Exterior Colors by House Style
A palette that looks right on a modern farmhouse falls flat on a low ranch, and the colors that flatter brick are a different list from the ones that suit stucco. Start from houses like yours.
Thirteen House Styles, Each With Its Own Schemes
Every guide is built around one kind of house: the classic schemes, the body, trim and door combinations that keep showing up on the best examples, and where repaints usually go wrong.
Crisp whites, black windows, and board-and-batten — the look that made white houses interesting again.
Trim, door, and shutter colors that flatter red brick instead of fighting it.
Modern earth tones and warm whites that make smooth stucco look intentional.
Colors that update a low, long facade and give a single-story house real presence.
Historic three-color schemes — body, trim, and accent working together the way bungalows were built to.
Multi-color painted-lady schemes that pick out every bracket and spindle.
Soft, storybook palettes — muted greens, creams, and dusty blues that feel settled in a garden.
Coastal blues, sandy neutrals, and bright whites that hold up in strong seaside light.
Metal siding colors and wood accents that balance farm shape with modern edge.
Shingle grays, classic whites, and shutter colors for the most symmetrical house in America.
Formal body-trim-shutter schemes: white and navy, cream and black, and the brick-red door.
Stains and deep earth colors for log and rustic cabins that sit down into the woods.
Budget-friendly color transformations that make a big visual difference per gallon.
Which Style Is My House?
Match the roof, the porch and the siding material. Ten quick tells cover most American houses.
The visualizer works from your photo, not from a list. Upload any house and describe the look in plain words.
The Exterior Colors That Keep Showing Up
Twelve colors that appear in the schemes on more than one style page. Each one opens the visualizer with the color loaded on the siding.
House Style FAQ
How do I know which style my house is?
Match the roof and the porch first. A low roof with wide bracketed eaves is Craftsman, steep gables with board-and-batten read as farmhouse, one long story is a ranch, turrets and spindles are Victorian. The identifier above covers the eight most common tells.
Does house style really change which colors work?
Yes. A modern farmhouse lives on white plus black. The same white flattens a Craftsman, whose woodwork needs a mid-tone body and cream trim. Brick and stucco houses only take paint on trim, doors and shutters, so their lists are shorter and pickier.
My house is a mix of styles. Where do I start?
Start from the dominant material and roof shape, then use the visualizer. It works from your photo, not from a style list, so a mixed house is judged in its own light with its own roof and landscaping.
Any style, any palette from these guides, previewed on your own house. Free to start.