Exterior Paint Colors for a Prairie Style House

Prairie Style Houses

• Prairie style homes feature strong horizontal lines and low profiles with repeated design elements that reflect the landscape of the prairieland where these homes were often built, according to writer Rosemary Thornton at Old House Web. Low pitched roofs, large overhangs, geometric forms and clusters of windows arranged in horizontal lines are characteristic of this style. A central fireplace often graces the home. Natural materials figure prominently in Prairie style homes, with wood, stone and Roman brick often used in construction. This type of house was most famously demonstrated by the homes of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose many designs can still be seen and appreciated today in a variety of Midwestern locations.

Natural Materials

• Wood accentuates the natural ambiance of the Prairie style design. Often stone or brick is used for construction, which gives the structure a solid, unassuming character. These materials determine the colors of exterior trim. Multicolored brick might be matched with either light or dark tones. Brick enhances the plain architecture of the design, and trim colors are used that accent the quiet and serious tone of the structure.

Natural Colors

• The design of the Prairie style house is made to fit modestly into the natural landscape, so muted, unassuming colors are often a part of the exterior design. Browns, greens, dark reds, grays and ochre are often used to repeat the colors of the natural environment. Often these colors are used in combination with neutral whites, creams, grays and tans to offset and lighten the heavy, prominent structural features, such as brickwork exteriors.

Contrasted Tones

• Contrasts are often a part of Prairie style exterior designs. Light stone might be paired with darker browns or grays on trim and roofing. Darker brick tones are contrasted with creams or white on trim surfaces to provide more visual interest to the exterior. Generally, bright colors are avoided, and the colorful tones of the previous Victorian Era houses are not used.