Today I’m joining a few other bloggers over at Remodelaholic, chatting about how all our kitchen cabinets have held up after painting them several months ago. Be sure to check out the reviews if you’re thinking of painting your own cabinets.
But before you head over to see them, I want to share with you a little color theory, and how it can help you pick colors for your home. We have been trying to get motivated to paint the exterior of our house for about 10 years now, ever since we moved in. Let’s just say that the home’s exterior is not what attracted us. But I’m a firm believer that a coat (or two or three) of paint can fix almost anything, so one of these days we’re actually going to get around to it. I’m sure our neighbors will be thankful. It’s not terrible, it’s just a dingy shade of off-white, and could really use a bit of color and personality.
This palette is based on natural colors, and it looks a bit weathered and neutral. You can’t go wrong with choosing nature-inspired colors for the outside of your house.
Photo credit: bulbocode909 / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
The trick with choosing colors for your home’s exterior is: less is more. With any paint color, the color that you admire on the paint store’s 1-inch swatch will look a lot more intense when you paint it on a larger area. It’s always a challenge for my clients to visualize what the color on the swatch will actually look like once it’s on a wall. That reality is magnified even more when you’re painting something really large, like the side of a house. What you really want is the color that you like, but slightly toned down. Add a little gray or brown to neutralize the color. Trust me, your eyes and your neighbors will thank you.
That’s the quick tip of the day! For now, I’ll leave you with this wonderful infographic that Senator Windows recently shared with me. It does a great job walking you through those important exterior paint decisions. Be sure to pin it for future reference…
Jeri Walker (@JeriWB) says
I like almost every palette you put together, and this one is no exception. I spent a great deal of my time growing up wanting a yellow car and a purple car. The car came to its end long ago, but I still live in the yellow house. It’s one of only two yellow houses in the neighborhood, which is strange considering there were only five or six colors home builders in my neighborhood are allowed to choose from. Yellow is flashy, I guess 😉
Meredith says
Thanks Jeri! I think a yellow house sounds really cheerful!
jacquiegum says
Love this palette too! Wow! I am amazed that continue to come up with these stellar and pleasing combinations. One of the best things I have found is the sample bottles. I wanted a guest bedroom to be ice blue. It took five sample bottles to get it right! You are so right to keep toning it down. What I thought was the palest of blues, turned out way too bright… 5 times! LOL
Meredith says
Thanks Jacquie! You are not alone in taking 5 tries to get a “simple” ice blue! Those sample jars are a great tool in the quest for the right color.
Anita C. Lee says
Wow, imagining your house in a pale taupe or cream with taupe accents. Mmmmm. You know how I love taupe–or is that “Mushrooms on Holiday” or some such name the creatives at the paint-naming department come up with. 🙂
Meredith says
Mushrooms on holiday… I like it!
Barbara Hoyer says
Oh, I love that color combo! Dh wants to update the outside of our home, and we’ve been tossing around ideas. Your tips were a great reminder that we need to consider the size of the house when making color choices.
Meredith says
Thanks Barbara! It can be daunting to pick just the right color, but I’m confident you’ll get it.
William Rusho says
Great post, I learn so much each week from you. Makes me look forward in doing a little renovating to my house. Cannot wait to start painting.
Meredith says
Thanks William! I’m so glad to be of help!
Susan cooper says
I love this color palette for the outside of the house for sure. I like the idea of it blending in well with nature, as if the house “belongs”. Inside it would be a bit too muted.
Meredith says
I agree Susan, it’s nice to blend in to your surroundings a little, at least for the neighbors’ sake. 😉
Ashley says
I love that neutral palette! Thanks for sharing these great tips with us at the Merry Monday link party. I hope you’ll join us again next week. Sharing your post on Twitter!
Meredith says
Hi Ashley, thanks for commenting and tweeting! I missed Merry Monday this week because we were out of town, but I’ll definitely be there next week…