Exterior Paint Colours
With Chanelle Ockenden
Painting your home is a great way to instantly update your home without renovating. Painting your home can create a whole new feeling to the space. The home will feel fresh, new and inviting. I recommend considering the heritage of your home, although you do not need to stick to the original colour it would have been painted in it’s hey day. Generally I like to give a nod to the heritage of the home.
I suggest colours that work in with other exisiting features like driveways, paving and stone work. A good rule is stick to three colours, a main colour for walls, a contrasting colour for features, like doors, facia and shutters and then the third colour for windows and trims.
Matte finishes are best for walls, using gloss and satin paints for the trims, windows, doors and decorative metal work.
Before painting a home, prep work is essential. Always ensure the walls and any metal and woodwork have had a good sand to allow for the best outcome. All walls need to be cleaned of dirt and mould and completely dried before starting.
NEUTRALS + GREYS
Neutrals and greys are always a favourite colour palette of mine. Both colour palettes work across contemporary and traditional homes giving a timeless approach to any home.
Muted neutral colours keep the focus on the surrounding garden, pool or features like stain glass windows. Neutral colours are less likely to date, which is why it is also a great colour scheme if you are thinking of selling as neutral colours will appeal to most potential buyers.
Grey is probably the most on trend colour at present, but I see many examples where this is used poorly.
I like to ensure the greys I use have an undertone of brown to provide some depth and warmth. Cool greys can come across flat and uninviting on a home
Don’t be afraid of using darker shades of grey even on a traditional home. Painting the house darker, allows the greens in the garden to really pop and somewhat nestles the home into the garden. You can then bring in some lighter neutrals for the trims and windows.
Some of our favourite greys and neutral colours are below.
COLOURS
Be bold and think colour when re-painting your home. Why not try a green, blue or pink tint. Using colour in your paint palette is a fun way to change up the whole appearance of the home and express a bit of your own personality to the street.
When using colour, I like to stick to muted pastel tones, deep botanicals and terracotta undertones as I find these sit nicely on architectural elements.
Using neutrals with green and terracotta undertones are a great way of brining a bohemian global inspired look to your home. I suggest to keep feature colours minimalist to ensure the paint choice stays timeless and ages nicely with the home.
Some of our favourite colours are below.
BEFORES + AFTERS
Greenwich - This home was transformed from drab beige, to modern greys to suit the new renovations and landscape of the home.
Before
After
Coogee - The colour palette on this home was too dark for the buildings architecture. Painting the house in a crisp white has allowed the home to feel fresh and contemporary to suit the exisiting home and renovation to tie in seamlessly.
Before
After
Bondi - Changing the dark exterior to a light grey palette lifted the homes look creating a inviting and fresh feel.
Before
After
Rose Bay – Painting this home in white has instantly made the home feel new again. The home now has a hamptons vibe, which suits its waterfront location.
Before
After
Chanelle Ockenden
Landscape Designer & Stylist