Color Combination Ideas for the Exterior of My House

Color Visualizers

• Behr.com, Sherwin Williams, Valspar and Benjamin Moore all offer color visualizer tools to help you find inspiration for color combinations. Use the available stock images to mix and match exterior paint colors for walls, trim and accents, or upload your own photographs for a more accurate and realistic concept. Most of the tools will allow you to create a free account so that you can upload multiple photos and save color combinations. The Behr.com visualizer tool provides a gallery organized by architectural style should you wish to remain true to the original character of your home. Styles include Spanish Mediterranean, Tudor, Colonial and Modern.

Period Inspiration

• For a historically accurate color combination idea for your home take advantage of the Sherwin Williams Period Color Palettes available at SherwinWilliams.com. Representative periods include The Jazz Age, Arts & Crafts and Victorian. Each palette is available for download. Because computer monitor settings vary, you will want to buy and apply samples of the shades you are considering. The palettes provide color swatches of individual hues as well as possible color palettes for wall, trim and accent shades. Unless specifically noted, all colors are historically accurate as exterior paint options.

This Old House Slideshow

• Visit the This Old House website for professional design ideas and advice on choosing exterior colors for your home. Peruse the photographs and accompanying captions on color combinations in a 13-image slide show. Each slide provides a brief description of the approach as well as helpful hints on how to implement the design. Ideas range from pairing soft natural stone with bright accent colors, such as red on doors and shutters or incorporating bold black accents into your design to simpler and more traditional color combinations emphasizing neutrals and white.