Some homeowners prefer to stay with trends when it comes to exterior painting in New Jersey. There are a lot of Cape Cod and Colonial style homes in this area. This means that a more traditional approach to home colors is seen. Some homeowners stray from trends and do their own thing to make their home stand out. The color choices are important, especially if you plan to sell the home in the near future.
Traditional Style
Traditional style generally means that a light color for the base of the home is used with a darker color for the trim and entry door. White is the most common base color in this style.
Common traditional style color combinations:
- White/black/red
- Light yellow/white/black
- Light blue/white/red
- Light gray/white/maroon
- White/green/black
The entry door should stand out but should also complement the exterior of the home. It is a focal point and adds to the overall appeal of the exterior. Traditional style is two colors, a base color and a trim color. The only other color should be for the entry door color.
Colonial
While colonial is similar to traditional, the color spectrum is a little more broad. Within this palette are tans, browns, greens and gray-blues. The idea is to maintain a lighter base color with a darker trim color. Some homes in this spectrum will use a double color trim with white being around the windows and the inclusion of a dark colored shutter. The entry doors are still bold but tend to be a darker shade of the same color pattern. Again with this style, no more than two colors should be used.
Abstract
The abstract exterior paint scheme breaks all of the rules. Untraditional colors and numbers of colors used goes completely out the window. What you are likely to see here is plum base colors with olive and tan trim colors, or any combination of the three. The general rule with exterior paint colors is to use only two unless it is a Victorian home.
The two-color rule does not apply to this style. The entry door is meant to be a different color entirely.
Victorian
Victorian homes tend to use between three and four colors. Most of these are muted and pastel. Light blue or yellow are the most popular for the base color. Light purple, pink and white are often the accent colors. In some cases, a very pale green is used for some accent pieces. Victorian homes have several elements to them as far as adornment is concerned. What happens here is that multiple colors are needed so that the home does not look too plain. Victorian means fancy when it comes to exterior home design and paint schemes.
Popular Color Choices
In 2014, color choices for the exterior of a home are going back to the basics. Bright colors and crazy combinations, such as turquoise, purple and pink, are out. Neutrals and traditional pairings are taking the spotlight again. With tan brick, a gray-green is the top choice for exterior trim color. This includes for easements, pillars and around the windows. Large traditional looking homes are being seen in white on white with just a statement door. This may seem to be too much white, but it is clean and inexpensive.
Some popular pairings for 2014 include:
- Tan and green
- Green and gray
- Green and white
- Tan and black
- Yellow and white
- White and black
- White and green
Blue is not very popular for 2014. A blue-gray or blue-green is okay for trim or an entry door but it should not be a main color.
Choose the colors for the exterior of your home wisely as it is a representation of yourself. It is one of the first things that people see driving through the neighborhood or when visiting your home. Adding lighting to the sides of the door is ideal for safe entry at night. It also adds a bit of charm to the exterior of the home. Another element to consider is to make sure that the street number is visible. This is not something that you want to have blend in. The style should blend in but the numbers need to be easily visible from the street.