Best Exterior House Colors: Paint Ideas by Style

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These are exterior house colors that designers and paint makers recommend, grouped by style, with real paint names and the trim and door colors they were shown with. Pick a direction, then try it on a photo of your own house.

Exterior paint color combinations

Before and after examples

Example images are AI-generated: both the sample houses and their redesigns. Results change from render to render, so treat them as concepts, not exact product matches.

AI-drawn stand-in of a two-story colonial style house with beige lap siding, white window trim, dark green shutters — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): the beige siding became a medium gray, the shutters became a blue-gray and the door became a blue. The white trim, the roof, the brick walkway and the lawn stayed. This is a gray body with bluer shutters and door, the kind of scheme described under Gray and blue below, but the colors are the model's guess and not paint matches. We asked for a blue-gray door and the result is a greener teal blue. The road is also redrawn with a little more texture. We ran the request once.

The same house with gray siding, blue-gray shutters and a teal-blue front door; white trim, roof, brick walkway and lawn kept — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): the beige siding became a medium gray, the shutters became a blue-gray and the door became a blue. The white trim, the roof, the brick walkway and the lawn stayed. This is a gray body with bluer shutters and door, the kind of scheme described under Gray and blue below, but the colors are the model's guess and not paint matches. We asked for a blue-gray door and the result is a greener teal blue. The road is also redrawn with a little more texture. We ran the request once.

AI-drawn stand-in of a single-story craftsman bungalow with white siding, a covered porch with square tapered columns — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): the white siding became a muted sage green, the porch columns and window trim became a cream white and the gray door became a wood-stained door. The roof, the porch, the shrubs and the lawn stayed. The little gable at the top turned green with the siding, which fits. The colors are the model's guess and not paint matches, and the road is redrawn with more texture. We ran the request once.

The same house with sage green siding, cream porch columns and window trim, and a natural wood front door; roof, porch — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn stand-in house, not a real photo): the white siding became a muted sage green, the porch columns and window trim became a cream white and the gray door became a wood-stained door. The roof, the porch, the shrubs and the lawn stayed. The little gable at the top turned green with the siding, which fits. The colors are the model's guess and not paint matches, and the road is redrawn with more texture. We ran the request once.

How to use this list

A scheme has three parts: the body color on the siding, a trim color, and an accent for the front door and shutters. Start with the body color, then use it to guide the other two.

These are recommendations, not rankings. We did not find sales data for which colors are most used, and the pages we read are from paint makers and design firms, who sell paint or services. Each name below is from a page we opened, listed under Sources, with the code shown there.

Best exterior colors by style

Sherwin-Williams ties styles to palettes this way: crisp whites, soft light grays and sage greens for a modern farmhouse; crisp whites or traditional reds for a classic farmhouse; cool grays or deep blues for a modern house; earth tones and muted blues for a natural setting; and deep navy, bold black or rich warm neutrals, often with classic white trim, for a luxurious look. Our own table below puts named paints under the same headings. See also farmhouse exterior colors, craftsman exterior colors and mid-century modern exterior colors.

Style	Paint names the sources show	Trim and door, as shown
Classic neutrals	Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008, a crisp white), Repose Gray (SW 7015) and Accessible Beige (SW 7036, a greige).	The Sherwin-Williams page does not pair them. brick&batten shows Sherwin-Williams Sashay Sand (SW 6051) siding with Benjamin Moore Simply White trim and a Sherwin-Williams Caviar door.
Gray and blue	Sherwin-Williams Comfort Gray (SW 6205) as the body; Foggy Day (SW 6235, a blue-gray) and Dress Blues (SW 9176, a deep blue) are named as blue options.	Bob Vila puts the more saturated Rain (SW 6219) on the shutters and door, with brick and white trim.
Greens	Benjamin Moore Gloucester Sage (HC-100) with Dakota Woods Green (2139-20) for a Craftsman two-tone; Sherwin-Williams Inverness (SW 6433), a rich green.	Bob Vila shows a yellow-orange stain on the door. brick&batten shows Benjamin Moore Sage Mountain (1488) siding with Mohegan Sage (2138-30) on the trim, stairs and railing.
Dark and moody	Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (SW 7069); Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy; Benjamin Moore Gunmetal (1602) on a midcentury modern house.	Iron Ore is used on the trim and the matching siding of a red brick house. Westcott Navy is paired with off-white and natural red brick. Gunmetal has a Benjamin Moore Tequila Lime (2028-30) front door.
Warm and earthy	Sherwin-Williams Universal Khaki (SW 6150), Shiitake (SW 9173), Kilim Beige (SW 6106) and Homestead Brown (SW 7515).	Universal Khaki is shown in a monochromatic design with walnut-stained wood and off-white trim.
Modern, black or gray trim	Sherwin-Williams Realist Beige (SW 6078) stucco and Moderne White (SW 6168) brick and siding.	Benjamin Moore Black Beauty on the trim of the Realist Beige house; Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray on the trim, gutters, fence and shutters of the Moderne White house.

Whites, grays and greiges

Light neutrals are a common starting point. Sherwin-Williams lists Alabaster as a crisp white and Repose Gray as a sophisticated, versatile gray, with Accessible Beige as the greige in between. For more, see white exterior paint colors, gray house exterior ideas and tan house exterior colors.

Blues and greens

Bob Vila's gray-and-blue scheme uses a gray body and a more saturated shade on the shutters and door, a quick way to add color without painting the whole wall. brick&batten shows Benjamin Moore Mohegan Sage on modern cabin, Craftsman and Victorian homes, and Bob Vila shows an olive two-tone on a Craftsman house. Browse blue house exterior ideas and green exterior paint colors.

Dark colors, brick and black trim

Deep navy, charcoal and black are used on the body, on the trim or on both. brick&batten shows Iron Ore on the trim and siding of a red brick house, and Black Beauty trim on a beige stucco house. Dark paint on a vinyl house needs extra care, so see can you paint vinyl siding before going darker. For brick, see red brick house exterior colors.

Match the roof, then the trim and door

Sherwin-Williams says to consider the roof, stone accents, landscaping and local climate, and to check undertones so the palette stays harmonious. Start with what you cannot change, the roof and any brick or stone, then pick the body, trim and door. If you have a black roof, see exterior house colors with a black roof. For the finishing pieces, see exterior trim colors, front door colors, shutter colors and exterior paint color combinations.

How to try a scheme on your house

Photograph the front in daylight, straight on, with the whole roofline and the door in the frame.
Upload it in the tool at the top of this page, or open the exterior designer, and describe the body, trim and door colors you want.
Say what stays, such as the roof, brick, walkway and lawn, as the prompts below do.
Compare two or three schemes, then buy sample pots and view them on the wall at different times of day, as Sherwin-Williams advises.

Two examples, and what the AI changed

The examples were run directly on an image model, not through the tool above, so your results will look different. We ran each request once and show that run. The live tool may use a different model and settings from the ones we used (we used 4 processing steps), so a render from the tool may look rougher or different. The colors are the model's reading of plain color words and not matches to the paints named above.

Beige to gray with blue-gray shutters. Example 1 changes the siding, shutters and door and keeps the white trim, roof and walkway. The door came out a greener blue than asked.
White to sage with cream trim. Example 2 changes the siding, trim, columns and door and keeps the roof, porch and lawn.

The exact prompts behind the examples

These are the edit prompts, word for word. Change the color words and the list of what stays to suit your house.

Prompt 1: gray siding with blue-gray shutters and door

Repaint the siding a soft medium gray and repaint the shutters and the front door a deeper blue-gray. Keep the white window trim, the roof, the walkway, the lawn and the camera angle exactly the same

Prompt 2: sage siding, cream trim, wood door

Repaint the siding a muted sage green, repaint the porch columns and window trim cream white, and give the front door a warm natural wood stain color. Keep the roof, the porch, the lawn, the shrubs and the camera angle exactly the same

Sources

All four pages were opened and paraphrased; none of their images or sentences are used. Paint names and codes are as shown on these pages, and a color that shows no code here had none on the page. Dates are as shown on each page.

Sherwin-Williams, "Exterior House Colors" page. Sherwin-Williams sells paint.
Bob Vila, "Best Exterior House Color Combinations" by Marie Proeller Hueston and Bob Vila, published January 6, 2023, last modified October 24, 2024.
brick&batten, best exterior house colors article (web address ends /best-exterior-house-colors-2023/), by Sarah, dated July 29, 2024 on the page. brick&batten sells exterior design services.
brick&batten, "The 12 Best Exterior Trim Paint Colors for Your Home" by Mackenzie, February 12, 2024.

Who this is for

Owners planning to repaint who want a short list of recommended colors by style, with trim and door ideas, and who want to see a direction on their own house before they buy sample pots.

More exterior color ideas

See white exterior paint colors, exterior paint color combinations, exterior house colors with a black roof, colonial exterior colors, siding colors and the exterior paint visualizer.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best exterior house colors?

There is no single best color. The pages we read keep coming back to the same families: crisp whites, grays and warm greiges, muted greens, blues from soft blue-gray to deep navy, and dark colors such as charcoal and black, usually with white or a deeper contrast on the trim. Which one is best depends on your roof, your materials, your climate and your street.

How do I choose an exterior color scheme?

Sherwin-Williams says to start with the architectural style of the home and consider the roof, stone accents, landscaping and local climate. It also says to check undertones so the palette stays harmonious, order physical samples and view them at different times of day, since lighting changes how a color looks.

What colors go with a black roof?

Sherwin-Williams says the roof should be one of the first things you consider, along with stone, landscaping and climate. See our page on exterior house colors with a black roof for ideas on the house and the trim.

What trim and door colors work with these house colors?

The sources give examples rather than rules. brick&batten shows Benjamin Moore Simply White trim and a Sherwin-Williams Caviar door with Sherwin-Williams Sashay Sand siding, and Benjamin Moore Black Beauty trim with Sherwin-Williams Realist Beige stucco. Bob Vila shows a gray body with a more saturated shade of the same family on the shutters and door, with brick and white trim.

Should I pick a bold color or a neutral one?

In our view, neutrals are the lower-risk choice and bold colors give more personality. Sherwin-Williams ties deep navy, bold black and rich warm neutrals to a luxurious look, often with classic white trim. It is a design opinion, not a rule. If you are unsure, preview both on a photo of your house.

Can I see these colors on my own house?

Yes. Upload a photo of your house in the tool at the top of this page, say what color you want for the siding, trim and door, and say what must stay the same. The picture is an idea of the look. The AI does not match a named paint exactly, so use it to compare directions and then test real samples on the wall.

Are the paint names on this page what the pictures show?

No. The names and codes in the tables come from the pages listed under Sources. The two example pictures were made by an AI model from plain color words, so their colors are only close in spirit to any paint named here.

Is this tool free, and do I need an account?

Signing up is free and gives you 1 free render. Free renders carry an AiExterior watermark. You need to sign in with an email code or your Google account before a render starts. If you want more renders or clean images, paid plans are on the pricing page.

Try it on your own house

Try colors on your house photo