Whether you know it or not, the exterior of your home is an extension of your home’s personality and what it “says” to the neighborhood. Depending on what exterior amenities, architectural details and color you choose can help your home shine in its best light. If you have been looking at the exterior of your home and thinking it could use a facelift – adding color is one of the most affordable and eye-catching ways to make a big impact. From adding curb appeal to your exterior home, to creating a statement, finding the right exterior color can be made easier with these 10 creative tips.

1. Assess your home’s personality:
Similar to your favorite wardrobe style your home has a personality. It can be shaped by the neighborhood, your family lifestyle or the geographic location you live in. Choosing an exterior color should reflect its personality of being stately – with a refined and subdued color palette or it can be young and hip with trendy colors that are out of the box. Determine how you want your home to feel and look and let it guide’s its color personality.

2. Take color cues from your home’s architecture:
The beauty of architectural elements are the ability to use character, details, texture and colors to showcase an era of your home that is unique to your home and neighborhood. If your home is an old world Tuscan or Mediterranean inspired villa – weathered whites, terra cotta oranges and sun-kissed brown details are ideal for barrel tile roof and trim details.

3. Use nature as backdrop for color selections 
The surroundings of your home can impact your exterior color selection in a beautiful way! Beach homes, mountain homes and tropical inspired homes have nature to draw inspiration from. Use colors found around your home – beach homes can take cues from the sand, water and sky with beautiful pale shades of white, tan, blues, and pale green and yellows.

4. Recreate an exterior from past vacation memories
For many homeowners drawing color inspiration from travel can inspire exterior colors that are creative and unique. If your trip to a tropical getaway was fun, why not use these colors at your native home? Many island homes use bright and whimsical colors such as turquoise, peach, sunny yellow, coral, and lavender for their exterior homes. While you may love them in small amounts, remember ultimately your home should still look great amongst neighboring homes.

5. Use historical character for exterior color ideas
If you live in a historic Victorian home or in a aged Tudor style home, you know that keeping true to the historical character of your home’s original colors is essential. While your home may be hundreds of years old you may not be able to know off-hand what colors where native to your home and surrounding homes. If your city has a Chamber of Commerce or historical architectural organization you may be able to research exterior colors for your neighborhood. Also look to paint manufacturers that feature historical color palettes that are pre-selected. This can take the guesswork out of choosing the right exterior house colors from generations in the past.

 6. Let your choice of exterior color help guide your color options

Exterior cladding or the material you use on the exterior of you home can take much of the guesswork out of choosing exterior colors. Brick, siding, stucco/plaster and concrete all have unique qualities for each type of material. Choose a material that represents your style and works well with the climate of your home. You will be surprised that brick can come in colors as light as whitish yellow all the way to the darkest of charcoal gray! Find a material you love and then look at the color options based on the finish you are looking for.

7. Landscape color can enhance your exterior house colors
Similarly to architectural trim and details the landscaping around your home can enhance your home’s color selection. Curb appeal is essential and to make a great impression coordinating bright flowers with a more subdued color palette on your home can be ideal or vice versa. If you have gorgeous vistas and plenty of beautiful foliage decide how you can play up the red brick or hunter green siding on your exterior home. If you’re not sure what colors to choose for landscaping, take pictures of your outdoor home with you to your local nursery and ask a garden expert for advice!

8. Exterior house colors should use architectural details for impact
While you may only think of the field color or the majority of the exterior walls as the color of choice, remember the smaller details of the home can be the crowing glory when it comes to color selection. Window and door trim, roof and eave colors, gutter and downspouts can be painted or gorgeous copper gutters have a beautiful patina as well. Decide if you want a high-contrast to your home’s trim and accent colors or if you prefer a more unified color approach. Either way, don’t overlook the simplicity yet effectiveness in choosing exterior trim detail colors.

9. Choose exterior colors that are appealing at all times
While you may not realize it, your exterior home is viewed in the daytime but also when the sun is setting and in the evening hours. Therefore, choosing a color that is camouflaged amongst your surrounding landscaping may not be a wise choice. Many mountain homes that lie amongst evergreen trees try to stay away from all-green exterior colors to make their home stand out amongst the background. Natural wood siding that is stained is common amongst mountain homes to give a rustic yet still defined exterior appearance.

10. Blend in with your neighbors
Your neighborhood most likely has a color scheme influence already set in place. Whether you are a new neighborhood that a developer has created or you have an older home – walk around your neighborhood and assess existing homes. Look to see if your neighbors have coordinating styles or if they are all custom colors that don’t harmonize. The key to choosing exterior house colors is to be unique in your selections but still blend in beautifully with neighboring homes.

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If you love the reemergence of Art Deco interiors into your home, you are not alone! Art Deco style is the visual and influential arts & design movement which first emerged in France after World War I. It features touches of French, Egyptian & Mediterranean culture with geometric patterns and often vibrant colors. From the exterior of your home to the interior – you will be surprised how easy it is to bring this retro look from the 1930’s -1940’sstyle into your home. Here are 10 hot trends for adding Art Deco style into your interiors.

1. Start off with bold geometric design:

The Art Deco movement had a strong tie to bold geometric shapes and designs. To bring the flair into your home, start off with bold wallpaper that has a strong geometric appeal. Rectilinear and curvilinear forms that instantly catch the eye are iconic for the Art Deco style era and will make your room come alive instantly.

2. Bringing the lifestyle of Art Deco movement into your home
By the 1930’s travel was becoming popular and tourism started to boom. African safaris were popular and animal prints, exotic finishes such as pearl and tortoiseshell started to show itself in home decor. The bold use of materials in glass, shiny fabrics, metallic paints and mirrors will complete the Art Deco look in your home.

3. Displaying artwork and sculptures in your Art Deco interiors
Just as the name suggests – the arts and entertainment world showcased their talents during the 30’s and 40’s and home decor mimicked the trend. Bold oil paintings, sculptural table lamps, ornate bedroom furniture and finely detailed furniture was commonplace. Bring these elements into your room for instant Art Deco appeal.

4. Egyptian influences make every room feel regal 
When travel became commonplace the influence from Africa and especially Egypt was great. After the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb the influence of pyramids, hieroglyphics type symbols and sphinxes were added to many design elements in the home. Use these symbols in your furniture, textiles and when choosing wallpaper and artwork for an Egyptian-inspired Art Deco style.

5.  Bold colors in your Art Deco finishes 
The term “bold” is an understatement for many of the high-contrast color palettes iconic of the Art Deco area and using them in your finishes can bring on the art revival vibe in your home instantly. Bathroom and kitchen tile in monochromatic black, white combinations or with pops of red, and deep browns were gorgeous in this era. To bring the look to your home choose ceramic or porcelain tile that has a high gloss in contrasting colors. Beautiful mirrors and mirrored finishes will complete the look!

6.  Cosmopolitan Art Deco touches add drama
In the grand fashion of art imitating life the Art Deco movement was all about adding visual drama and bringing it into a cosmopolitan lifestyle. Furniture had distinct lines and was adorned with bold fabrics with zigzags, stripes, chevrons and just plain textiles would accompany silky fabrics that exuded drama, similar to the Hollywood Regency style.

7. Neutral finishes in your Art Deco interiors
An essential part of the Art Deco style was evoking drama and grandeur of the silver screen of movies and entertainment into your home. Early Hollywood used neutral color palettes but combined them with shiny fabrics, lighting that was subdued and an abundance of lavish and soft material that were luxurious for the eye and the touch. Hang fabric behind your master bedroom bed to bring out the Art Deco style of neutrals.

8. Bring out Art Deco styling from the metropolitan cities you love 
Although the Art Deco style started in Europe, the United States had a strong movement in architecture, interior design, and lifestyle during the 30’s and 40’s. Pastel colored buildings in Miami, Florida made the iconic “South Beach” the popular architecture style for Art Deco styled buildings.  New York and Chicago boasted highly stylized skyscrapers that featured industrial motifs of airplanes, cars, and cruise liners were very influential. Bring this look to your home by adding ornate geometries to your exterior home for an Art Deco style before you open the front door.

9. Modern renovations with Art Deco additions 
There is a strong movement in interior design and architecture to revive older homes back to their original charm or to make new construction appear dated and retro. Kitchen renovations that want to use modern materials such as curved Corian countertops to evoke the “artsy” appeal of the Art Deco era and brink in simple mixes of modern flooring and retro style lighting fixtures is a great look.

10.  Living the Art Deco lifestyle isn’t just for the elite
While the influences of design in decor, fashion, and architecture had a glitz and glam appeal, the ability for mass production in the 1930’s brought about a sense that anyone could achieve the Art Deco look.  Just like your interiors, the Art Deco style is for anyone who wants to bring the roaring appeal for arts and emergence of discovery and bold lifestyle choices into their interiors.

architectday readers we would love to know what Art Deco elements you love!