How Style & Time Period of a Home Should Influence Exterior Colors

It can be tough to know where to start when choosing exterior house colors for your home. Choosing exterior colors is different from choosing interior colors, and the same color can read very differently in strong natural lighting conditions. Additionally, be sure to consider the style and time period of your home when choosing exterior house colors.

If you want your home to feel "right," it's very important to respect its architecture as you consider trending exterior house colors. In order to do that, you should choose a color scheme that is consistent with the architectural style and period of the home. That doesn't mean you have to choose only period-appropriate colors, but your home's unique style will shine through when you appreciate its inherent character and charm and make choices that enhance those appropriately.

Researching your home's style online is a great way to gather ideas for exterior color palettes that would best compliment the style and/or period of your home. Check out the LP^® SmartSide^® ExpertFinish^® Trim & Siding guide to home styles, and find which aligns with your home.

If your home is a Craftsman, Lodge or Chalet style, the most architecturally-appropriate color scheme may be composed of warm tones, such as green, yellow, orange and/or brown. These colors are a nice contrast for any wood beams or stone elements that you frequently find on this style of home. Whether it's a vintage 1920s bungalow, or a newer version of that style of home, warm and rich colors are going to be right at home on its exterior. Think LP SmartSide ExpertFinish siding in Canyon Brown, Shoreline Cream, or Marshland Moss.

A lodge home painted out in whites or pastels just wouldn't seem right, now would it? Not in most settings, anyway. If you own a beachfront property, that's another story altogether. Some popular siding colors work better with certain home styles than others. Beach homes tend to sport lighter and cooler exterior house colors because they complement the colors of the sky and ocean. This is where LP SmartSide ExpertFinish siding and trim colors such as Snowscape White and Rapids Blue come in.

Cape Cods and Colonial style homes typically don't have to compete with bossy stone or brick - the body of this type of home can be pretty much any color that you choose - so often that will lean towards true colors paired with white trim. Redwood Red, a bold LP SmartSide ExpertFinish color, would be great for this style.

A more unusual, yet still classic choice would be a white body with a dark-colored trim, such as LP SmartSide ExpertFinish Canyon Brown. Again, your color choices are more numerous when your exterior features very little brick or stone. Here are a couple of fresh color palettes for Cape Cod and Colonial style homes:

Colors in this palette could be used interchangeably on exterior siding, trim, and accents (depending on the look you'd like to achieve):

By painting out architectural details in contrasting colors, you can draw attention to the character and charm of the home. This approach can give you a storybook or dollhouse look. Using fewer colors with less contrast will tone down architectural features. Although a more modest approach, painting the home out in fewer colors can make it appear larger and grander. In this modern design example, in order to simplify the architecture of the new Gothic-style exterior, much of the trim and siding is painted the same color, rather than using color to create high contrast between siding and architectural trim.

As you continue to decide on color for your home's exterior, look for more information on why personal preferences and neighboring homes should be a part of your choice. Dig into more color options, inspiration and more with LP SmartSide ExpertFinish Trim & Siding.

Think you've got some good home siding ideas? See how they might look on the LP SmartSide Home Visualizer, our siding visualizer tool.

Note: All photos are for illustrative purposes only. Please refer regularly to lpcorp.com for correct and up-to-date product installation instructions.