How to love your exterior color
Fifteen very different homes. Not a single white/black color scheme among them.
I think each one of them has the right color selection.
Why?
The color designer followed these rules:
1) respect for the type of architecture
2) consideration of fixed elements
3) establish color harmony
4) proper use of the color white
5) proper use of color contrast
Color Calling 
It’s rare I will do a white picket fence, especially in a small space. Typically I stain them 2-3 tones darker than the main color of the home.
Garden & Be Well, XO T
April 10, 2013 at 8:56 am
We have purchased a whacky looking older home. The former owner put blue siding on the top half and white on the bottom and it has a new brown metal roof. I am consisting painting the top half white and I want to add shutters to all the windows. What’s Colorado would go best with white and brown? I’m thinking a deep red or green. Any suggestions?
April 11, 2013 at 9:38 am
Not seeing your house, I will say that any of the browns, red-browns or greeny-browns that you like would probably work. Check out Great Barrington Green HC-122 (Benjamin Moore) for what I mean by greeny-brown. Anything close to that that you like should be fine, which is darker muted browny-green and not clean green.
April 11, 2013 at 10:08 am
omg, Ellen! I just found your blog through your comment on Tara Dillard’s blog today. I’m SO glad I did!! I’m your newest subscriber and I love this post. I’ll be going through your previous posts this weekend when I have more time.
Were you by any chance on Maria Killam’s webinar this morning? Great presentation on exterior door colors.
Kay
May 24, 2013 at 6:39 pm
I live in a very traditional suburban neighborhood near Raleigh, NC. The previous homeowners painted the exterior of our home “Avocado” by Sherwin Williams (http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW2861/), and we have basic black shutters. While I would love to just repaint over all of it, my budget doesn’t currently allow me to do so. Instead I want to change up the color of the shutters and the door to freshen things up a bit, but I am completely stumped as to what color combination to choose. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
July 30, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Kelly, try a much lighter green shutter (start with the first color on the same SW swatch as 2861) with your current avocado body. Sorry I am out of town and don’t have a SW fandeck with me. Look at a much darker avocado green for the front door, perhaps the darkest green on the SW2861 swatch. Any trim should be a creamy white not stark white. This should give you an updated traditional look without repainting the house body. Good luck!
July 31, 2013 at 11:56 pm