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Should your Interior Colours flow with the Exterior of your House?

By 06/09/2009January 26th, 201710 Comments

This was the question asked by the couple that hired me to pick the colours for this house a few years ago. They said the new dramatic, rich colour we chose drew all the neighbors over to look while it was being painted (sorry the scan didn’t come out very clear).

This was what the house looked like before [below]. A washed out white with blue shutters. Going back to my post on exterior trim colours – remember what I said the trim of a white house should always be? Well here’s a perfect example of what NOT to do!! And I can say this because the owners inherited the house with these colours. Notice the roof and gutters were replaced and the fence was also painted the same colour.

Back to the main question here. Should the outside colour flow with the inside? Yes it should! However, if your house is dated inside but you are painting your exterior first; then the answer is no. In this case you would ignore the inside because you always want to be moving forward in design. Understanding this little design tip will help you in making all kinds of design and colour decisions in your home. This statement determines what you ignore and what you work with everywhere in your space!

I always make a point of touring a house inside before I finalize exterior colours so that I get a feel for the space and can accurately assist in making the best colour decisions! In the house above, this couple had completed a renovation inside and their home was filled with rich and warm colours throughout, making the final colour we chose for their exterior a natural extension of their interior!

If you would like to schedule an on-line Exterior Colour consultation please email me at [email protected] or call 604.318.9725.
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10 Comments

  • Carol Ann says:

    Your the queen of colour, I love the change…lucky clients
    …the live writer…I can not say thank you enough, it was so easy to download..easy to use..you have made my blog life more fun, 5 hours for that blog was silly, for sure…Thank again, enjoy the rest of your week CAMx

  • VictoriaArt says:

    Love the changes, it even seems to go better with the landscape!
    XX
    V.

  • Christine says:

    Wow. That is such a fabulous change!

  • The Changing Look of Friends says:

    Your one statement "because you always want to be Moving Forward in design" is so true. In color selection to move forward, it sometimes takes a big push and a big full wallet. When face with having to paint the exterior of our homes we do want it to relate to our selections of the interiors, but if the interiors are out dated, do you really want to waste money and time by continuing with what seems safe?

  • Lauren says:

    great reminder maria!! totally have our outside paint color on my mind, so these posts are all so perfect!!!
    xoxo!!

  • Kelee Katillac says:

    I really love the transformation of the house!

  • charlotte ivancic says:

    Looks great, Maria! So other than changing the roof and gutters, was the siding just painted to give it such a new look? We need to update the outside of our house and I’m wondering if this is this a more economical approach (painting the siding) rather than taking the siding off and then doing stucco and stone?

    Thanks!

    • Maria Killam says:

      This was not vinyl siding so yes it was just painted with the new colour, whether you change the entire look of the house depends on whether you’re selling or not.
      Maria

  • Charlotte Des Fleurs says:

    I agree about the interior and exterior matching – not only in color but in style. One of our neighbors has a beautiful country French home with a turret and lovely stonework. The stucco is a medium brown with peach undertones. The stone is mostly brown and cream with speckles of terra cotta and moss green.

    The owner is a young doctor. The interior is VERY modern. Chrome, black cabinets, white rugs, brown Pergo flooring, and grayish plum walls! A terribly jarring and disconcerting contrast to the outside. He is single. Don’t know if he decorated that way because he is single or if he is single because he decorated his house that way.

  • Great share I love it. Beautiful garden, really transformed by color. I wonder could the outside colour flow with the inside? I often try touring a house inside then get a feel for the space before making the best exterior colour decisions. I’ve worked for a house painter in brockton ma and i could offer some other paint schemes if you are interested

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