8 Trending Exterior Home Colors

Courtesy Mindy Johnson

Black

It’s dramatic. It’s deep. It’s a little bit fashion and a little bit goth.

Black homes are trending, big-time. As the desire for striking, bold exteriors continues, it doesn’t get much bigger than black. Done right, it sharpens up cool architectural details and adds dramatic curb appeal.

In this example, Mindy Johnson of The Johnsonettes made over a beige stucco and red brick house into this welcoming charcoal-black with Behr’s Black, and a custom mix of pink paints for the door.

Kathy Stracke, owner and color consultant at Five Star Painting of Wilmington, DE, a Neighborly company, says she’s definitely seen a “strong trend toward medium to dark muted colors with significant warm undertones.” Popular black colors range from charcoal to true ink black. Stracke says subtle, lighter accents can offset any heaviness.

Not ready to take a full plunge into the depths of darkness? Cristina Miguelez, remodeling specialist at Fixr, says their yearly paint report revealed that black is the top color choice for front doors — a reasonable entry into the gothy color. (See what we did there?)

Courtesy Helga Radio

Navy

This home got a total exterior makeover, transitioning from red-and-brown brick and yellow stucco to navy on the stucco and gray on the brick. Yes, people are definitely painting their exterior brick.

Behr’s Poppy Seed makes this enterprising homeowner’s entire house pop, adding immediate, unmissable curb appeal. The gray on the front of the house (not seen in the photo) is Fashion Gray, which has a bit of warmth to it.

Another navy option: Paige NeJame of CertaPro Painters of the South Shore and Boston says she’s seeing a lot of homes painted Benjamin Moore’s Kensington Blue with black trim.

Courtesy Lynne Sade

Warm White With Pastel Trim

Gone are the cool, stark whites of the past. If you go white, choose a luxurious warmer white. Lynne Sade, who blogs about farmhouse renovations at A Farmhouse Reborn, recently painted her farmhouse the creamy white Greek Villa by Sherwin-Williams, transforming the vibe of the red brick and red trim home.

For an even fresher take, consider forgoing a bold contrast on trim and doors and use a pastel shade instead. Sade chose Levingston Green by Benjamin Moore for its yellow undertones, which she knew would complement the creamier white.

Pastel trim is also taking a popular turn with black and charcoal houses, among other siding colors.

Courtesy Kate Nyquist

Indigo

Blue is so hot it’s claimed two spots on our list. This home had a dirty white exterior with prefab, maintenance-free tan trim, and was transformed with happy, calm Indigo Batik by Sherwin-Williams. A bold natural, it pairs well with the tan trim and the burnt-red brick the owners didn’t want to touch.

Oceanic, French and medium blues are showing up everywhere. So if navy feels too dark, you have options.

Courtesy William Dohman

Pink

Following the popular pastel trend, pink is back for exteriors from mid-century homes to Victorians and French Revivals, like this one from the Dohmicile.

Picking a shade with slightly muddy-gray undertones prevents the home from looking too saccharine — unless you specifically want that mid-century cotton-candy pop, of course. This home was painted with Pink Shadow by Sherwin-Williams, and Tricorn Black on the trim. Tricorn is a popular trim color, but can also be used in all-over black homes.

Courtesy Allie Hawley March

Earthy Green

All shades of green are hot, hot, hot. Perhaps it’s because of our biophilic tendency to connect to nature, or that we’ve been spending more time at home and in our yards, or maybe it’s just finally green’s turn for the spotlight. The earthy, warm Aegean Olive by Benjamin Moore is a popular pick at the moment, says Miguelez.

A more offbeat but no less stylish pick is the mid-century gem shown here, done up in Guacamole by Benjamin Moore.

Courtesy Sherwin-Williams

Urbane Bronze

Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, says “moodier tints” such as Iron Ore and Tricorn Black land in the brand’s top 10 best-selling exterior colors. “Consumers are continuing to love bold, saturated exteriors,” she says.

Though browns have generally been on the outs, it’s no surprise, then, that a moody, complex brown like Urbane Bronze has steadily become more popular. “[It] pairs so beautifully with greenery surrounding the home and offers a surprising and modern look that people are gravitating toward,” Wadden says.

Courtesy Sherwin-Williams

Sage Green

It turns out green earns a second spot on the list, because homeowners love a variety of earthy, lush greens, like sage and its cousins.

Ashley Banbury, senior color designer for Dutch Boy Paints, says Cypress Garden is a popular pick. “Derived from nature, this beautiful muted green adds a level of serenity as we extend living space out into the backyard,” Banbury says. “This harmonizing shade works perfectly with warm and cool tones and embracing outdoors materials like wood, stone and trending colorful accents.”