Needing exterior color ideas

Candice
by Candice
We are about to purchase new windows, siding, and shutters for our home. I would love to get some ideas for siding and shutter colors and also window styles.
Current exterior
  28 answers
  • Rush Rush on Nov 19, 2016
    Look in Pinterest or elsewhere with the search "Saltbox Colors" or "Colonial Exterior Paint Themes". Your home would look great with a New England color palatte of the Colonial period. I would suggest a warm, slightly caramel toned yellow and the window trim left in a pale cream white or bone white. Leave the door the same brown or go soft black and have the shutters match. Hope this helps you! From one Bama girl to another. :)
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Nov 19, 2016
    Honestly choosing colors for your home is so personal. Asking for color choices...What colors do you prefer? All can give opinions . My suggestion to you is to brouse different web sites for exterior color combinations as well as windows. Sorry but everyone will have a different approach.
  • Johnchip Johnchip on Nov 19, 2016
    I had a house with a very similar facade and big trees. It is now on the National Register. I used the same sky blue for my shutters, trims and door, then a dove grey for the siding. It made the house set back a bit making the property seem larger, looked like a snow globe in winter and invitingly cool in the summer.
  • Linda Santo Linda Santo on Nov 19, 2016
    My house is almost identical. Colonial and the windows you have are perfect for the style of the house. After agonizing about color for my house, I stayed with white , the color of the house when I fell in love with it. "Rush" had a good idea for searching.
  • Ann Marie Ann Marie on Nov 19, 2016
    I like the idea of using three different colors -- one for the body of the house, one for the trim and a third for the shutters. Maybe even a 4th for the door. For example, if you prefer neutral colors, you could leave the house white, use a mid-tone gray or black on the trim, red for the door, and a different tone gray (lighter or darker) for the shutters. I'm someone who loves color, so I would probably use colors similar to what you see on Victorian homes. One of my favorite colors is olive green, so I would probably use a mid-tone olive for the body of the house, cream for the trim, a light olive or sage for the shutter and a pretty coral for the door. You could do this with just about any color combination. I've even seen it done with purple, cream, and sage -- a gorgeous combination ! Just use whichever colors you like best !
  • Cindy Hagemann Cindy Hagemann on Nov 19, 2016
    Our similar house was white, black shutters and a bright red front door - it was stunning! Have fun with it!
  • Kim Salmi Kim Salmi on Nov 20, 2016
    There is a home in my area similar in style to yours that is a lovely warm ( not loud and glaring more antique ,muted looking ) pumpkin color with dark green shutters and roof ,brown trim windows and doors ..it's stunning ...but when an idea feels right you'll know in your heart to go with it ......you have a beautiful canvas to work with already : )
  • Bets Bets on Nov 20, 2016
    In my opinion keeping the colonial look is important. Gray siding with black shutters is always stunning. I would not paint the trim a different color but that's just my opinion. A red or black door would look great
  • Bjb4358911 Bjb4358911 on Nov 20, 2016
    I would paint the house in an historic color from Benjamin moore. Leave off the shutters to give it an updated look. Find a matching color for trim, and another color for the front door. I would also put a stoop over your front door and add some vintage looking posts on floor of your front entrance. Leave off the railing going up the stairs
  • Debi53 Debi53 on Nov 20, 2016
    We renovated a house similar to yours. It was originally white with black shutters and black door. We repainted it pale gray with charcoal (softer than stark black) and a bright aqua door. I am including the before and after.
  • Nis11270386 Nis11270386 on Nov 21, 2016
    Navy with white shutters!
  • Cwh6899259 Cwh6899259 on Nov 21, 2016
    Your shutters need to be wider. Even though they are decorative, they originally used to cover the whole window, your decorative shutters should be that same size. I would keep the house white then you can change the shutter colours as the mood suits. I would keep to the historical colours for both the shutters and the door. I would probably go white siding, black or dark charcoal shutters and red door. Cream siding, dark green shutters and blue door would be nice also.
    • Bonnie Miles Bonnie Miles on Nov 23, 2016

      I agree with your first idea. White house, black or dark shutters and red door.

  • Mary Mary on Nov 21, 2016
    Hi There. I love a very pale yellow - the palest buttery kind that is soft and welcoming. Pair that with black shutters, white trim and a brick red door. Your windows are 9 over 9 which is lovely. I would keep that, even if you put in new
  • Celia Celia on Nov 22, 2016
    Red/black shutters
  • Celia Celia on Nov 22, 2016
    Red with black shutters
  • Elaine Elaine on Nov 22, 2016
    Please don't change your classic windows as they suit the house and I love its white siding!! Why don't you go on Houzz and type in "white exteriors/houses" to get ideas? I'd be tempted to have black shutters with a rich aubergine color front door. I can't see your roof color so it's hard to say much more. Do you have a garage? When funds permit, how about considering having a "portico" built over the front door to emphasize it more? Again, look on Houzz - type in "portico".
  • Elaine Elaine on Nov 22, 2016
    Down the road, consider widening the front steps, etc. giving it a more expansive look and welcoming feel. It will REALLY add curb appeal!
  • AmbieT AmbieT on Nov 22, 2016
    I just passed a charcoal/grey house with white trim. Caught both myself and my mothers attention. It was so beautiful.
  • Gail Hoak Gail Hoak on Nov 23, 2016
    The style of your windows is perfect for the house but when you replace them go with one wide window at each spot instead of two and make them shorter in height. I also have an older home and I went with dark grey with all white trim and replaced my older door with a red door. Looks lovely and everybody comments on it.
  • Melissa V Melissa V on Nov 23, 2016
    Everyone is always going with the standard red door option. Growing up my parents always made our houses a little bit creative. We had a huge green house with double front doors. My parents painted them a beautiful complementary shade of orange! As we grew up and got bigger, they moved us to a smaller house (?) with a huge yard-the house was brown and tan with a single sidelight door they painted.....bright teal! Absolutely gorgeous! My point being, make sure it's what YOU want. You have gotten some great advice, and they've given you some great resources. Look up Birmingham's historical society and talk to someone about the significance of color surrounding your home. BTW-Are you painting, because it needs it or you want to? Be creative😃!!!
  • Jean Thompson Jean Thompson on Nov 23, 2016

    Since your house is somewhat Colonial in style and You live in A Hot area of the USA I would keep it white, You could go white with the windows in the same style then pick a Great color for the New Larger Shutters... or you could go with a Stained Wood Color or cedar Wood Shutters made shiplap style.. to go darker would make your home seem smaller and might up the AC costs in the summer.. Just suggestions.

  • Lonnie Lonnie on Nov 23, 2016

    Please stay away from trendy stuff. This really is all about you!!! Are you more into contemporary or do you like traditional? Or somewhere between? What are your likes in colors? Start with the colors in that range and branch out from there. Pastels? Muted colors? Vibrant? Take inspiration from something that absolutely grabs your attention, such as in a store window, or the color of the cars that go by. I take inspiration from food or drink, such as coffee with froth decorations (see pic) I love cats too. Have you looked at pictures of calico cats? ha! I hope this helps. I went on the journey with you today. Hee!

  • Har11864612 Har11864612 on Nov 23, 2016

    Paint hse a lite gray and black. Or white shutters and door red.

  • Tan1781564 Tan1781564 on Nov 24, 2016

    If u r in an historic district check if u qualify for a tax credit if u stay "period" with your houses' age-

  • Dar Dar on Nov 24, 2016

    I agree with Melissa about the door. Years ago we used a color called cloisonné.

    It's a blue/ green color and we used it with a very soft yellow with white trim.

  • Eroque022810 Eroque022810 on Dec 23, 2016

    White looks stark so any cool color would make it stark as well. Try a warm color on siding with bricks on bottom about 1/4 way up. This will allow you to pick your favorite color on rest of house. I would make the bottom windows baywindows with 3 panels. I love the style of upstairs windows, I would replace with energy saving windows. Please replace wrought iron and steps but not to wood. It needs to be some thingthat you can see frome the street much to narrow. I would make the front steps wider and in a semi circle with the same brick except make sure that these bricks are real not just for show. They will hold up forever. If you do that then a wrought iron railing will look fine. You I imagine have been saving for this for some time so make sure you love your pick.