Choosing the best exterior color schemes is extremely important if you want to create an inviting environment for family and friends who visit your home. The idea is to choose a combination of colors that will enhance the appearance of your property, inspiring thoughts of the refuge that home is meant to be. There are several factors to keep in mind as you consider various combinations of colors for the scheme, including the style of the home, standards within the neighborhood and your own personal preferences when it comes to the use of color.
For people who live in gated or planned communities, the options with exterior color schemes are often limited to combinations approved by a community board of directors or a neighborhood association. Typically, the range of colors and combinations are specified as a way of presenting a unified appearance to the area, while still avoiding total uniformity from one home to the next. In many cases, the board or association will provide some assistance in selecting from the range of approved colors, a resource that may be handy if you don’t trust your own abilities to successfully choose the right combination for the siding, trim work and other features on the exterior.
If conforming to standards within a planned community is not a factor, take the time to consider the style of your home before selecting colors. For ideas, spend some time visiting other areas of your city or town, especially neighborhoods with homes similar to your own. Make note of which exterior paint colors are used for window frames, front doors, and eaves, as well as the main sections of the exterior. Seeing various color schemes on homes much like your own makes it easier to visualize what that combination would look like if selected for your home.
Keep in mind that it never hurts to check out the exterior color schemes that are found in the immediate area around your property. You may note that several homes with similar landscaping to your own have chosen colors that work well with the foliage. This may provide some inspiration to consider how your landscaping looks during the spring as well as in the autumn and go with a color scheme that provides the perfect backdrop to flower beds, blooming trees and shrubs, and other elements of the landscaping.
While considering different exterior color schemes, always allow for your own personal taste. Adapt that taste to paint colors that would work well with the exterior. For example, you may love a vibrant yellow; while that may not be a good fit for the style of the home or the neighborhood, a pale yellow may work very well. Taking the time to be open to ideas from several different avenues will increase your chances of choosing the best exterior color schemes the first time, and enjoying them for many years to come.
