Choosing house paint colors starts with the walls, then trim, then the front door. This page gives four complete exteriors, each built from colors measured in a museum painting, with the roof named for you.
Quick answer
Pick a wall color first, add the light trim #E4D0BF (LRV 65), then choose a darker front door. Test large samples before you buy.
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.
Dark colonial
Walls #43342A
Trim #E4D0BF
Front door & shutters #95775A
Roof: brown
Dark brown walls with cream trim and a mocha door on a two-story colonial. The black or dark brown roof keeps the look quiet.
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
Dark clove brown LRV 4
Neutral stone gray LRV 34
Soft bronze tan LRV 24
Bottle green LRV 5
Warm cream trim LRV 65
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
#43342ALRV 4
Dark clove brown
A very dark warm brown at LRV 4, taken from Jacques de Gheyn II's Vanitas Still Life. Use it on walls for a deep, dramatic house or on a garage door.
A mid-tone neutral at LRV 34 with no clear undertone, from Piat Joseph Sauvage's Putti Harvesting Wheat. It suits siding on a ranch house and goes with most roofs.
Start with what will not change. Brick, stone, a tile roof and a concrete porch all have colors of their own, and your wall color has to sit comfortably beside them. Look at the roof first, since it covers a large part of what people see from the street.
Then decide how light or dark the walls should be. The four walls on this page range from LRV 4 to LRV 34. Light reflectance value runs from 0, which is black, to 100, which is white. A dark house such as the brown #43342A or the green #363F35 looks serious and ties into trees. A mid-tone such as the gray #9D9D9D or the tan #A18263 is easier to live with and hides dirt well.
Pick one wall color and let the others follow. Trim, door and shutters should support it, not compete.
How much contrast should trim and the front door have?
Trim is the frame. On every scheme here it is the same warm cream #E4D0BF, which has an LRV of 65. That is a big step from the wall colors, so the windows, fascia and corners read clearly. A cream with a little warmth looks softer than pure white against brown, tan or green.
The front door is the accent. A door that is darker than the trim and a different color from the walls draws the eye to the entry. The brown #513820 does this quietly. The coral #CE584C and the moss green #596123 are livelier.
If the walls are very dark, choose a door that is lighter or warmer than the walls, such as the mocha #95775A. If the walls are mid-tone, a very dark door gives the strongest contrast.
Why do exterior colors look different outdoors?
Outdoors, a color looks lighter than the same chip does indoors. Direct sun bleaches the surface, and a large wall reflects more light than a small sample. For that reason, many painters choose a shade slightly darker than the one they have in mind.
Shade does the opposite. A wall in the shade of a tree or on the north side looks cooler and deeper, and warm colors look less warm. The tan #A18263 might look yellow in noon sun and gray-brown on a shaded side.
The color of the sky and nearby plants also changes the look. Green leaves add a green cast to light walls, and a blue sky pulls cool tones forward. You cannot predict this from a chip, which is why the next step matters.
How should I test house paint colors?
Buy sample pots or use large painted boards, at least two feet square. A small chip in your hand tells you very little about a whole house.
Place the samples on at least two sides of the house, for example one facing the street and one in shade. Look at them in the morning, at midday and in the evening, and on a cloudy day too. Put the trim sample beside each wall sample and prop the door color nearby.
Look at the samples next to the roof, the brick or the stone, and the driveway. Wait a few days before you decide. If two colors are close, the one that still looks good on the shaded side is usually the safer choice.
Finally, think about maintenance. Dark walls such as #43342A and #363F35 show chalky dust and pollen more than the mid-tone gray, so a gray or tan house is a little easier to keep clean between washes.
FAQ
What is the best color for a house exterior?
There is no single best color. Match the fixed parts of the house, such as the roof and any brick, then choose walls, trim and a door that work together. A mid-tone wall with light trim is the easiest choice.
What color trim goes with dark house paint?
A light, warm trim such as #E4D0BF (LRV 65) gives clear contrast against dark brown, gray or green. Pure white can look harsh beside warm walls.
How many colors should I use on an exterior?
Most houses use three: one for the walls, one for the trim and one for the door and shutters. The schemes here use exactly that, plus a roof color you already have or choose.
Do exterior paint colors look lighter or darker outside?
They tend to look lighter in full sun and cooler in shade. Many people choose a shade darker than they want, then check large samples at different times of day.
What roof color works with these house colors?
Black or dark brown suits the darkest walls and the gray. A weathered wood tone suits the tan and warm brown schemes. Each scheme above names its roof.
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.
