“Paint sets the tone for what you want your home to express,” says Katie Burnet, an interior designer with Rumor Designs. A tired exterior can make an otherwise lovely house look dated, while a fresh coat of paint can give it a whole new personality.
The Sherwin-Williams 2023 Color Trends Report found that homeowners were showing more interest in bold and unexpected color combinations, with many choosing palettes that help their homes stand apart from neighboring properties.
The paint and coatings industry has also continued to grow. Fortune Business Insights valued the global market at $206.56 billion in 2023 and projected it to reach $303.97 billion by 2032. Paint gives homeowners plenty of room to play with color, whether they want a major exterior makeover or just a few small updates.
A new exterior color scheme doesn’t have to mean painting every inch of the house. A colorful door, fresh trim, or a creative pattern can make a big difference. Here are 17 house painting ideas to spark some inspiration.
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Two-Tone Elegance
A two-tone exterior can give a home more visual depth without making the color scheme feel too busy. Try pairing a darker shade with a lighter one, using the second color on areas such as shutters, window frames, doors, or trim.
Navy with white, charcoal with cream, and deep green with warm beige are a few combinations that work well. This idea suits both traditional houses and more modern designs.
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Bold Front Door
A front door is a small area where you can take a color risk without repainting the entire exterior. Try a rich red, teal, mustard yellow, or another shade that contrasts with the siding.
A bright door looks especially good against a neutral exterior. It gives the entrance a clear focal point and can make the house feel more welcoming.
Ombre Effect
An ombre finish gradually moves from one shade to another, creating a soft transition from light to dark. It can be used on an exterior wall, garage door, porch area, or another large surface.
“The results from an ombre effect are SO beautiful, and the challenge of creating an ombre effect is fun, so don’t give up if it gets a bit frustrating!” says Ilia Hernandez.
Pick shades that work with the surroundings of your home. Soft blue tones can suit a coastal property, while earthy greens and browns may work better around a wooded yard. A test area can help you see how the colors look in changing daylight before you commit.
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Contrasting Trim
Painting the trim a different color is an easy way to bring attention to the architectural details of your house. A soft beige exterior paired with dark brown or black trim can create a crisp look.
“Consider contrasting colors to make the trim pop against your siding or choose a complementary shade for a more subtle approach,” Elysia Lark notes.
Window frames, corners, railings, molding, and doors are all good places for a contrasting shade. You can go dramatic or keep the difference subtle, depending on the style of the house.
Geometric Patterns
Triangles, stripes, squares, and chevrons can give a plain exterior a more artistic feel. Rather than covering the entire house, try adding a pattern to a garage door, porch wall, garden shed, or other smaller section.
Painter’s tape and stencils can help create crisp edges. Stick with two or three colors for a cleaner look, or use stronger contrast if you want the pattern to become the star of the space.
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Classic Black and White
Black and white remain an easy pairing for homeowners who want a crisp exterior. White siding with black trim can make windows, columns, railings, and doors stand out.
You can also reverse the arrangement with dark siding and white trim. Matte finishes give the combination a more modern feel, while traditional finishes can suit older homes.
Pastel Palette
Pastel shades can give a home a softer, friendlier appearance. Lavender, pale pink, mint green, powder blue, and peach can all work well on cottages, smaller homes, and relaxed suburban properties.
White or beige trim can keep the colors from feeling too sugary. Pastels also pair nicely with gardens, flowering plants, and natural wood details.
Nature-Inspired Greens
Green is a natural fit for houses surrounded by trees, lawns, and gardens. Lighter greens can make an exterior feel fresh, while olive, sage, and forest green create a deeper, more grounded look.
For an easy color scheme, pair green siding with natural wood, stone, or warm cream trim. The result can feel connected to the surrounding yard without looking overly matched.
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Gradient Stripes
Gradient stripes offer a playful way to bring several shades onto one exterior surface. Start with a lighter version of a color and gradually move toward a darker shade using horizontal or vertical bands.
This idea can work particularly well on a large side wall or garage. For a quieter look, stay within one color family. For something more dramatic, use shades with a stronger difference between them.
Accented Eaves
The underside of a roof overhang is an unexpected place for color. Painting the eaves a contrasting shade adds a small detail that can be seen from the street without taking over the entire exterior.
Try a deep blue, muted green, warm yellow, or another color that connects with the front door or trim. This works especially well on homes with large roof overhangs.
Rustic Color Scheme
A rustic exterior can be built around muted gray, beige, taupe, cream, and soft brown. These colors work well with wood siding, stone, brick, and other natural materials.
A slightly weathered finish can suit a farmhouse or cottage-style home, while cleaner lines and richer shades can give the same palette a more polished appearance. The key is to pick colors that work with the materials already on the house.
Patterned Shutters
Shutters don’t have to be plain. A simple stripe, geometric design, or two-color pattern can turn them into decorative features.
This works particularly well on homes with large windows, where shutters can help frame the openings. Use a bold color if you want them to stand out, or choose two closely related shades for a quieter effect.
Mural Magic
“A fun way to add your personal style to the exterior of your home is by painting an outdoor mural,” says Liz, a DIY influencer at Within the Grove.
A mural can feature an abstract design, flowers, trees, a landscape, or almost anything that fits your taste. A garage wall, backyard wall, or detached shed can be a good place to try the idea without covering the main exterior.
If the mural is large or detailed, working with an experienced artist can help bring the design together and keep it looking polished.
Dynamic Door Frames
Give your entryway a little extra attention by painting the door frame and surrounding trim in a contrasting shade. Metallic gold or silver can create a dressier appearance, while black, navy, or deep green can give the entrance a stronger architectural look.
A metallic finish can catch sunlight throughout the day, making the doorway stand out from the rest of the facade.
Bright Roof Accents
Roof trim and other roof details are easy to overlook, but they can be a great place for a little extra color. Deep red, dark green, navy, or another strong shade can complement the main exterior.
This idea works best on houses where the roof is clearly visible from the street. Keep the rest of the exterior relatively restrained so the roof accents don’t compete with too many other colors.
Vintage Vibes
If you love the look of older homes, try a retro color palette. Aqua, coral, mustard yellow, muted turquoise, and warm cream can give an exterior a mid-century or vintage feel.
These colors can work especially well with brick, wood siding, vintage-style lighting, and older architectural details. You can also use a retro shade just on the door or shutters if painting the whole house feels like too much.
Whimsical Color Blocking
Color blocking uses separate areas of strong color to highlight different parts of a home’s exterior. You might use one shade on the lower portion of the house, another above it, and a third around the windows or entryway.
This style works especially well on contemporary homes with clean lines and simple shapes. If the architecture is already busy, keep the palette smaller so the colors don’t compete with the home’s details.
