Two San Gabriel houses that features lots of white trim to great effect.

Let’s start with a “rule”, you can paint your house’s exterior in two colors or three colors but not one color and not more than three. Why is that? Let’s look at the one color option – a house painted just one color with no contrasting second color is called a building. A warehouse is one color for a reason, it’s the cheapest possible option for something totally utilitarian. See if you can find a house with a single color, okay maybe something ultramodern, but in almost every case you will find two colors at a minimum. There is almost always going to be trim involved in a house and that’s what makes the second color come into play. If you add in shutters that’s where you are likely to get color number three. A fourth color only counts if you are talking about the front door being uniquely different from the house, trim, and shutters. Go beyond that limit and you might end up with some angry neighbors.

So assuming the range is either two or three, which do you go with? Well that’s up to you, on smaller houses you are safe with two, you are always safe with just two, for some added pop you can add in a third and it tends to work better on larger houses but again this isn’t carved in stone. Here are two simple examples of exterior house painting in San Gabriel CA. that couldn’t be simpler, both blue and both with basic white trim:

House #1 – Okay we are cheating here just a bit because there are two narrow black shutters on the front but this is basically a light blue house with white trim. Forget the landscaping for a second and just look at the house, it screams curb appeal, it’s quaint and charming and all that, and it’s because of the sheer volume of bright white trim on top of a light and slightly grayish-blue.

Here is house #2 – This house is strictly a two-color house and almost identical in terms of color choices. Again, ignoring any landscaping and you have another charming, cozy little home including the matching detached garage in the back and the pergola/carport.

Both of these houses work so well because there is plenty of contrast between the trim and the house color – in this case, light trim on top of a darker exterior. They really work so well though because of the sheer volume of trim. The columns, railings, pergolas, cornices, attic vents, and window framing, the total amount of trim is what makes these two houses. It’s a one-two punch of extra trim coupled with a glowing white that makes it leap off a fairly muted house color.

Now imagine the colors reversed and then how would it look? It might not have the same pop to it, using the lighter color highlights the detail in the trim where a darker color might mask it. The takeaway, at least with these two examples is this: If you have the trim flaunt it, regardless of the size of the house. Flaunting means lighting it up with a bright white over a muted tone. Would a pair of color choices like this work on your house? Go inventory your trim and see what you come up with!

If you would like a color consultation with a real pro contact us, we are happy to help and we can also provide you with a free estimate for your next painting project, just try to keep it under 5 color choices if you want to stay friends with the neighbors!