I get many queries about what colours exterior trims such as gutters, fascias, downpipes and windows should be. It is an area where people really struggle.
The most common questions I get are, “should my gutters blend in with the walls or the roof?” “Should my fascia match the gutters ” or “what colour should I paint my downpipes?”
There is no one answer because it depends on your home’s style and your personal preferences. But, if you are building, renovating or just updating your exterior colour scheme, here are my top tips to help you make your home look impressive from the outside.
What colours should you choose for gutters, fascias and windows?
Tip 1.
Let’s start with gutters. The first thing you should consider is the style of the roof.
I think the guttering should be a similar colour to the roof or the walls. The exception to this is when you have a flat room. Then you can choose a contrasting colour to add interest to the house or use a colour that blends in with the walls. A contrasting tone will highlight and define the line of the roof.
If your roof has a slight pitch and you don’t see a lot of it, then matching the gutters to the roof colour will extend the roof line, as will matching the fascia. This will also define the roof line.
If you have a very visible high-pitched roof, you may want to keep the gutters and fascia similar to the walls. This will help balance the proportions of the roof to the body of the house and prevent it from looking too heavy.
Tip 2.
Your fascia should blend in with either the gutters or the walls. As I mentioned, this will depend on how much emphasis you want on the roof line.
Wide fascia and detailing on the gables on more traditional homes look great, painted in a contrasting colour to the walls and roof to make them stand out. Keep the colour scheme consistent by painting all trims in the same colour.
Ideally, you want your house to look balanced so pay attention to the proportions of your home and how you can create a well-proportioned look.
For more tips on choosing exterior colours, click here
Tip 3.
Eaves on traditional homes look best-kept light in a similar colour and tone to the walls or the fascia. Timber is a popular choice for contemporary homes and looks good if you have other timber elements on your exterior.
Dark eaves can work well on modern homes with a flat roof where the roof and all trims are dark also.
Tip 4.
Downpipes aren’t a feature of your home and best painted in a colour as close as possible to the colour of the wall it is against. This allows it to blend into the wall instead of standing out.
Tip 5.
Choose the colour of your windows with the rest of your colour scheme in mind. If you have decorative windows with beautiful thick architraves, then you may want them to be the feature of the house and, therefore, contrast with the body colour of the house. White or a light colour looks fantastic on this style of windows along with the rest of the trims. Black and other dark colours can look very heavy.
If your house is a contemporary design, black or a dark-coloured window “disappears” into the colour scheme and allows other features of the home to stand out. If your windows aren’t a focal point of your home, I suggest you blend them into the colour scheme, so they aren’t noticeable.
I hope this has given you a clearer idea of what colours to choose for your gutters, fascias and other exterior trims.
If you need more help selecting the right colours for your exterior trims, book a FREE 15 minute discovery call with me (Australian residents only) and we can have a chat about which are the best colours for your home.
If you live overseas and want some advice for your trims send me an email along with an image of your home.
Until next time,
Happy decorating
Trudi.x
29 July 2020are
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