Choosing a new exterior color for your home is one of the most exciting and terrifying decisions you can make. It's a massive change that you (and your neighbors) will be looking at for the next 15 years. Get it right, and you can transform a dated house into a modern stunner. Get it wrong, and... well, it's an expensive fix.
As designers, we've seen it all. The test pot looked perfect, but overall, the house is overwhelmingly bright. Or the color you loved on a home in another street looks "flat" and
"wrong" on yours.
Choosing a color scheme is a science. Here’s a simple guide to getting it right.
1. The 60-30-10 Rule
This is the classic designer's rule, and it works perfectly for exteriors.
• 60% (Main Color): This is your main cladding (your weatherboards or plaster). It’s the dominant color that sets the tone.
• 30% (Secondary Color): This is for your trim. On a modern home, this is often the fascia, gables, and sometimes the window frames. On a classic villa, it's the ornate trim, verandas, and window sills.
• 10% (Accent Color): This is the "pop" of color. It’s almost always your front door, but it could also be a garage door or a specific feature.
By limiting your palette to three main colors, you create a look that is cohesive and intentional, not
chaotic.
2. Start With Your "Fixed Elements"
This is the #1 mistake homeowners make. They choose a wall color in isolation, then realize it clashes horribly with their roof.
• The Roof: Your roof is the biggest, most unchangeable block of color. Your main house color must work with your roof. Is your roof a deep charcoal (like Ironsand)? A mid-grey (Grey Friars)? A red, or a green? Lay your paint swatches against your roof to see if they harmonize.
• The Joinery: What color are your aluminum window frames? If they are silver, white, or
black, they are "neutral." But if they are "Mission Brown" or "Caulfield Green," you must factor them into your scheme.
3. Understand New Zealand's Harsh Light
That lovely, warm, creamy beige you saw in an American design magazine? In New Zealand's harsh, clear, blue-toned light, it will likely look like a sickly, pale yellow.
Our light is unforgiving. It will wash out pale colors and make bright colors look almost fluorescent. This is why "greiges" (a mix of grey and beige) and complex, "muddy" neutrals (like
the famous Resene "Tea") are so popular here. They have enough depth and complexity to not look flat or "too clean" in our harsh sun.
As you'll see in local design magazines like "Your Home & Garden", the most successful schemes use colors with a bit
of "dirty" or "grey" in them.
4. Test, Test, and Test Again (The Right Way)
Never, ever choose your color from a 5cm square chip in a store. You must buy test pots.
• Don't paint the test pot on the wall. The old, faded color underneath will skew your perception.
• Do this instead: Paint two large A2 cards with two coats of your test pot. Tape them (one at a time) to your wall.
• Look at it all day: Check it in the sharp morning light. Check it in the full, hot midday sun. Check it in the shadow of the afternoon. A color can look completely different at different times of the day.
Choosing a palette can be overwhelming, but it's also a huge opportunity. If you're struggling, get help choosing your exterior house colors from a professional. Painters and color consultants have seen hundreds of homes and have a trained eye for what will work with your home's unique style and light.
Top comments (0)