Picking The Perfect Color Palette For Your Home Exterior Renovation

We had so much to say about picking the perfect color palette for your home exterior renovation that we couldn’t fit it all into one post. So here are 5 MORE tips to consider before taking the plunge and tackling the daunting task of choosing your home’s color.

Tip 1: Think about mood.

This one goes back to your personality. Do you want your home to feel soft and tranquil? Or bold and dramatic? Take note of how you feel most days and make sure your home reflects that. It may sound all “mushy”, but trust us, you’ll be happy took this into account when you come home to a house that reflects your mood every single day.

Tip 2: Start small.

Don’t go on the internet, read a few blogs about color and then make an order for 2,000 squares of siding without ever looking at a live sample! While the internet is a great place to start, with things like our Online Home Exterior Design Tools there are still a lot of variables that affect what you see on screen or from your printer.

Once you’ve done some preliminary research online and looked at some brochures, head over to the local hardware store or ask your contractor for color chips. Some hardware stores will give them away for free, and contractors may leave you with some to borrow or keep. Make sure you look at these outside in natural light for the best representation, and get a good feel for the colors you’re going to be looking at for the days to come! It may also be wise to look at the color chips in natural light at various points throughout the day. You may love the way the color looks at noon, but it may take on a totally different feel in the evening while the sun is setting. You want to be sure you love your colors no matter the time of day.

Tip 3: Test your choices!

Look at colors you want to put together before actually doing so. When you pick your primary, secondary, and accent, make sure you look at all three together rather than just assuming they will match. Once again, get samples – we can’t emphasize this enough. Send us an e-mail and we’ll be happy to help you out!

Tip 4: add depth with decorative finishes

This goes right back to our fundamental rule of 60-30-10. Without that 10% dedicated to trims, your primary and secondary may feel flat and dull, no matter how vibrant they are. picking the right color to trim your desired palette will add depth and intrigue, while breaking up the different colors nicely.

Also, size matters… smaller houses can afford to have bigger splashes of dramatic color like yellow as a secondary,  but a big house filled with yellow as a secondary may seem overbearing.

Tip 5: Honor History.

We could all use a little more tradition in our lives! Don’t go against the grain and color your home in a palette that simply doesn’t compliment it. Every historic period has a preferred color palette and house style. If you don’t yet know, find out when your house was built and what style it is. Do some research and pick an appropriate palette.

Once you’ve sifted through all these tips, take a look at our Color Trends here for some more ideas, and head over to your local lumberyard or hardware store and pick up some samples. You could also send us an e-mail here and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction!