One of the fun things about painting your home is that you can refresh and update its look with new and exciting colors. But unlike interior painting, where you can have more freedom in choosing colors, exterior painting in Livermore has some restrictions.
But even with those limits, it doesn’t mean you can be less creative in your exterior color choices. You can still paint your home into a place that reflects your personality and style while boosting your home’s curb appeal.
There are many factors that you should take into account when choosing an exterior paint color, including:
Consider the age of your home.
Look at an exterior paint color that reflects your house’s history. The rustic nature of these decades- or centuries-old homes is attractive to many buyers, and deciding to paint the exterior in vibrant colors could ruin the charm and charisma.
However, this doesn’t mean the color choices should be limited to only black and white. Opt for colors that can highlight your home’s historical significance. Select shades that the house was painted initially, or that were popular when the house was built.
Take cues from your home’s architecture.
Another factor to remember when choosing colors for your home’s exterior is its architectural style and the material used to build the exterior. What your home is made of will determine what type of paint you need and the color or shade that will look naturally better. For example, if your home is built in the Mediterranean style, it typically features natural earth tones or warm, neutral colors. However, you could choose more vibrant colors like light gold, sky blue, and even pink.
Don’t get caught up in trends.
Clothes, shoes, and home colors are subject to short-lived trends. For instance, you may love those grays because they’re popular now. But once it’s over, you may prefer the next trendy browns. It’s all right to look at these color trends for inspiration, but changing colors to stay on top of trends is a lot of work, not to mention costly. These currently popular colors might look beautiful in one house but appear garish or gloomy in another, meaning that trends are not for everyone.
If you have one specific color in mind for your home’s exterior because it’s trending all over social media, it’s a good idea to seek expert advice from a color consultant. They will tell you if these popular colors will work well for your home’s exterior or are better painted in other areas of your home. However, expect them to dissuade you from using a specific color or shade, even if it’s trending in different homes. They might offer other color options that work best for your home’s exteriors.
Look around the neighborhood.
When choosing exterior paint colors, consider the color of your neighbors’ houses. It doesn’t mean that you should exactly copy the traditional beige in your neighborhood. Instead, choose exterior colors that are not precisely the same as your neighbors’ but, at the same time, do not entirely clash with their homes’ exterior colors.
For example, choose creamy, muted yellows for a cheerful yet sophisticated look and white for the door and window trim. Your shade choice will fit in with surrounding houses, as yellow and beige are warm colors. At the same time, yellow helps your home stand out among the other houses in your neighborhood.
If your neighborhood has a more eclectic appearance and ambiance, with all manner of homes and styles, you will likely have more freedom to go as bold (or conservative) as you want when choosing your color.
Look at the color wheel for ideas.
Many successful color combinations for homes usually have three hues – a dominant color and two accents. These accents are often brighter, bolder, or richer than the dominant ones. If you’re in doubt, rely on the time-tested color rules from the color wheel.
- Monochromatic – Monochromatic is a color scheme consisting of tints, tones, and shades of a single hue. For example, use varying shades of gray, such as medium gray for the siding, lighter gray for the door and window trim, and dark gray for the door.
- Analogous – Analogous is a group of three colors closest to each other on a color wheel. You can use the yellow-/yellow-green/green, violet/red-violet/red, blue/blue-green/green, or any other group of three colors next to each.
- Complementary – Complementary color consists of two colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel. An example is yellow and purple, which completely contrast each other. If you feel more adventurous, you can use a palette of complementary colors to highlight the architectural details of your home. If you want to use this color but are unsure, you can always have your professional color consultant help you make the best choice.
Choosing colors for exterior painting in Livermore can be a daunting task. Fortunately, these carefully considered steps can help you navigate this task. And it will be more successful when you work with color consultants from Custom Painting, Inc. Our color experts will take the burden off your shoulders by utilizing their knowledge and skills to help you make the right exterior color choice, saving you time, money, and headaches.