Best Siding and Trim Color Combos

A fresh coat of paint can work wonders on your home, breathing new life into any room. Painting the outside of your home is essentially like a facelift for your house, making it look new again. But if choosing a paint color for the interior gives you anxiety, picking out colors for your siding and trim can be even more nervewracking, since it’s the first thing friends and neighbors see before entering your home.

If you’re installing new siding, you have the same dilemma of choosing a siding color but with the extra push of your contractor’s deadlines. But if all you need to do is refresh your old siding, great news: vinyl siding can be painted, so there’s no need to install new siding.

And as for choosing the best color combos for your home’s siding and trim, don’t worry… we’re here to help!

Best Siding and Trim Color Combinations For Your Home

The safest way to ensure your siding and trim colors don’t clash is to pick two colors from the same color strip, just a few shades apart. The simplest way to do this is to take some time at your local hardware or paint store looking at paint samples. Bring a pen with you to make note of the shades you like best, because after a while they can all start to blend together in your mind.

You can use the lighter shade for the siding color and the darker shade for the trim. For a more dramatic effect, you can do the opposite: use the darker shade for your siding and trim your home using the lighter color.

For a more advanced method, dust off your color wheel from art class and pick two colors that balance each other. Dramatic, complementary colors will be across the wheel from each other (for example, red and green or blue and orange), and they’ll create the most contrast between your siding and trim. Choosing colors that are next to each other on the color wheel will create a subtle effect, with less contrast.

Warm Vs. Cool Color Combinations

You may find yourself drawn to certain colors or tones. Without realizing it, you’re either attracted to warm colors or cool colors. Warm color combinations are those that include reds, yellows, and oranges and evoke energy and excitement. A home with rust-red siding and a cooler trim color, like white or eggshell, appear larger and more prominent.

Cool color combinations are those in the blue, green, and even purple end of the color spectrum. Cool colors are calming and don’t necessarily have to be on the lighter shade to be considered so. Bold blue siding with a lighter shade of trim can be just as pleasing to the eye as a white home with bold blue trim.

More Inspiration for Siding and Trim Color Combos

If you’ve compared paint samples and looked at your color wheel, but still can’t decide upon a siding and trim color combination that you love, take a walk. No, really. Get out and look at the colors which occur in nature. Some combinations, like the deep red and green of a rose may contrast more than you’d like for this particular project. However, look at the subtle variations in a leaf as it changes color or in the flowers native to your area.

You may find an interesting rock with the right blue-grey shade you’ve been looking for, and you can take it to the paint store to find a match. Who knows, the complementary trim color may be on the underside of that rock, too!

If you’re still not able to choose a color combination, look around at the homes in your neighborhood. I’m sure there are homes that make you think “yuck!” or “nice!” immediately. Take a moment to ask yourself what the homes have in common, especially the ones you like. You don’t have to paint you home the same colors as those that you like, but it can help narrow down the choices. Similarly, take photos of homes when you travel to use for inspiration. I have my own folder dedicated specifically for homes in New Orleans—talk about fascinating color combinations!

Things to Consider when Choosing Siding and Trim Colors

• If you want your home to stand out, but are afraid to go very bold, consider painting your door a vibrant complementary color. Painting a door is easier than repainting your home if you get tired of the color.
• Consider black as a trim color—it’s dramatic and classic, and it can play up some of the features of the home quite nicely.
• If you have shutters on the outside of your home, paint them the same color as your trim so you don’t overwhelm your home with colors.
• Be open to possibility. Your painting contractor may present siding and trim color combos that you would never have picked out yourself. Before you toss them aside, take a moment to imagine your home with those colors. Your contractor suggested them for a reason.

What colors did you choose for your siding? Share your stories and ideas with us in the comments below!