the YELLOW house
Yellow is a happy house color. Two keys to getting yellow house scheme correct is the yellow base not being TOO yellow and the trim an off white trim that works with the yellow. What does this mean - you want a yellow house - you are going to have to test a lot of yellows likely to match what is in your head. Really creamy whites or light creamy yellows are a good starting point. Even creamy yellow beige colors such as Benjamin Moore Powell Buff has a yellow tone but will not blind you. Do not automatically go to the blinding bright yellow tones - especially do not buy your paint off of a color chip. I pulled together a couple of Farrow & Ball paint color schemes for an exterior yellow home.
This creamy yellow scheme is a low tone yellow but still very yellow. This picture I took from a home in Charleston SC serves as an inspiration to this fun yellow scheme. The trim choice is a classic yellow base white - Farrow & Ball Pointing is in the same color range as Benjamin Moore Linen. Both of these are very classic whites. Using a yellow tone cream trim melds with the yellow cream darker base color - using a bright white would cause a higher contrast and jog the eye. I really like the use of bluish green such as the Dix Blue on the shutters - I would paint the sashes the same color as the shutters brining more dimension to the overall exterior. The front door - so easy to always go back to classic black. Hey working off the warm tones of the yellows and blue/green trim - a happy color like Vardo would pop the front door as a welcome note.
I upped the yellow tone on this base choice as more of a classic yellow house. Farrow and Ball Dayroom yellow is a classic yellow tone without being too bright (it may be too bright for some people to live with). I picked out a darker creamier color for the trim - don’t be afraid to test trim colors that are on the light yellow tone. The creamier trims just work so much better with yellow bases. Pairing black with yellow for sashes and shutters - total classic look. I picked the Off-Black here because it is just a tad bit toned down black. Straight on black always works with yellow as an accent. Front door: obvious choices are black and natural wood. However, you really can use a color here too as long as it makes you happy. I picked out Farrow & Ball Blazer - a red tone that adds an element of surprise.
Happy exterior painting…. Don’t be afraid to change the colors of your house. You may be surprise yourself.