As you know, I live and breathe paint swatches... and I've always had a passion for them. When people contact me about helping them choose their exterior paint colors, I always start with the neighborhood and architecture. "What's next door? What style is the house?"
The next question I ask is "what color is your roof?" and then "what is the dominant color of your blooms, if any, that are in the front yard that will play into the optics and curb appeal?"
Next up: "What is your style?" Are you fun and happy people? Are you an accountant that wears beige and has zero tolerance for risk or fun of any kind? (I'm being silly here, but you get my point.) Usually a "muddy" version of a color you already enjoy is a good place to start. Pure pigment: not so much. Let's chat about what colors you like. My consultations are usually a lot of back and forth + painting swatches on different sides of the house to get a sense for what the color looks like at various times of the day.
What you will never hear come out of my mouth is "taupe is a good choice for your home." Why? It's about as bland as it gets and... as a 100% safe color with ZERO personality, it screams "Builder Special! The builder built this with NO ONE in mind!" Gross. You spend a lot of money buying a home to have it be underwhelming.
Think about your grave stone or your memorial in the future. What do you want people to remember you by? Certainly "bland" is NOT on that list. "Lack of personality" = hopefully not. "Constantly tried to blend in and disappear" = Please no. Style is not for the privileged. Style is for everyone. Style is for you. You have a unique style and a vibe. If you don't yet know what it is yet, that's a whole different question and a fun path to go down! YAY! Let's chat about that if you find yourself in this situation.
Think about using more than two colors... like three or four. Depth and interest is the name of the game and if you want your home to be a stunner; you'll want to choose a main color, a trim color and at least one, preferably two accent colors.
Urban Bronze is a stunner if you love copper because the two go together like two peas in a pod. This photo is by Sherwin Williams and represents their paint color well! Notice this is a black roof, white ceiling, natural wood architectural features, gold lights, black doors and urban bronze for the main color with a neutral lighter color on the floor/deck. That's literally six colors and it looks so fabulous!
I'm also still in love with navy and shades of muddy blue. This is Needlepoint Navy by Sherwin Williams paired with New Colonial Yellow for the door and Classic Light Buff for the trim. (Remember I said choose AT LEAST THREE?) But I also love Naval by Sherwin Williams too!
On that note...here's another dark and moody stunning home below by Addisons Wonderland... her main color was 1/2 soot and 1/2 Witching Hour. Her trim is "Dove Wing" - both Benjamin Moore colors.
Lastly... warm white paired with dark gray and warmer gray-ish stain, black windows... so clean and lovely. The two toned look below is A THING! Source: Becki Owens
Thinking of painting and still unsure what direction to go? I do paint consultations! Give me a call or text and let's chat about your home.