House exterior · Victorian · colors from 7 paintings
Victorian Exterior Paint Schemes
These Victorian exterior paint schemes each give a wall color, a trim color, a front door and shutter color and a roof. The paint colors were measured from paintings, with LRV and the closest paint match.
Quick answer
For a first scheme, try sage gray #A2A294 on the walls, light gray #D9D9D9 on trim and brown #70604D on the door and shutters, with a charcoal roof.
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.
Sage and Umber
Walls #A2A294
Trim #D9D9D9
Front door & shutters #70604D
Roof: charcoal
Sage gray walls with light gray trim, umber door and shutters and a charcoal roof give a soft, balanced look.
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
Sage Gray Siding LRV 36
Deep Teal Blue LRV 8
Lichen Green Gray LRV 18
Old Gold Ochre LRV 20
Soft Trim Gray LRV 69
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
#A2A294LRV 36
Sage Gray Siding
A mid-tone green-gray with an LRV of 36, the lightest body color here. It was measured from James Peale's Mary (Polly) Lawton Bringhurst, and it is a near-identical match for Sherwin-Williams SW 6199 Rare Gray.
A very light neutral with an LRV of 69, used for trim, fascia and the garage door in all four schemes. It comes from Jacob Eichholtz's portrait of Mrs. Benjamin Schaum.
How do you choose the wall color for a Victorian exterior?
Start with the parts of the house that will not change: the roof, brick, stone and any foundation. Each scheme here lists a roof color, charcoal, black or brown, so choose the scheme whose roof is closest to yours. Roof colors are typical shingle, tile or metal colors, not paint.
Then choose the wall color. The sage gray #A2A294 is the lightest, with an LRV of 36. The lichen green-gray #757569 and old gold ochre #977442 are deeper, at 18 and 20. The deep teal #2B5863, at LRV 8, is the boldest.
If your house has a lot of detail, a mid-tone body color keeps it from looking busy.
How much contrast should trim and the front door have?
All four schemes use the same light trim, #D9D9D9, with an LRV of 69. It is a soft gray, not a stark white, so it frames the house without glare. Its closest match is Sherwin-Williams SW 6259 Spatial White.
The front door and shutters are where the schemes differ. Dark brown and forest green are very dark, with LRVs of 2 and 6, and give strong contrast against the walls. The umber brown, at LRV 12, is a softer choice.
For a calm look, keep the door close in depth to the walls. For a more formal look, choose a door that is much darker than the siding. Keep the shutters the same color as the door.
How do exterior colors look in sun and shade?
Outdoors, colors look lighter in full sun and cooler in shade. A color that seems right on a chip often looks paler on a large sunny wall, so choose a shade darker than your first instinct.
The deep teal and the forest green stay rich in sun and look almost black in shade. The sage and ochre change the most: sage looks more gray in shade and greener in sun, and ochre looks more golden in sun.
Walls with decorative trim and porches create shadows during the day. That means the same wall can look two or three different colors from morning to evening.
How do you test exterior samples?
Paint large samples, at least two feet square, on two sides of the house. Choose one wall that gets morning sun and another that sits in shade for most of the day.
Put the trim sample beside the wall sample, and the door sample near the entry. Colors change when they sit next to each other, and you need to see all three together.
Look at the samples in the morning, at midday and in the evening, and on a cloudy day. Wait until they are dry. Walk to the street and look from a distance, because that is how most people will see your house.
FAQ
What are good Victorian exterior paint schemes?
Sage gray with light trim and a brown door, or deep teal with a dark brown door, are two of the four schemes shown here.
What color should I paint Victorian house trim?
A soft light gray such as #D9D9D9, with an LRV of 69, frames the walls without looking stark.
What front door color goes with a Victorian house?
Dark brown, forest green or umber, depending on how much contrast you want against the walls.
Can a Victorian house be painted a dark color?
Yes. The deep teal #2B5863 has an LRV of 8. Choose a darker trim contrast carefully, and test it on a large sample first.
How do I match my Victorian exterior to my roof?
Choose the scheme with the closest roof color, such as charcoal, black or brown, then test the wall color beside a roof sample.
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 Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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.
