Are you tired of those cookie-cutter exterior paint color schemes you see in the paint brochures at the store? Not very exciting, are they?
Don’t settle for the mundane. Do what you do inside. Identify a favorite color. Let’s say it’s violet. (I know what you are thinking, “I can’t paint my house violet.” Sure you can). Even an atypical color choice can look amazing as long as you choose the right shade with appropriate accompanying colors.
The good news is that today’s exterior palettes include every hue on the color wheel. One of my favorite violet house body colors is California Historic Paints of America’s “Muted Mulberry”. It looks wonderful paired with a yellow/white trim, such as Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White, which compliments the violet both in hue and in warmth.
Play around with the door color. For something dramatic, try burgundy red. For a classic elegance, use a deep forest black/green. This works nicely on shutters too. If your preferred paint color is an interior color, ask your paint dealer to mix it up for you using an exterior paint. Be sure that it is toned down.
No more feeling humdrum about your homes’ curb appeal. Now you are truly making a personal statement about your home! 
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I just loved this 1947 Post magazine cover.
Not much has changed in the last 60 years!
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18th Nov. '07 ·
Kitchens
·
Tags: color-trends, kitchen
Authored by Kate Smith
In Kitchen & Bath Design News there is an article on the trends for kitchen counters. Here’s what they had to say about colors…
So, what’s the latest buzz on counter color trends?
While there are always designers and homeowners looking for the latest color trends when choosing countertops, neutral colors and earth tones are currently the most popular choices, albeit with tone-on tone variations, stone-like particulates and other textural elements that take neutrals from boring and blah to wow.
Not surprisingly, nature-inspired designs and colors remain a key trend.
Indeed, “Countertop surfaces that impart the complexity found in nature are extremely popular right now,” says McGeehan. She adds, “Consumers are using their home environments as vehicles of self-expression, and are particularly drawn to materials that lend warmth, personality and character to a room and reflect natural movement and colorations.”
New Colors in Dupont’s Corian Line
According to Mandell, “Color trends in countertop materials haven’t changed radically in recent years.” Instead, earth tones and shades of white have been jazzed up to give them more textural appeal. Of course in some markets, bright colors and patterns with showy metallic accents or even embedded precious stones are turning up as a way to personalize the space. But ultimately, he believes, while there are always those looking for something unique, he maintains that “warm neutrals continue to be the first choice for the majority of homeowners,” since these are both easy on the eye, and easy to use with a variety of design styles.
Staron Surfaces
Calvo concurs. While he agrees that there will always be a market for those who want something bolder and brighter in the color department, there’s still a strong contingent of consumers who will opt for the “best color for resale,” or something neutral that will be less likely to become dated over time. He says, “Color and pattern trends are very personal, and [our sales of different choices] vary from quarter to quarter, but the highest percentage of Silestone sales is the neutral color sector.”
Silestone Neutrals
Of course, earth tones are inherent in the wood countertop category. According to Hewing, the darker blends, including red tones, are very popular for wood surfaces. Buch points to increased sales in the medium brown tones to very dark tones, which dovetails the general trend toward darker woods in cabinetry. This, too, can be tied to the growing interest in nature-inspired spaces that incorporate a sense of warmth, with natural materials mixed and matched to provide texture and aesthetic appeal.
John Boos Butcher Block Countertop
Dunham predicts that texture will be one of the hottest trends in the coming years, and believes that countertops of the future will feature colors that look like “concrete or suede, and feature sophisticated textures and patterns.” He also says that color is one of the features that will continue to drive designers looking to create distinctive kitchens, as well as homeowners looking to differentiate themselves from their neighbors.
Read the entire article at Kitchen & Bath Design News…
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