Colonial House Exterior Colors: Try White, Navy or Green Shutters

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A colonial front is symmetrical, so the body, shutter and door colors carry the whole look. Upload a photo of your house below to try a body color or a new shutter and door pairing, then see what a published guide suggests and three before and after examples.

Shutter colors

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 generic stand-in of a two-story colonial house with pale yellow clapboard siding, black shutters, white trim, a red front door under a white portico and a dark gray roof — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the pale yellow siding is now a crisp, slightly cool white, which gives the classic white body with black shutters the guide calls traditional. The black shutters, the red front door, the white trim, the portico, the roof, the chimney and the brick walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the grass was redrawn.

The same colonial with crisp white siding; black shutters, red door, portico and roof kept — Example 1 (prompt 1 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the pale yellow siding is now a crisp, slightly cool white, which gives the classic white body with black shutters the guide calls traditional. The black shutters, the red front door, the white trim, the portico, the roof, the chimney and the brick walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the grass was redrawn.

AI-drawn generic stand-in of a two-story colonial house with white clapboard siding, black shutters, a black front door under a white portico and a dark gray roof — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the black shutters on every window and the front door are now green, a bright, saturated green rather than the deep forest green we asked for. The white siding, the white trim, the portico, the roof and the brick walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the grass was redrawn.

The same colonial with green shutters and a green front door; white siding, trim and roof kept — Example 2 (prompt 2 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the black shutters on every window and the front door are now green, a bright, saturated green rather than the deep forest green we asked for. The white siding, the white trim, the portico, the roof and the brick walkway stayed in place. Unrequested change: the grass was redrawn.

AI-drawn generic stand-in of a two-story colonial house with light gray clapboard siding, white shutters, a white front door under a white portico and a dark gray roof — Example 3 (prompt 3 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the light gray siding is now a deep navy. The white shutters, the white trim, the white front door, the portico and the roof stayed in place. Unrequested change: the grass was redrawn. This is much darker than the dusty blue in the guide's blue palette, and the guide says darker colors can overwhelm a large house.

The same colonial with deep navy siding; white shutters, trim, door and roof kept — Example 3 (prompt 3 below; the before is an AI-drawn generic stand-in house, not a real photo): the light gray siding is now a deep navy. The white shutters, the white trim, the white front door, the portico and the roof stayed in place. Unrequested change: the grass was redrawn. This is much darker than the dusty blue in the guide's blue palette, and the guide says darker colors can overwhelm a large house.

What the AI can and cannot do

It can repaint the siding, shutters or front door in your photo and leave the rest of the house as it is, so you can see a color on your own colonial.

It cannot match a paint brand's color or show how it will read in your light. As the captions say, the result can come out brighter or darker than the words in the prompt, and the grass is redrawn. Treat each result as a direction to test with a real paint sample.

What one published guide suggests for a colonial house

This page leans on a single published piece: This Old House, "11 Paint Color Ideas for Colonial Revival Houses" by Amy R. Hughes (shown as updated 06/05/2026). It is a design opinion, not a rule. It names paint products for every palette; we left those out and kept the color and placement ideas.

Part you can repaint	What the guide says
Body	The guide treats classic white with black shutters as the traditional scheme but lists many others: a light gray, a muted green, a dusty blue, a stormy gray, a khaki, a creamy parchment, a light-to-medium earth tone, and a deep gray it says suits a restored cottage.
Shutters	Black is the classic. The guide also shows chocolate brown, a blue-green, a red and a dark tone, and says matching the door and shutter colors gives a balanced, symmetrical look.
Front door	A red is the traditional accent, and the guide says blue or yellow also work. Other doors in its palettes are brick-red, burnt orange, rust, a brown, and a stained walnut wood door. A single accent color on door and shutters emphasizes a symmetrical facade.
Trim	A creamy white keeps an earthy palette from getting too dark. Other palettes use cream, antique white and white.

Other points from the guide:

Three parts. The guide suggests thinking of the house as body (siding), trim (window and door casings, fascias) and movable elements (windows, doors, shutters).
Scale matters. Darker colors can add presence to small and medium homes, but may overwhelm a large one.
Vary the intensity. Using different color intensities across the architectural elements helps each feature stand out.
Two-tone bodies. In its two-tone palette, a darker lower section usually anchors the house, though equal intensities can also work.
The roof. Some palettes are described as pairing with a slate-gray or muted gray roof, and one light gray body as complementing the roof shingles.

Where this page sits among the color pages

This page is about whole-house color on a symmetrical colonial front. If you are weighing a white body with black trim in particular, see white house with black trim. For shutters and doors on their own, see shutter colors and front door colors.

Three colonial changes to try

The examples were run directly on an image model, not through the tool above, so your results will look different. In each prompt the roof, trim and portico are told to stay as they are.

Yellow body to white. Example 1 turns a pale yellow body white and keeps the black shutters and red door.
Black shutters and door to green. Example 2 keeps the white body and swaps the black shutters and door for a green. It came out brighter than we asked.
Gray body to navy. Example 3 puts a deep navy on a gray body and keeps the white shutters and door.

How to try it on your house

Photograph the front in daylight, straight on, from far enough back that the whole facade fits in the frame.
Upload it in the tool at the top of this page, or open the exterior designer, and name the part to repaint and the new color.
Say what stays. List the roof, trim, portico or shutters to keep, as the prompts below do.
Check the whole image. Look at the roof, the trim and the grass, and run it again if something changed that you did not ask for.

The exact prompts behind the examples

These are the edit prompts used for the three examples, word for word. Change the colors and the list of what stays to suit your house.

Prompt 1: pale yellow siding to crisp white

Change ONLY the wall siding color: repaint the pale yellow clapboard siding on every wall a crisp white. Keep the black shutters, the white window trim, the red front door, the portico, the roof, the lawn, the walkway, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.

Prompt 2: black shutters and door to forest green

Change ONLY the shutters and the front door: repaint the black shutters on every window and the black front door a deep forest green. Keep the white clapboard siding exactly as it is, plus the white trim, the portico, the roof, the lawn, the walkway, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.

Prompt 3: light gray siding to deep navy

Change ONLY the wall siding color: repaint the light gray clapboard siding on every wall a deep navy blue. Keep the white shutters, the white window trim, the white front door, the portico, the roof, the lawn, the walkway, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.

Before you paint

Test real samples next to the roof, in daylight and at different times of day.
Check your HOA, town or historic district. Some limit exterior colors.
Plan the shutters and door. See shutter colors, front door colors and exterior trim colors.

Who this is for

Homeowners and buyers with a colonial or colonial revival house who want to see a body, shutter or door color on their own photo before buying paint.

More exterior color ideas

See white house with black trim, shutter colors, front door colors, siding colors, exterior trim colors and the exterior paint visualizer.

Frequently asked questions

What color shutters go with a colonial house?

This Old House calls black shutters the traditional choice on white, and also shows chocolate brown, blue-green and other shutter colors in its palettes. It says matching door and shutter colors gives a balanced look. Example 2 above paints black shutters and the door green.

What color front door goes with a colonial?

The guide treats a red door as the traditional accent, and says blue or yellow also work. Its other palettes use brick-red, burnt orange, rust, brown and stained walnut. Example 1 above keeps a red door on a white body.

Does a colonial have to be white with black shutters?

No. The guide says that is the traditional scheme but lists many alternatives, from muted green and dusty blue to stormy gray and khaki. Example 3 above tries a navy body with white shutters.

Can a dark body color work on a colonial?

The guide says darker colors can add presence to small and medium homes but may overwhelm a large one. Example 3 above uses a deep navy on a medium-large house so you can judge it.

What trim color goes with a colonial house?

The guide pairs a creamy white trim with earthy palettes so they do not get too dark, and uses white, cream or antique white elsewhere. All three examples above keep white trim.

Can I try colors on my own photo with the roof kept?

Yes. Upload a photo of the front of your house in the tool at the top of this page, name the part to repaint and tell the AI to keep the roof, trim and portico, like the prompts below. In our three examples the roof stayed the same, but the grass was redrawn each time.

Will the colors come out exactly as I ask?

Not exactly. Our deep forest green came out a bright green and our crisp white came out slightly cool. Use the render to compare directions, then test real paint samples on your wall, in the light at different times of day.

Is this tool free?

Signing up is free and gives you 5 credits, which is enough for 2 renders in most countries. Free renders carry an AiExterior watermark. If you want more renders or clean images, paid plans are available on the pricing page.

Do I need an account?

Yes. You need to sign in before a render starts, with an email code or your Google account.

Try it on your own house

Upload your house photo

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