A proper palette can emphasize unique details and obscure design flaws. Colors can make give the illusion of size to a small house or stabilize an unbalanced house. Complimentary colors will highlight a home’s assets. Attractive porch colors will make a house welcoming. It’s all possible with the right paint colors. Here are some tips for finding the perfect hue.
Stay True to your Home
What is your house’s original color? It may be buried under more recent paint, but with a little investigation you may be able to reveal the original color and restore that classic look. Try using historic color charts to identify the likely hue. New England homes were traditionally blue and gray, while Victorians have been painted in many different colors. Homes in forested areas often benefit from using earth tones for an attractive blending effect.
Trim and Accents
Choosing a complete paint plan for your home requires selecting accents. This can be as many as one to six complementary colors. At the same time, you will want to avoid making your house seem distracting. This is difficult, as too many clashing colors will overload your home, while too few give it a flat appearance.
Accents highlight the positive, use them to emphasize shutters, window ledges, molding, or columns. Windows define a home and accenting them sharpens a color scheme. Choose accents wisely. There is no need to accent less attractive features like gutters, air conditioning units, security grates, and so on.
A light color is ideal for windowsills; this will allow them to reflect light and heat. It will also emphasize attractive details that extend from the wall surface. Darker shades, meanwhile, emphasize recesses. Dark strips of trim create contrast and serve to highlight architectural points of interest. On many Victorian homes, dark paint is used for window sashes.
Unusually tall houses can scale proportion by giving upper stories a deeper shade than lower levels. This is effective on small lots where landscaping is undeveloped. By the same principle, darker colors on lower portions will appear to anchor the house.
Be aware that extreme contrasts in accents will distract from details. For this reason it is advisable to stick with a single family of color. Use a different shade of your chosen primary color rather than resort to an entirely different hue. If you are unfamiliar with color families, it’s easy to consult paint color strips and select tints from the same strips. A contrasting accent is an excellent choice for the door.
Zenith’s professional painting team is always available to answer your questions at 800-381-4601 and we can get you started with a free estimate today!