a fourth color to the front door, which he calls "the punch" - it's a bolder color that pulls it all together like the perfect tie for a suit.
Doty Horn, director of color and design at Montvale, N.J.-based Benjamin Moore, suggests that you test colors first before you spread paint across an entire wall only to discover that you hate it.
One of the most common mistakes people make when choosing an exterior color, Horn says, is failing to realize that the color you pick out in the showroom will always look brighter outside. Sunlight, after all, has different qualities than interior lights. If you don't test your colors first, you could end up with a house that is suddenly much bolder looking than you intended.
"To avoid that, you should choose one that has a lot of what the paint industry calls 'black' in the color. In other words, a color that, in the store, look dustier and less bright than you think you need," she says.
Horn also suggests that you analyze your landscape for clues to what colors will look best on the exterior of you home. That, she explains, is always a good way to balance out the color combinations that you can use outside.
Landscape architects and builders now routinely get together to make sure that the landscape and the exterior house color complement and coordinate with each other, Horn adds. Flowers are a good way to read which color accents will work best.
Benjamin Moore experts suggest factoring in the home's size when choosing colors, too. Depending on the proportions, you may want to emphasize or de-emphasize certain features. They note that lighter colors tend to make a home - or a certain feature of the home - look larger, while darker colors give it the illusion of being smaller.
But choosing a color isn't all you need to do, experts say. If you're going to paint the house you already live in then you know that weather conditions can wreak havoc on an exterior. That makes it imperative that you choose the right kind of paint in addition to choosing the right colors and the right sheen - glossy, semi-gloss, matte or flat paint for your exterior.
Glossy paint calls attention to an exterior or a particular element, like a door. However, it is also more likely to call attention to any imperfections such as brush strokes or touch-up marks. But they're easier to clean than flat or semi-gloss paints.
Acosta drew inspiration for her home in the pebbles that surrounded her feet as she windsurfed in High Lakes region in Oregon. She found a way to blend the bolder terra cotta color with light green and violet by using a tan color for most of the exterior.
"I have a reminder of the beautiful range of colors in the water," she says. "I enjoy it every day."
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