Aug 1 2013
DaVinci Roofscapes® and Sensational Color have introduced a new free 36-page FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home Exterior downloadable guide online to help homeowners select colors that enhance the exterior features of their homes. Written by national color expert Kate Smith of Sensational Color, the guide explores color options for seven different home styles and makes it easy for people to choose color palettes that complement the exterior of the home.
“Many homeowners are afraid to add color to their home exteriors because they don’t want to make a mistake,” says Smith, CMG, CfYH and a career color trend forecaster. “Especially when people look at the style of their homes, they can become confused by what colors will enhance their exteriors. This guide takes away those fears and puts the power of color in the hands of the homeowner!”
Smith takes a “top down” approach to providing tips for adding eye-pleasing color palettes to the home exterior. She advises people to start with the roof color, then work their way down the house to consider the siding, window frames, front entry door and trim.
“There are so many wonderful color combinations that are striking on different styles of homes,” says Smith. “It’s exciting to create this online tool that gives step-by-step guidance to homeowners for adding color to a wide variety of home styles.”
The specific home styles addressed in the FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home Exterior guide include Ranch, Colonial, Bungalow, Victorian, Spanish Mission, European and New American. Smith offers several color combinations for each style’s exterior along with tips for making homes complement their neighborhood settings.
“One of the hottest trends in the marketplace right now is to ‘shake up’ home exteriors with color,” says Smith. “This tutorial provides guidance and tips on understanding the home’s exterior features and playing off of them with color accents. The easy-to-read flow of this guide explores how to evaluate which colors should be used on the main features of a home exterior — including the roof, siding, windows, door and trim.”
The comprehensive and colorful online piece was a collaborative effort of Smith and several building product manufacturers, including DaVinci Roofscapes, Fypon®, Simonton Windows® and Therma-Tru®. The free color guide is located on each company’s web site (go to http://www.davinciroofscapes.com/color-book-request.php to download from the DaVinci Roofscapes website), plus on the https://www.sensationalcolor.com/ website developed by Smith. Her first ebook in the series, FRESH Home Exterior Colors, is also available for free at https://www.sensationalcolor.com/. That 30-page step-by-step tutorial provides insights on adding color to the home exterior by using the FRESH approach, which stands for Fixed features, Regional colors, Environment and surroundings, Style of the home, and Have-to-use colors.
“No homeowner should feel locked into blah or standard colors on their home’s exterior,” says Smith. “A shake or slate polymer roof can have an appealing blend of colors, such as browns and autumn tones. Low-maintenance vinyl window frames and grids come in Pine Green, Chocolate and even Brick Red to add pizzazz to the home. And, homeowners can create a welcoming front entrance by painting a fiberglass door a striking accent color. Tie that all together with painted urethane trim pieces that add the ‘icing on the cake’ for the home and you can really make a home more appealing with coordinated colors!”