These 50 House Colors Are All the Rage in 2024
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Nothing can transform a space quite like a fresh coat of paint. And while you may have gone ham on the walls of your domicile, you’re ready to think outside the box (er, home) with an updated exterior makeover. Choosing the right modern paint color for your home’s exterior can not only have a major effect on the vibe of your house, but also showcase the geographical region or time period in which your home was built. And let’s be honest, first impressions matter: A freshly painted house can be the street statement piece spotted by passerby, fellow neighbors, and any friend lucky enough to visit.
Of course, painting the outside of your home can be costly and cumbersome, so do your research and choose your colors wisely. In this feat, the devil can be in the details. There are three components to a tastefully painted house: main, accent, and trim. While most homes tend to have a neutral main color, playing with color can be done in a subtle way using accent colors. “Color outside can be tricky because you are often competing with nature,” says ELLE DECOR A-List designer Miles Redd from Redd Kaihoi. “Curiously because of that, color often works in city landscapes.”
Redd says he’s a fan of colorful front doors (he has a pale blue door, himself), which can add a spot of color without the risk of a house-wide color wash gone wrong. “I also recently saw a house with red mullions that was quite smart, but one must be strategic and deliberate and not overdo it,” he adds. Painting your front door in a bold color can be the best way to add color and uniqueness to your home.
Still not convinced the juice is worth the squeeze? As it turns out, giving your house a color refresh can do more than impress your neighbors. A 2023 report from the real estate website Zillow found that rooms painted dark gray or charcoal can help sell your home for as much as $2,512 more. It’s possible that an exterior in full color garb can have an even higher impact on real estate value.
Whether you’re highlighting your home’s architectural details or bringing some vibrance to your neighborhood, adding color to a lackluster front facade or aiming to transform your drab backyard into a Beverly Hills–worthy oasis—we’ve got just the inspiration you need for your next home renovation project. From woodsy neutrals to vibrantly painted stucco, your before-and-after is bound to leave a lasting impression on you and your neighbors. Be that house on the block.
Cream and Deep Green
This 123-year-old Victorian in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood didn’t necessarily need a color wash to make a statement. The homeowners gave it a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White, which happily contrasts with the front door’s sultry pop of green (Benjamin Moore’s Rainforest Foliage). Gold accents and eccentric decor items (like the vizsla sculpture that designer Eva Bradley found several years ago that resembles their beloved pooch, Cashu) are the cherry on top of an exterior brimming with personality.
Bubblegum Pink
Lean in hard to the Barbiecore trend by opting for a bubblegum-pink house that refuses to go unnoticed. This all-pink house in France’s famed Grasse region is a masterclass in color commitment. “The idea was to create a monochrome monolith in line with coatings found on the walls of houses in Grasse,” says architect Lucie Niney, who designed the project alongside Thibault Marca, her partner at the firm NeM Architects. “It took us time—many color charts tested in full sun or in pouring rain—to find the right pink, one that stood out but that didn’t create a UFO in the landscape.” While this was a custom color, Backdrop's Barbie Dreamhouse is pretty an almost perfect match. We’re tickled pink by this vibrant dwelling.
Gray and Mud Red
For this charming fishing shack-turned-cottage that was the former studio of the late painter William Maynard, less is more. After giving the house a new concrete foundation, the homeowners chose to retain the natural, original color of the cedar shingles, giving it a pop of deep red (like Backdrop’s Self-Portrait) on the door and along the borders. The result is something even a color-aware artist could appreciate.
Bright Green
While dark green is a traditional color for architectural details, throw out the color playbook and opt for something more loud and proud. A stone’s throw from the dwelling Monet inhabited in Giverny, France, you will find such a tenement. Billowing lush vines border the vibrant green window shutters (in a cheery Backdrop Troop Beverly Hills–style hue) and staircase for added charm. It’s a green daydream!
Pink and Cobalt Blue
If there’s any group of people who could teach us a thing or two about color-happy houses, it’s the Greeks. This pink house with bright blue accents is just a standard house scheme on the dreamy island of Cephalonia, Greece. Pro tip: Complementary colors used together make for an extra dramatic color pop. Similar paint colors are Farrow & Ball’s Middleton Pink and Backdrop’s Blue Is the Coolest Color.
Baby Blue
Blues got you down? White columns and powder-blue siding go together like peanut butter and jelly. And it’s just as joy-inducing. The exterior of this Craftsman-style home, awash in something that resembles Farrow & Ball’s Lulworth Blue, will make any house the It house on the block, creating blue-sky energy no matter what season it is.
Vermilion and Dark Green
Nothing says coastal Europe like a brightly colored home with window shutters to contrast. In Burano Island, near Venice, the homes are known for being cheerful and colorful, and this one is no exception. This complex is painted in a color similar to Copenhagen Roof by Farrow & Ball, with shutters painted in an Irish Green tone much like Rust-Oleum’s Satin Vermont Green hue.
Pastel Pink
Pretty in pink stands true for this Victorian House in Eureka, California. After receiving the name “Pink Lady,” this home, built in 1889, combines tones of blush pink (like Backdrop’s barely there Modern Love), white, and gray, making it incredibly feminine and remarkable to look at.
Deep Red
A waterfront building is a statement in and of itself: Douse it in color and you’ve got something of fabled allure. This seaside house in the small Norwegian fishing village of Moskenesøya, standing among the majestic fjords, is proof that a splash of red paint (much like Behr’s Morocco Red) is a standout no matter how imposing your backdrop is.
Light Yellow
It’s classic for a reason: The clapboard house, with its thatched roof and wrap-around porch, is storybook architecture at its finest. Give it a douse of yellow (like Farrow & Ball’s Daytime Yellow) and a crisp white trim, and it is straight out of a fairy tale. All that is missing on this house, once owned by Doris Dar, is a white picket fence!
Dark Blue
Bold colors can add a contemporary vibe to historic homes in a fun way. Take, for example, the ultramarine blue trim (like Glidden Premium’s Brilliant Blue) on this shingled Nantucket house, which gives it an edgy vibe without departing too heavily from the spirit of the house.
Rustic Red
This stunning Carmel Valley, California, home features its own oak trees, gardens, and views of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Previously owned by Doris Day, the exterior of this 8.62 acre property has a red-colored gatehouse—with bright white detailing—that is the very definition of charming. We’re loving Backdrop’s Bada Bing! hue, which has an impressive likeness.
Mustard Yellow and Vermilion
You had us at palm tree–lined property. This electrifyingly colorful facade, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, is a livable painting. A tasteful coalescence of mustard yellow and a perky vermillion on this plaster facade, this equatorial retreat is giving us all the summer blues. Try Glidden Premium’s Down to Earth and Backdrop’s Negroni for a similar look.
Sage Green
This Craftsman-style house is monochromatic magic. With olive-green clapboard (much like Olive by Farrow & Ball), a deeper sage green (similar to Vert de Terre by Farrow & Ball) shingles, and a light green (try Green Ground by Farrow & Ball) trim—it’s proof that there is more than one way to employ this verdant color.
Neon Purple and Pastel Purple
You might be surprised to learn that this purple-happy townhome is one of many San Francisco houses doused in varying renditions of this electrically violaceous hue. Something about that California sunshine drives people to joyful repose that is thus demonstrated in an unforgettable streetside display. Take a note from the pages of this brazen homeowner and incorporate high-contrast hues of pastel and neon. If you’re looking for neon and bold, try Barbie Dreamhouse Purple and Porsche Ruby Star by Backdrop Home for similar tones.
Bright Orange
Haven’t you heard? Orange is the new black—and not only in the world of bingeable comedy-dramas. In the French Quarter of New Orleans, this vibrant Creole cottage is rocking a daring mix of a lesser-used color. Lookalike tones include Dutch Orange and Charlotte’s Locks by Farrow & Ball. Talk about embracing a zest for life.
Cool Gray
This Spanish Mediterranean-style house—that sits on a ruggedly picturesque hilltop abutting the Los Padres National Forest in Montecito, California—stands as a monument to self-sufficiency. The devastating Thomas Fire of 2017 that tore through the property forced a new beginning with hyperfunctional architecture. What does that mean for the exterior? With the help of architecture firm Shubin Donaldson, it was constructed from hard-wearing materials, most notably fire-resistant standing seam metal cladding in a gentle gray tone, much like Dimpse by Farrow & Ball.
Coral and Tan
For the renovation of this San Antonio house, architect Vicki Yuan says the most dramatic changes resulted from simply ditching the home’s austere white paint job. “I’m an architect who is stereotypically nervous about color,” Yuan qualifies, but she embraced what she calls “makeup tones”—beiges, peaches, and buffs—to give the house a warm, feminine energy. Here in the spa-worthy courtyard, the thick, caliche stone walls are given a dose of what looks very much like Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz.
Teal Green
This late-19th-century cottage, renovated by designer Ken Fulk (@kenfulk), is a proper tribute to its historical backstory—with a modern twist. Each guest is welcomed at the front door by colorful shutters, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Chrome Green. Who needs a welcome mat when your exterior looks this good? (Of course, he has that too).
Sandy Beige
The color of this James Turrell–inspired domicile is the last thing you notice. The five-part series of buildings are tied together by 5,000-square-foot sunshade, made of panels of an off-the-shelf aluminum foam product originally developed as an acoustic material. But the power of these sand-colored walls (try Hay by Farrow & Ball) and poured concrete floors lies in their ability to allow the architecture to focus and filter the light emanating from above.
Cool Blue
Fashion designer Chris Benz parlayed his penchant for an impactful color palette into his Bellport, New York–based cedar-shingled, classic Victorian house. Here, a tasteful desaturated blue (almost exactly like School Blazer Blue by Backdrop Home) on the shudders and bright white trim is all that is required to effortlessly blend the past and present.
Light Beige
When designer Ernest de la Torre and Mark Rios of the architecture firm RIOS were tasked with merging the clean, modern sensibilities of their client and the historic flourishes of her 1934 Tudor-style duplex (designed by Paul R. Williams), they knew a quiet exterior color would properly marry the two styles. They weren’t wrong. A bright, creamy white (like White Tie by Farrow & Ball) with a cool pink undertone (like Tailor Tack by Farrow & Ball) imparts a delicate grace to this house, while also bringing it into the 21st century.
Light Azure
After Lauren and Don Fornes’s infant son suffered a brain injury, resulting in a form of blindness, they were pushed in a different direction when redecorating their new home in California. “Although we had lived in this beautiful monochromatic home,” Lauren says, “I suddenly was very interested in color.” Even the exterior of the house was driven not only by function but by personal meaning. The front door was painted in a teal pastel similar to Vardo by Farrow & Ball to represent their son’s blue eyes.
Bright Blue and Green
If it’s good enough for Saint Laurent, it’s certainly good enough for us. We know you’re curious to see inside YSL’s iconic private Marrakech Villa in the Majorelle Garden—but we needn’t go further than the front entrance to marvel at its exterior. Cobalt blue trim, lime green roofing, turquoise tiles, and peach planking make for an explosion of color that is fabulously fitting in this lush tropical setting. Similar tones to these include Dinnerware, Acid Drop, and Arsenic by Farrow & Ball.
Hot Pink and Kelly Green
This very pink property in Ho Chi Minh City’s countryside in Vietnam is something of an anomaly in its surroundings—but of course, that’s what you can expect from interior designer Bruno de Caumont, who was enlisted to bring his magic touch. “When everyone was doing black-and-white rooms, it was very painful for me,” the designer says. “It’s the most impersonal design. Color reveals who you really are.” Even the exterior of this complex was given a color wash in hot pink (similar to Lake Red by Farrow & Ball) and kelly green—which complement well the vintage encaustic floor tiles that are original to the home.
Jet Black
For interior designer Patrick Printy, this monochrome bungalow in Oakland, California, is his ever-evolving design laboratory. And he’s certainly not afraid to join the dark side. The exterior of the home, painted in Ashwood Moss by Benjamin Moore, is accented with an extra coat of Jet Black by Benjamin Moore. These two colors paired prove that taking the right risks can be worth the anxiety.
Light Pink and Olive Green
This Georgia home is brightened by a coat of cotton-candy pink paint—specifically, Middleton Pink by Farrow & Ball. Elton John’s favorite event planner, Antony Todd, opted for an extra pop of color by painting the door in a wonderfully complementary Shady Lane by Benjamin Moore.
Brick Red
The exterior facade of Michael Aram’s apartment in New Delhi is a harmonious combination of wood and brick that takes to this rustic red with impressive ease. The doors painted in a dark wood stain anchor the original redbrick complex.
Cream White
The havenlike entry to this 1865 home in New Orleans is one of timeless sophistication—and proof that a whisper can be just as effective as a scream. To achieve this polished exterior look, interior designer Michelle Smith used Benjamin Moore’s Limestone.
Robin’s-Egg Blue
The facade of French fashion designer Agnès b.’s manor home is a masterclass in bold hues implemented with natural surroundings in mind. This charming color—a mix of a warm white and robin’s-egg blue—keeps the 1710s house both fresh and natural.
Heather Plum
Multidisciplinary designer Leah Ring went where few have gone before—and we’re so here for it. Her secondary home just outside Joshua Tree National Park is doused in a daring Heather Plum by Benjamin Moore, a tone that transforms the otherwise unremarkable residence into a total party house. Our favorite part? The lime green and aqua tile work located adjacent to the front door extends into the kitchen backsplash inside the home.
Cool White
This neutral-painted 1930s home in Bel Air, California, was originally designed by Hollywood architect Paul R. Williams and reimagined by Mark Rios from RIOS Home and Ernest de la Torre. Seeking to remain true to the core of the design, they painted the house in Dunn Edwards’ Igloo, described on their sight as an “icy, crisp white color with cool undertones.” The result is an exterior that is understated and statement-worthy at the same time.
Dark Gray
We love a smart framing moment, and this Shingle-Style house, built by Kathy Scott with interiors by Mark D. Sikes, exhibits satisfying contrast in spades. The house’s dark gray facade, punctuated by bright white window frames, is welcoming against the surrounding outdoor flora.
Earth-Toned Taupe
This Victorian house in Charlottesville, Virginia, features a copper standing seam roof, a mansard porch roof, and reclaimed cobblestone drives. How to tie it all together? Designer Thomas Woltz gave the home an earthy paint hue that camouflages the home and gives it an unfussy feel to temper its dollhouselike architectural flourishes.
Bright Blue
Unlike most homes in Palm Beach, which are bright white-on-white tenements, architect Lee F. Mindel decided to give this very square home a douse of sky blue that hones the surrounding neighborhood’s beach-town-like vibe.
Gunmetal Gray
Architect Greg Tankersley and interior designer Carol Egan created a retreat in Greenwich, Connecticut, that’s the perfect blend of pastoral comfort and urban pizzazz. Color was a big part of that. For the exterior, Egan custom-mixed 33 percent of Benjamin Moore’s Graphite and 67 percent of Benjamin Moore’s Gunmetal.
Fire Red
This Argentinian home stays true to the colors of the region, and with this custom red-orange paint, architect Ricardo Pereyra Iraola was able to achieve a look similar to those of the Creole ranches in the country. “We use those references as inspiration and as a continuation of our tradition,” he explains.
Black Beauty
If you’re afraid of painting your house dark, fear no more. Painted in Black Beauty by Benjamin Moore, this slick and modern home opted for a gently washed brick and black-painted siding and trim facade, “which gracefully bridged the gap between traditional and modern,” explains interior designer Amy Storm. Go all in—we dare you.
Rosa Mexicano and Bright Orange
If you happen to live near the beach, you might want to explore sunshine-happy, no-holds-barred color for your exterior. This vacation home in sunny Costa Careyes, Mexico, embraces the surrounding culture’s love of color, donning a duo of bright pink and orange.
Cascade Blue
In this Connecticut home’s surrounding neighborhood, there’s a default color of choice—and it’s not blue. “A large majority of Shingle-Style homes have white trim, so using a strong color is very eye-catching,” explains VanderHorn Architects’ Douglas VanderHorn. VanderHorn color-matched Marvin’s Cascade Blue for an exterior that will certainly turn some heads.
Sandy Pink
The blush-colored exterior walls of this Roman penthouse designed by the firm Alvisi Kirimoto match the terra-cotta floor tiles—an effect only heightened by the warm Italian sun.
Bright White
The most popular exterior color by miles, a clean, white exterior is never a bad idea, whether you’re lucky to own a luxe Hollywood estate or a sleek, modern aesthetic. For design firm Chango & Co., based in Brooklyn, “we like Benjamin Moore’s Super White color because it doesn’t feature a lot of strong undertones and it feels fresh.”
Creamy White
For a home that exudes a nonchalant attitude, try painting your exterior a cream or off-white shade like the exterior of this Spanish-style hacienda. According to a survey by Alside, 20 percent of homeowners would opt for a cream or off-white shade for their siding in 2023, and 14 percent would pick a true white. Designer Audrey Sheck would consider herself among those, noting that she loves cream paint for its versatility. “It has a historic feel to it thanks to the dimension and character infused into the color,” she says.
Hunter Green
Take a note from this country guest barn by Hendricks Churchill for your next exterior paint job. A hunter green pulls from all the surrounding nature and is great for those looking for a bold yet understated shade. Studio Green by Farrow & Ball is a favorite among designers like And And And Studio and Studio DB.
Mahogany Brown
Whether you want your home to become one with nature or are simply looking for a dark statement like this striking shou sugi ban residence, a rich, mahogany brown paint can achieve both. It will mimic the tree bark and natural tones of your home’s surroundings, and the paint color will feel fresh for years to come.
Brick Red
Lean into the midcentury modern trend that is sweeping interiors, and take it outside. Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Two Rivers, Wisconsin, home boasts a vibrant red exterior that is brown enough not to read too firetruck red.
Dusty Blue
Inspired by Scandinavian architecture, the owners of this San Franciscan home opted for a dusty blue exterior that perfectly contrasts the cedar planks and luscious greenery.
Navy Blue
In areas with strict historic guidelines, navy blue is often a fail-safe. Regal and timeless, a deep blue adds personality while still feeling timeless and understated.
Matte Black
For maximum impact, we recommend going all in and painting your exterior a matte black, like A-Lister Sheila Bridges did on her Hudson Valley farmhouse. “An inky black shade is the perfect complement to both dark and white windows and looks beautiful against a green landscape,” says Austin, Texas–based interior designer Laura Pankonien.
Black Forest Green
If you’re looking for a softer alternative to a stark black exterior, try a black paint that has a hint of green. A rich forest green can help transition your home into the nature or landscaping that surrounds it. Plus, the shade works well with warm and cool trim and roofing colors alike.
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