The Bold & the Beautiful: 5 Unique Exterior House Colors
Create a dramatic look with unique exterior house colors that will make you delighted every time you return to your home sweet home. We love the flexibility and aesthetic of beiges, browns and grays. They really do create a classic look that fits well in any neighborhood. However, some homeowners love the opportunity to turn their home into a reflection of their personality. Others prefer a palette that helps them stand out from the crowd and enhance their curb appeal.
We’ve built a list of five unique exterior house colors that are sure to help you create a dynamic look for your home.
Note: Proceed with caution if you live in an HOA community or plan to sell your home in the near future. These factors can have an impact on your final decision.
1. Tricorn Black SW 6258
Does the idea of painting your entire house black make you feel like a wannabe member of the Addams family? Despite black paint’s reputation as the shade for haunted houses, it has become a popular exterior house color for creating a dramatic, sophisticated look. In fact, it has made Sherwin-Williams’ top 50 exterior colors list and their list of favorite darks and blacks.
Tricorn Black SW 6258 has been a longtime favorite for those who have ventured outside the common color comfort zone to create a high-impact look. It has no undertones to clash with other colors, making it a true black and a dramatic neutral. In order to harness this powerful color, it is important to take a few things into consideration:
How big do you want to go?
You can use black in a variety of ways on the surface of your home. For example, you can just apply a touch of black to accents. You could apply black only to the doors and trims. Or, you can go really bold and paint the entire exterior black with a contrasting trim color.
Will black paint work with your home and landscape?
Black may be neutral, but that doesn’t mean it automatically works with your home. You will need to consider the size of your home, the shape of your home and even the color of your roof shingles in order to pull this exterior house paint color off in a cohesive way. You’ll also need to factor in heat and sun when making your final choice.
Additional popular black paint colors:
2. Riverway SW 6222
Blue can be bold, especially when you add undertones of green dialed back with a hint of gray. Riverway SW 6222 is a blue that deserves a huge canvas to let its depth and breadth shine. While it may seem a bit more subdued on a swatch, it becomes a vibrant, eye-catching body color when applied on your exterior walls. Here are some ways to amplify the power of this beautiful blue:
Pair it with great accent colors.
Riverway can be enhanced with bright white trim to really bring out the underlying colors and “frame” your home. It also pairs well with more surprising accents like yellow (SW 6382 Ceremonial Gold) or purple (SW 6018 Enigma).
Shrink it down.
You don’t have to cover the entire house to enjoy the tranquil impact of Riverway. It can also be its own bold accent color, such as a front door or on shutters, porches and wainscoting.
Additional exterior blue paint colors:
3. Roycroft Copper Red SW 2839
Looking for a great way to incorporate reds and oranges into your exterior color palette without getting a barn-like look? Why not blend the best of both? Roycroft Copper Red is technically considered an orange; however, it comes across as a lovely dark red in most exterior environments with the orange pulling back the brightness that can make it feel like it’s too much.
Roycroft Copper Red also happens to be one of Sherwin-Williams’ historic colors, dating back to the 1880s-1910s. That’s over 100 years of staying power for a color! It looks amazing with a variety of browns, which means it coordinates well with common shingle colors, decks and fencing. Tips for working with red:
Watch those color matchups!
Red, especially a red with orange undertones, can clash terribly. You don’t want to pair it with bright greens, for example. On the other hand, you also don’t want to use a color that is too close to your dominant red because it will become jarring and overwhelming to the eye. Don’t shy away from a classic white trim to help break the color.
Environment matters!
Red doesn’t pair with every color and it also won’t work in every environment. If you’re in a coastal community filled with teals and bright greens, for example, your home will stand out in a negative way. Get a few large swatches and place them on the outside of your home. You’ll get the chance to live with it in your own individual environment without committing to an entire house.
More great red exterior paint colors:
4. Bee’s Wax SW 7682
Bee’s Wax SW 7682 is another color that is part of the orange family but comes across as a different color. In this case, it translates as a warm golden yellow. The orange succeeds in tempering the yellow. Instead of overly bright and garish, it feels earthy and grounded.
Bee’s Wax is well suited to stucco siding and Spanish architecture. It also pairs up with a variety of other colors, including variations of red, blue, green and orange. It can also work on other types of architecture and as an accent, such as a front door. Tips for using yellow:
Bold doesn’t need to mean bright.
You can have a welcoming yellow exterior without making your neighbors think a new sun is rising next door. Bee’s Wax is a perfect example of this. There are homes that can certainly carry a lemony yellow with style. However, it can be harder to execute a balanced presentation if the yellow is so sharp that it can’t work with the surroundings.
Don’t be afraid to use other colors.
Yellow works well with its fellow primary colors. Build a color palette that incorporates unexpected details, like burgundy accents or sage green shutters. Be careful when using black, as it can begin to look too much like a taxi or wasp. White works well, but be sure your yellow has enough contrast to prevent them from blending into each other.
Additional yellow exterior paint options:
5. Rock Garden SW 6195
We will complete this list of unique exterior house colors with a gorgeous green. Rock Garden is a deep, dark green with undertones of blue and gray. Green can be tricky. Too much yellow and you end up with a limey green that won’t play well with other colors. Too much brown, and you end up with a muddied green.
Rock Garden is tempered by its gray undertones, which allows it to stay distinctly green without drifting back into the more predictable options. As a dark exterior house color, it offers a fresh feel that blends nicely. Green tips:
Blend in to stand out.
Surprisingly, green can actually be more difficult to use than any other color. One of the biggest reasons is the massive amount of green that exists in the natural environment. A flashy tropical hue is not going to look great in a pine forest. Alternatively, a deep emerald might look too dark or out of place on a sandy, beachside home. Gather up a few large swatches and stick them on the exterior of your home and live with the colors for a while to get an idea of what looks best.
Take it down a notch.
This might seem like odd advice for a list of bold and unique colors, but there is a big difference between the swatch you get from your painting contractor and applying that color to a two-story house. Companies like Sherwin-Williams group their colors in families. That makes it easy for you to take the color you love and see what it looks like if it’s lighter or darker than the original selection.
Unique house colors in green:
Find Your Perfectly Unique Exterior Look!
These colors are just a tiny sample of the hundreds of unusual exterior house colors you can use to make your home become your canvas. Find the color that matches your unique style and begin to make your home your own.
