10 Paint Colors That Change a House From Homely To Head-Turning

What if you did nothing more to a house's exterior than change three of its paint colors?  

Exterior paint schemes typically involve three or four colors: wall (also called field); trim (fascia, eaves, posts, window casing, corner boards, etc.); door (most any door can be painted, even metal doors); and accents (also doors, shutters, etc.).

Here we offer you a basic set of exterior paint schemes and themes built with Sherwin-Williams paint.

Twin Peaks Forest Cabin

A woodsy exterior scheme for the Twin Peaks in all of us.

1. Wall: SW41 Dard* Hunter Green
2. Trim: SW6390 Bosc Pear
3. Door: SW6863 Lusty Red

* Dard Hunter was a print-maker instrumental in the Arts & Crafts movement--which fits perfectly with this type of green.

What gives this paint scheme such a sugary look? Take a gander at the field--it's just plain old easy-going Casa Blanca. Buy add Rosedust (dusty rose, shall we say?), and it becomes something else entirely. Something dustier. Rosier. Sweeter.

There it is: The power of trim.

Sweet Cottage Candy

1. Wall: SW7571 Casa Blanca
2. Trim: SW0025 Rosedust
3. Door: SW6488 Grand Canal

This exterior paint scheme, ripped straight from the pages of Sherwin-Williams' Classic Exterior Colors Collection, is reminiscent of Mad Men and Fifties composed suburbia.

But for that punch-in-the-mouth Poppy Flower door, it's a calm classic. Who knows: maybe that red is necessary?

It is.

Mad Men

1. Wall: SW6199 Rare Gray
2. Trim: SW6182 Ethereal White
3. Door: SW2904 Poppy Flower

Here is a dark, quiet, sedate exterior paint color scheme featuring a rich Nautical SW7615.

Deep Nautical

1. Wall: SW7615 Nautical
2. Trim: SW2832 Colonial Revival Gray
3. Door: SW2824 Renwick Golden Oak

Got a house stuck in a shadowy spot? Need to give it some pizazz? This field color, Grandiose, is just the ticket to pull your house away from the darker background.

Vibrant Gold

1. Wall: SW6404 Grandiose
2. Trim: SW6148 Wool Skein
3. Door: SW6148 Wool Skein

Looking for strong, assertive, yet comforting and...sturdy exterior paint color schemes? Check out this Sturdy Brown field, with a nice counterpoint of fresh Sequin on the trim.

Comforting Brown

1. Wall: SW6097 Sturdy Brown
2. Trim: SW6394 Sequin
3. Door: SW6113 Interactive Cream

Some communities have shocking exterior paint color schemes, some don't. If you live in a place like New Orleans' Upper Garden District, it's almost de rigueur to have blatantly shocking and cheerful colors.

Shocking or normal, it all depends on where you live.

Shockingly Cheerful

1. Wall: SW6979 Verve Violet
2. Trim: SW6140 Moderate White
3. Door: SW6140 Moderate White

Careful with gray in exterior paint colors, unless you want to drag the whole house down. This Gauntlet Gray keeps everything cool and sophisticated.

Gray and White

1. Wall: SW7019 Gauntlet Gray
2. Trim: SW7634 Pediment
3. Door: SW6140 Moderate White

Bronze, gray, and emerald: precious stones and metals provide your house with grace and stature.

Rich Earth

1. Wall: SW6412 Eminent Bronze
2. Trim: SW6199 Rare Gray
3. Door: SW2936 Black Emerald

A low-key exterior paint color design that fits right in with the earth: Sherwin-Williams' Colonial Stones.

Classic Stone

1. Wall: SW2826 Colonial Revival Green Stone
2. Trim: SW0050 Classic Revival Light Buff
3. Door: SW2827 Colonial Revival Stone