The colors that decorate your home’s exterior send a message to guests, neighbors, and anyone who passes by. You might give a lot of thought to the color of your siding, but don’t overlook the trim. The color you select will have a significant impact on the way people perceive your house.
Think About Your Goal
Start by thinking about the overall effect that you want to achieve, then work on selecting a specific color. Decide whether you want your home’s trim to blend in with the color of the siding or whether you want the trim to stand out.
Go for a Subtle Look
If you have a low-key personality, you can use a color scheme that’s aesthetically pleasing, but subdued. One option is to select a color that’s close to the color of the siding, but a bit lighter or darker. Using paints in the same family for the trim and siding will draw people’s attention to your home’s architectural design, not the color scheme. You can also go with an earth tone, such as brown or green, so your house will blend in with the surrounding landscape.
For a monochromatic look, you can paint your trim the same color as the siding. To create a subtle contrast, use paint with a matte finish for the siding and a glossier paint for the trim.
Make a Bold Statement
If you want your house to catch people’s attention, you can choose colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel and use one for the siding and the other for the trim. That striking contrast will make a lasting impression.
Red is popular, but it can be overwhelming in large doses. Painting the trim red can give your home just the right amount of color.
Black trim can make your house stand out, and since it’s neutral, it can work well with virtually any other color. Dark brown and gray are also good choices if you’re going for a contrast.
White trim can complement nearly any color scheme. It can look particularly stunning when paired with siding in a darker shade. Taupe trim can also provide an appealing contrast when used with darker siding.
Before you decide on a bold color for the trim, consider your house’s architecture. If it has a traditional design, bold trim will look out of place.
Make Sure You’ve Found the Right Color
If you aren’t sure exactly what shade you want the trim to be, choose a color as a starting point, then work from there. Buy a sample of paint in that color, paint a poster board with it, and tape the poster board to your house’s façade. Stand in front of your home at various times of day to see how the paint looks in different lighting and figure out if that color will work or if you should make an adjustment.
