Part three of our series on exterior house painting explores using the Southwestern color palette correctly.
- Use the Colors of the Southwest for your Exterior Paint Colors (480) 232-5474
Exterior House Painting and The Colors of the West
It used to be that southwestern paint color schemes were gaudy, and gauche. Look at the 80's for example. Bright turquoise mixed with hot pink. Maybe a super tacky touch like buying a cow skull, painting it pink and putting it in your front yard. However, the west is full of colors. Look at the deep red of a Navajo rug, or the pale blue of a desert sky. The pale olive green of a yucca plant, and the vibrant orange of a summer sunset. All of these can be used in exterior paint colors. In fact one of the biggest trend in house painting is not confining your home to two colors, namely the paint and the trim, but to use three colors.
A southwestern casita can be painted with a center section a deep loam brown. Each wing of the house can be painted an off-white with the one wing being painted beige, and the trim can be a coral pink. Why such a wide range of colors? It ties in perfectly with terra cotta roof tiles found in a lot of casita style homes. And tri-color paint schemes are extremely popular nowadays and are one of the hottest trends with exterior house painting. However, there are even more color choices connected with the Southwest.
Southwestern Paint Colors
How about a rich amber brown color that calls to mind a jar of sun tea? Or maybe a vibrant saffron gold color that evokes images of California poppies? Or maybe you want a pale yellow color that looks like your home is originally from the Chiricahua mountains? Need some more inspiration?
The desert floor is pale pink or taupe. The foothills around Phoenix are olive mixed with a hint of brown. The superstitions are purple and blue. The cliffs of canyon lake are salmon, with vibrant shades of yellow lichen. Sedona has so many different colors that simply calling it red rock country isn't entirely true. All of these and so many more can be used in your color palette.
The most important thing you can do however, is get a professional's take on it. You want to call in a decorator or a professional house painter to help you narrow down your choices.
