Several exterior colors can be used on Victorian homes.

Exterior paint color selection can be daunting for most of our clients. Unless you’re building a home from the ground up, most homes come with a color already chosen for you, but often it’s one the homeowner doesn’t like or needs to upgrade due to deterioration from the elements. Choosing your home’s exterior coloris a big decision, one that will last for ten years or more and can’t be redone as easily or inexpensively as a bedroom or bathroom. There are several factors a homeowner must take into consideration, but the most important is the style and architecture of the home and the colors of the neighborhood and region. The easiest place to start for choosing exterior color is to take note of the colors that already exist in the roof, masonry, and other architectural accents.

Ann Arbor Style

The Craftsman style is popular in the Ann Arbor area and typically includes a low-pitched roof and tapered square pillars that frame a recessed porch and entry. Handcrafted wood and natural stone are often present inside and out. Craftsman-style homes look best when the main color of the home echoes those mixed materials, whether it’s a shade of taupe, mushroom, gray, brown, or green. There are many smaller brick Tudor style homes in lower Michigan as well. Tudor style is known for its high-pitched roof, recessed entryway, and stone or brick chimneys or accents. The trim or main color is traditionally a shade of medium to dark brown but any earth tones will enhance this Old English style.

Craftsman style home exteriors look great in neutral tones.

Michigan Victorian homes

Elaborate Victorian-style homes demand a more colorful palette to accent the intricate architectural moldings or gingerbread details. With these homes, anything goes! Let the beautiful brightly colored Victorians of Traverse City and Mackinac Island be your guide and have fun. There really is no right or wrong if you stick with three to five complementary hues.

Professional Painter Color Advice

Professional painters typically recommend a clean crisp white with contrasting shutters in a deep shade of blue, green, or gray for classic colonials. It’s always safe to choose a white or neutral color for the exterior to showcase the home’s architecture. Try choosing a bold color for the front door. Consider painting just the front door a fun color to create an attractive, welcoming entry.

Color consultations

When choosing your home’s exterior color, painting contractors suggest you keep the following things in mind. It’s important to make a timeless choice that not only adds curb appeal and increases resale value, but also shares some similarity with the homes in your neighborhood. Large surfaces make paint look lighter, especially in sunlight, so it never hurts to sample a few darker shades. Paint colors will also look darker in shaded lots, so consider paler colors for homes filtered by a lot of trees. Emphasize architectural details and windows with a complementary accent color but choose colors that are related. Moving up and down the paint strip in the fan deck is the easiest way to find colors that work well together. Simpler homes require as few as two colors, but elaborate homes can use up to five. Too much info? That’s ok – we’re here to help. We offer color consultations and free painting estimates. Hope to hear from you soon!