Find Your White House's Perfect Color Scheme with Painted Shutters
If you have a white house, adding a pop of color with painted shutters can take your home's curb appeal to the next level. The right shutter colors can make your home stand out while complementing its architectural details and surroundings. From classic black to vivid red, the options are endless. Read on to learn how to find the ideal shutter color to give your white house apicture-perfect exterior.
Why Paint Your White House's Shutters?
Homeowners choose to paint their shutters for many reasons, both aesthetic and practical. Here are some of the top benefits of adding color to your white house with painted shutters:
- Improve Curb Appeal: Painting your exterior shutters allows you to add personality, character and visual interest to your home's street view. The right colors can make your house more welcoming and attractive to passersby.
- Affordable Update: Applying a fresh coat of exterior paint to your shutters is an easy and budget-friendly way to update the look of your home's facade without taking on a major renovation project.
- Protect Wood Features: Paint provides a protective barrier against weathering and damage over time for your shutters and window frames.
- Stand Out: Painted shutters in an eye-catching shade make your white house pop on the block. You can create a focal point that makes your home exterior hard to miss.
Keep reading to learn about popular color options and factors to help you settle on the perfect shade for your home's new look.
Most Popular Shutter Colors for White Houses
Over the years, certain shutter colors have emerged as tried-and-true choices that just work well against crisp white house exteriors. Here are some of today's most popular shades.
Black
Few colors make a bolder statement than black. This dramatic hue packs plenty of classic contrast against a bright white background. Black window shutters also give your home a stately, almost elegant look. This versatile neutral pairs well with homes of varying architectural styles fromColonial to Craftsman.
Shades of Blue
Different hues of blue offer endless versatility, suiting traditional and modern home designs alike. Softer tones like a weathered blue-gray or light periwinkle give off soothing, relaxed vibes. Bolder navy blue makes a confident stylish choice for those seeking something striking. Try Loyal Blue or Providence Blue for a timeless nautical New England-inspired aesthetic.
Earth Tones
Natural brown and green exterior shutter colors complement classic white housesbeautifully. Sophisticated brown adds a subtle yet noticeable pop of color. Green offers an earthy look and feels especially fitting for homes situated amongst lush trees and landscaping. Try lighter nature-inspired hues like mossy green or deeper emerald tones depending on your style.
Vivid Colors
For the adventurous homeowner, vivid shutter colors like cherry red, sunshine yellow and even eggplant purple inject serious personality into your exterior design. These bold hues make a dramatic statement and are sure to get your home noticed. Just take care not to go overboard with too many loud colors in one palette.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Shutter Colors
With endless paint options at your fingertips, deciding on just one hue can prove tricky. Keep these considerations in mind as you evaluate colors for your home's new shutters:
Architectural House Style
Aim to select a shade that fits the existing look and era of your house. For example, Craftsman style homes look best with darker earth tone shutters in shades of brown, green, red or black. On a white colonial, classic blue, black or white shutters suit the traditional architecture. Modern farmhouses beg for light airy colors like cloud blue, sage green or dusk pink.
Color Scheme with Other Exterior Elements
When painting your shutters, you'll want to think about how the color you choose fits into your home's existing exterior color palette. What color is the roof, siding, front door and exterior trim? Led by your personal preference, you can opt to match, complement or contrast these elements through your shutter color selection.
For example, white houses with black trim and roofs are perfectly primed for black shutters. Red brick exteriors tend to pop well against forest green shutters. You can even create an eye-catching monochromatic look by choosing light blue shutters for a home with navy siding.
Surrounding Environment
Take note of your home's environment as well when evaluating shutter paint colors. Hues that blend into lush rural and woodsy surroundings likely differ from colors suiting suburban neighborhood homes. White houses near the ocean or water look fitting with moisture-resistant navy or light blue shutters in a nautical theme.
Personal Style
At the end of the day, choose shutter colors that speak to your personality and design aesthetic. Do you prefer bold, daring color choices or more subtle neutral tones? If your personal style leans playful and cheery, bright yellow or cherry red shutters might be fitting. For a cool modern look, grayish purples and deeper green shades create an edgy feel.
Trying Shutter Color Samples
The best way to predict how a paint color actually looks against your home's exterior is to try test swatches. Here's how to sample shutter colors:
- Buy samples pots of 3-4 potential paint colors.
- Paint roughly 3x3 inch swatches of each shade on your existing shutters.
- View the swatches at different times of day and in various lightings to see how the tones interact with your home.
- Check how they coordinate with nearby exterior elements like the trim and brick.
Once you've determined your favorite test swatch after living with the samples for a few days, you can confidently proceed with painting all window shutters in your chosen hue.
Hiring a Color Consultant
Struggling to decide what color suits your white house best? Consider hiring an experienced color consultant. Their expertise can help guide your shutter shade selection. Ask prospective consultants about the specifics below before booking:
Benefits
- Saves Homeowners Time: Eliminate the hassle of testing colors yourself and benefit from their knowledge instead.
- Provides Objective Expertise: Receive unbiased guidance versus trying to make a design decision on your own.
- Regional Experience: They'll know what works well locally from assessing area homes.
What to Ask
- Credentials: Find out about their design background and color training credentials.
- Portfolio: Request examples of local home exteriors they've previously colored.
- Process: Ask what their color selection process entails.
- Pricing: Compare rates to determine if services fit your budget.
Paint Finish Options
Once you've selected the perfect shutter color, next decide whether you want a stained or painted look for your exterior shutters with these considerations:
Solid Stain vs Semi-Transparent Stain
- Solid Stain: Opaque, fresh painted look allowing wood texture to show through.
- Semi-Transparent Stain : Allows more wood grain to shine through for a more natural, stained finish.
Sheens
- Gloss: Super shiny and reflective surface.
- Satin: Subtle sheen, resists moisture and easy to clean.
- Matte: Flat, velvety finish without any shine.
Invest in quality exterior paints and finishes formulated to withstand weathering to get the most durability from your shutters. Here are some maintenance tips:
- Inspect routinely for faded spots and touch up paint as needed.
- Follow manufacturer instructions for preparing and cleaning surfaces prior to painting.
- Prime first before painting for enhanced protection.
Choosing the perfect shutter colors for your white house ultimately comes down to aligning your personal taste with the home's existing architecture and surroundings. Now armed with knowledge on factors impacting color selection and popular palette ideas, you're ready to confidently settle on a shade to give your home exterior a fresh updated look that dazzles.