Jennifer Adams, our interior design pro, shares a variety of options for exterior gray color schemes that “pop.”
Question:
We are building a new home in a cul-de-sac with many gray homes. We were planning to do a darker slate gray with white trim. However, that is the same choice made by the house going up in the next lot. What can we choose to still have the same “pop” we were hoping for? Courtyard style ranch with bonus room over garage.
Ellen
Answer
Oh! It can be hard to come up with new ideas when your neighbor took your favorite! Fortunately there are a lot of wonderful gray combinations that will look great and help distinguish your house as a little different. If you can’t change the actual window color (it’s common to have white windows), that’s OK you can add another color for the wood trim next to the windows. This will give you a three-color scheme, which adds a lot of style and interest over a two-color scheme. With any gray, black is a bold and dramatic trim color! So the siding would be your choice of medium to dark gray, with black around the windows and white windows. Or use black for some other accents, too, such as shutters, trellises or other features. Or, use a warm creamy color instead of white.
Also, consider a gray about the same darkness as what you had in mind, or a bit lighter, but a gray with undertones of brown or green to add some interest. A color that is hard to tell if it’s gray or the other color is a very beautiful look. Is it gray or navy? Gray or brown? Gray or green? You get the idea! Let me know what you end up with!
Jennifer Adams