Gray houses are not all the same. These four grays lean green, blue, warm or neutral, and each comes with trim, door and roof colors measured from the same painting.
Quick answer
For a light gray house, try #A1A9AE with #E5E4DD trim and a blue door. For a deeper gray, #676463 works well with white trim and an olive door.
Every wall, trim and door color here was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
4 complete exterior color schemes
Walls, trim, front door and roof together. Each scheme takes its colors from public-domain paintings, so the pairings are ones a painter already put side by side.
Boudin Sage and Olive
Walls #ABADA2
Trim #DEDCC6
Front door & shutters #505843
Roof: charcoal
Sage gray walls with pale cream trim and a forest olive door under a charcoal roof. It is gentle on a two-story colonial.
Exterior paint is seen in much stronger light than a room. Full sun bleaches a color by a shade or two, while the shaded side of the house and overcast days pull it cooler and darker. Test a large sample on two sides of the house.
Color
Swatch
Full sun
Overcast
In shade
Golden hour
Soft Sage Gray LRV 41
Deep Warm Charcoal LRV 13
Cool Silver Gray LRV 39
Greige Stone LRV 25
Pale Sprout White LRV 71
Try these colors on a house
Pick a color for the walls, the trim, the front door and the roof, and switch between house styles. Shadows and siding lines follow your choice.
Roof colors are typical shingle, tile and metal colors, not paint. Every other color comes from a painting on this page.
Colors for the walls
#ABADA2LRV 41
Soft Sage Gray
A light gray with a green undertone at LRV 41, good for houses near trees. It comes from Village by a River by Eugène Boudin.
Look at the undertone first. #ABADA2 leans green, #A1A9AE leans blue, #8B8880 leans warm yellow and #676463 is close to neutral. The undertone decides how the gray relates to your roof, brick and landscape.
On a house surrounded by trees, the sage gray looks natural. In a coastal or open setting, the blue-leaning silver gray is crisp. If you have a tan or brown roof, the greige fits better.
Then choose the depth. #A1A9AE at LRV 39 is light and easy. #676463, at LRV 13, makes a stronger statement and looks sharp with light trim.
If you are unsure, a mid-tone gray around LRV 30 to 40 is the safest range.
What trim goes with a gray exterior?
The trim colors in the schemes range from LRV 71 to 80. The warm cream #E9E7DA is the lightest and suits greige, and the soft bone #E5E4DD is cleaner and suits silver gray.
For dark gray walls, a slightly warm white such as #E5E0DC gives contrast without being stark.
The sprout white #DEDCC6 has a green undertone and works best with sage gray.
Avoid a bright pure white with a gray that has a clear undertone, because it can make the gray look dingy. Match the trim undertone to the wall, or keep it neutral.
The garage door and fascia usually match the trim.
Which door and roof colors suit gray?
Gray is a good background for a door. Deep cobalt #34527F gives a fresh, bold look against silver gray. Forest olive #505843 gives a natural look on sage gray. Dark cocoa #372818 is formal, and dry moss #9B976C adds warmth to a dark house.
Roofs in these schemes are charcoal or black. Both keep the focus on the walls. If your roof is brown, the greige scheme is the most natural choice.
Keep the door color away from the wall color in lightness. A mid-tone door on a mid-tone wall can look flat from the street.
Shutters usually match the door or are one step lighter.
How do I test gray in sun and shade?
Gray is the color people most often misjudge outdoors. In sun it looks lighter, and in shade it looks darker and often bluer. A gray with a hidden undertone can turn green or purple.
Paint large samples on two sides of the house. Look at them in the morning, at noon and in the evening.
The nearest paint matches in the data include Sherwin-Williams SW 6255 Morning Fog for #A1A9AE and SW 6185 Escape Gray for #ABADA2. Use them as starting points and compare with your own samples.
Put the trim sample next to the wall sample at the same time. The right gray should look good with it in all kinds of light.
FAQ
What are the best grey exterior house colors?
Mid-tone grays around LRV 30 to 40 are easiest, such as #A1A9AE. Darker grays like #676463 give a stronger look.
What trim goes with a gray house?
A soft white such as #E5E4DD or #E9E7DA. Bright pure white can look harsh.
What door color looks good on a gray house?
Cobalt blue, forest olive or dark brown, depending on the gray's undertone.
Is gray a good exterior color for a ranch house?
Yes. The Dahl scheme with deep charcoal walls and moss shutters is designed for a ranch.
Why does my gray look blue outside?
Shade and sky light add blue to a gray. Check samples on the shaded side of the house before you decide.
Save these colors
A card with these house color schemes: walls, trim, front door and roof. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
