How to Choose Exterior Colours for a Show-Stopping Australian Home
We hate to judge a book by a cover, but when it comes to your home, a strong opening statement really does set the tone
The interior of your house might be the stuff of dreams, but who’d ever know if your exterior isn’t inviting? Painting your home is a huge commitment – and not just in financial terms. But get it right and you can sit back and revel in your good taste for decades to come. The perfect paint job can add tens of thousands to your home’s value, but it takes some solid planning to ensure you make the right colour choices. Here’s what you’ll need to consider to ensure your home turns heads for all the right reasons – whether you’re in Longreach, Launceston or somewhere in between.
Test colours in different lights
You may have settled on the perfect colour combination for your exterior a long time ago. All you need to do is start painting, right? Wrong. Those paint colour charts available at hardware shops can be deceiving. I know from experience – that lovely blue shade I selected for our lounge room looked like something more suited to a kindergarten by the time we’d applied a couple of coats to our walls. Experts say that when it comes to exteriors, the paint you’ve chosen can look up to four shades lighter in the harsh daylight glare. Test out your chosen colours on a large sample area and judge how it looks throughout the day – the crisp morning light is very different to the golden light of the late afternoon.
Step inside this renovation
You may have settled on the perfect colour combination for your exterior a long time ago. All you need to do is start painting, right? Wrong. Those paint colour charts available at hardware shops can be deceiving. I know from experience – that lovely blue shade I selected for our lounge room looked like something more suited to a kindergarten by the time we’d applied a couple of coats to our walls. Experts say that when it comes to exteriors, the paint you’ve chosen can look up to four shades lighter in the harsh daylight glare. Test out your chosen colours on a large sample area and judge how it looks throughout the day – the crisp morning light is very different to the golden light of the late afternoon.
Step inside this renovation
Hide any ugliness in plain sight
Every home has areas you don’t want to draw attention to. It might be the downpipes, an unsightly electricity box, or the area you store your garbage bins. The key to disguising these areas is to paint them in your primary external colour, rather than in an accent tone. After all, you want them to blend in. The downpipes on this Adelaide beauty are all but invisible.
Every home has areas you don’t want to draw attention to. It might be the downpipes, an unsightly electricity box, or the area you store your garbage bins. The key to disguising these areas is to paint them in your primary external colour, rather than in an accent tone. After all, you want them to blend in. The downpipes on this Adelaide beauty are all but invisible.
Borrow ideas from favourite streetscapes
Don’t be afraid to take an amble around your neighbourhood – or a suburb you admire – to gather inspiration. Consider whether you want your house to blend in with its neighbours, or stand out from the crowd. Older-style homes, such as this one in Brisbane, tend to look their most elegant when you stick with just two or three key colours – including a base tone and an accent colour for window frames and eaves. Get it right and perhaps you’ll soon be the one inspiring future renovators!
Don’t be afraid to take an amble around your neighbourhood – or a suburb you admire – to gather inspiration. Consider whether you want your house to blend in with its neighbours, or stand out from the crowd. Older-style homes, such as this one in Brisbane, tend to look their most elegant when you stick with just two or three key colours – including a base tone and an accent colour for window frames and eaves. Get it right and perhaps you’ll soon be the one inspiring future renovators!
Size up your options
Keen to convey a message about the size of your home? Lighter colours tend to suggest expansiveness, while darker colours can help diminish an overly grandiose house. A lesson in understated sophistication, this exterior in Sydney’s Balmain uses simple neutral tones enlivened by rich textures, with moveable wooden shutters, stone fencing and smooth rendering.
Keen to convey a message about the size of your home? Lighter colours tend to suggest expansiveness, while darker colours can help diminish an overly grandiose house. A lesson in understated sophistication, this exterior in Sydney’s Balmain uses simple neutral tones enlivened by rich textures, with moveable wooden shutters, stone fencing and smooth rendering.
Check with the experts
So you’ve decided you want your home to stand out from the crowd. Before you take a leap of faith, it might pay to get a second opinion. Colour consultants are available independently or through paint shops, and can offer a wealth of advice, usually for just a small fee. They know, for example, that the way colours really look can vary according to their surrounds. They can also tell you that taking a gamble, like these Melbourne homeowners did with aqua, sand and silver tones, can lead to huge stylistic payoffs.
See more of this home
So you’ve decided you want your home to stand out from the crowd. Before you take a leap of faith, it might pay to get a second opinion. Colour consultants are available independently or through paint shops, and can offer a wealth of advice, usually for just a small fee. They know, for example, that the way colours really look can vary according to their surrounds. They can also tell you that taking a gamble, like these Melbourne homeowners did with aqua, sand and silver tones, can lead to huge stylistic payoffs.
See more of this home
Add texture to your arsenal
When it comes to exterior appeal, don’t forget to look beyond colour. Texture can be used with striking effect, as this contemporary Sydney home shows.
TELL US
How did you go about choosing a colour scheme for your house? Are you happy with it? Let us know in the comments section below.
MORE IDEABOOKS
Roots of Style: How Did Your Australian Home Get Its Look?
5 City Terrace Houses That Surprise: Inside and Out
The Best Paints and Colours Under the Australian Sun
When it comes to exterior appeal, don’t forget to look beyond colour. Texture can be used with striking effect, as this contemporary Sydney home shows.
TELL US
How did you go about choosing a colour scheme for your house? Are you happy with it? Let us know in the comments section below.
MORE IDEABOOKS
Roots of Style: How Did Your Australian Home Get Its Look?
5 City Terrace Houses That Surprise: Inside and Out
The Best Paints and Colours Under the Australian Sun
The colours you choose for your exterior create an important illusion. That’s why Queensland homeowners tend to steer clear of dramatically dark exteriors, and why chilly Victorians can get away with warmer colour schemes. Dark colours tend to create a feeling of warmth, while whites and neutrals generate a cool, airy feel. Decide what impression you want to portray before settling on your palette. This beachside Perth abode is the perfect colour to cool down those high summer temps.
See more of this house