Choosing a Color Scheme for a Colonial Home

by Kate Smith, Color Expert and Trends Forecaster

Colonial-style homes are easily distinguished by their prominent entranceway that stands in the middle of the home and creates a very symmetrical design. Historically, the colors used were neutral, generally a combination of black, white or gray. There’s been a movement away from these dispassionate colors with more color slowly being added. Now you will find Colonial homes with brightly colored front doors that make an impressive statement.

Front Door Color

Since the front door is a main focal point for a Colonial-style home it’s important to carefully consider color options. The exciting part about choosing the door color is that it can say a lot about a homeowner’s personality.

For example, red stands out and means the owner wants to be noticed and isn’t afraid of attracting attention. On the other hand, a black door is very traditional and speaks to someone who is conservative and would rather blend in with others.

A blue door has a more relaxed and inviting feel that evokes a sense of calm. This goes hand in hand with someone who attracts others and has a very "go with the flow" personality.

You don’t often see a purple-colored door—which makes sense since purple is associated with people who like to take big risks. As it’s not a common choice, purple can also describe those who are of a more free-spirited nature.

Some other color options include yellow to describe a leader of the pack, green for a person who relates to nature and cares about the community feel, and white which describes owners who are neat and tidy.

Choosing a Color Scheme

While the front door color is important, it’s not the place you should begin. The best way to go through the decision-making process in developing a color scheme is by starting with the roof.

Three common roofing color choices for a Colonial-style home are seen in DaVinci Roofscapes Slate Black, Smokey Gray Slate, and Autumn Blend Shake. These replicate two roofing materials that are quite different and as such give a very different feel to the home. The slate options create a stately feeling whereas the Autumn Blend Shake reflects a warm, natural cedar tone.

After deciding on a roof option, consider other aspects of the home exterior that cannot be easily changed, such as window frames and grids. If they’re white or off-white, then it doesn’t matter too much because they will blend in with any colors selected. However, sometimes these home details can be pine green, red or brown, and that will make a difference.

You may also have partial brick or stone to think about on the exterior. Depending on the colors of the elements that won't be changing, you have either two or three different colors in place. Keeping in mind what you are working with overall, the next step is to decide on the main color for the home.

As an example, if you have a synthetic shake roof in Autumn Blend, and Pine Green window grids but want to use blue somewhere, I would recommend it as the front door color and suggest Colonial Revival Stone for the main exterior paint color. This neutral color blends with the cedar color on the roof while complementing the blue and allowing the window grids to stand out.

Finally, the trim and shutter color can be selected. Having the shutters a similar color to the roof helps create an even balance and still allows the front door to be the star of the show. Continuing with the previous example, I would choose to paint the shutters with Rookwood Dark Brown as it’s slightly darker than the roof but in the same tone.

When deciding on colors it’s important to make sure no locations are missed. This is especially important if you’re going with a bold front door. Sometimes places like the garage door or porch ceiling get forgotten. Make sure you triple check every aspect of the home exterior before completing your color decisions.

To finish off the home, add a couple of planters on either side of the door in complementary colors to the door exterior. This completes the elegant, classic feel of the Colonial-style home. With a simple design and clean lines, this newly painted home exterior attracts visitors and creates a welcoming feel.