Springtime is the time when we take a look at what’s going on outside of our homes. How does my home’s curb appeal look from across the street? What needs improving? Lighting? Landscaping? Painting? Here are a few budget-friendly examples of how to incorporate accent colors on the exterior of your home and making your home’s exterior oh-so inviting.
Garage Doors
This tip gets top billing.
When you’re painting the exterior of your home, it can be tempting to use an accent color for your garage door. However, Faye from the Minnetonka Hirshfield’s has some expert advice — don’t! “Your garage door is likely not the most interesting thing you can draw attention to,” she says, “and an accent color should highlight the most attractive parts of your home.” Yes, your garage door may be a great place for an accent color, but there’s a catch. You only want to draw attention to your garage door if you have a beautiful garage door. Instead, be sure to remember the accent ratio: 60% should be body color, 30% trim, and 10% accent color.
One more tip — never use an accent color to highlight an access door outside of your garage. For safety reasons, make sure to paint that door the same color as the body of your house.
Front Doors
You may have heard this before, but the front door is a great place to use an accent color. You can use a bright color, like red, for a great pop of color. In Feng Shui, a red door is regarded as bringing you good luck and prosperity. In Colonial times a red door meant it was safe place to shelter and rest.
Or, you can never go wrong with a classic like black! Hirshfield’s Carrie B., Exterior Color Call Expert, tells us her west metro customers love their black doors and are less likely to choose a colorful front door.
Iron Mountain is a popular choice for exteriors — a rich warm gray with a brown undertone.
Window Boxes or Shutters
This is another popular place to use an accent color, and it works really well with the accent ratio. Be sure to choose a color that goes well with both the body color and the trim, and again, you can’t go wrong with a classic. “Exterior louvered shutters seem to be out of fashion,” says Carrie, “if customers still want shutters they are being replaced with a door-style shutter in their trim or accent color.”
A Side Note On Siding Paint Colors
Carrie also shared, “Customers are interested in indescript colors, like dark moody green-blacks or muddy browns, greens and deep grays, for the body or accent colors. They want their home to look different from the their neighbor’s home. This year customers are wanting more green exteriors than last year — everything from soft green grays to deep saturated greens.”
Here’s to your home standing out (in a good way) on the block! If you are interested in finding out more about Hirshfield’s Exterior and Interior Color Consultations here is a link for you. Happy Painting!
The exterior colors of this home made me buy the magazine! Photographers: Alison Gootee @alisongootee and Jimmie Henslee @hensleejimmie | Story by Betsy Cribb Watson @betsycwatson
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