Contrary to popular belief, not all homes are beige, brick red, or grey.
Nowadays, it seems like there are more colorful houses popping up than ever. Perhaps it’s because people are more likely to go their own way these days, or maybe it’s due to the extreme popularity of these brightly colored dwellings on sites like Instagram, and Pinterest.
With the growing popularity of candy-colored homes, we decided to dig in and address the trend.
What would beach towns look like without rows of citrusy townhomes? How bland would Santorini be without those famous bright blue roofs? And how about sunny Mexico, where color is practically hardwired into the culture?
You don’t have to live in a colorific town to have a colorful house. You just have to consider a few things before you commit to color.
Red is only for farmhouses
While red certainly is a bright, striking color, it’s also a classic when it comes to exteriors. Frank Lloyd Wright himself was a huge fan of red paint.
When most people think of a red house, they immediately picture a pastoral scene — if you’ve got a red house, you’re probably a farmer or something, right? Wrong. Red looks just as good on a variety of architectural styles.
Green is only good in small doses
As with most things, it depends. Tennis ball green is best reserved for tiny touches here and there, and avocado green might never recover from the reputation it got in the seventies, but hunter, kelly, and apple green?
Green symbolizes life, nature, and good luck. How can you go wrong with that?
Yellow’s ok
When people think “crazy colorful house”, they usually don’t include yellow. With some architectural styles, yellow is almost considered a neutral. That doesn’t mean you should go slapping on the saffron just yet, though. Unfortunately, if you’re planning on selling soon, you might want to back away from yellow altogether.
If you want to stay in your home for a long time, have at it. Yellow is cheery, energetic, and attention-grabbing.
Pink Houses
That’s a John Cougar Mellencamp song.
We’ll be honest, we have no idea what that song is about. What we do know is that pink houses are charming, whimsical, and a little bit retro.
Pink looks as good in Palm Springs as it does in the American South. So if you’re dreaming of a pink home and you don’t mind the slight Barbie vibe that comes with all things pink, channel your inner Audrey Hepburn and say it with us: we believe in pink.
Purple is fussy
First of all, old ladies are awesome and anyone who disagrees is sentenced to watching 20 episodes of The Golden Girls.
Second, not all purple looks fussy. This regal hue can look modern and stately, and it’s almost always certain to stand out! This color is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re into it, we say make like Prince and go for the purple.
There’s only one way to do blue
Remember the late 80s when farmhouse-chic was a thing? We’re referring to the ducks and chickens on everything era. Back then, dusty blue was all the rage, and when you think of a blue house, that’s probably what you imagine.
Dust off your imagination. There are so many ways to do blue now it’s not even funny. From teal and turquoise to ultramarine and navy, when it comes to blue, the sky’s the limit.
Black houses look evil
Black does have a reputation as a very spooky color, but that doesn’t extend to houses. Black houses look neat and chic. Black stands out in a good way.
And while we’re debating black, just remember, the Addams family’s house was creepy and spooky and the exterior paint was all neutrals. So take that, beige.
There’s no wrong way to use color
There are some houses out there that do make you wonder, “Just how much does this person hate their neighbors?”
Color is great, but if you want to be this bold, you’ve also got to be judicious. House paint usually lasts eight years or more, so ask yourself, “Do I really want to see this every day for the next decade?
Yes and no
While it’s certainly hot to have an Instagram-worthy exterior these days, colorful houses have been around for ages.
While some folks will grow tired of their picturesque houses, others will keep their vivid homes for ages… or even pass them down to their kids.
Colorful homes are here to stay.