White and gray are popular trim colors for houses painted pale yellow. Deeper yellow and gold colors work well with greens, browns, and dark reds. Inventive homeowners have even had success with blue highlights. The pictures in this gallery suggest ways you can use yellow and gold colors in your house painting project. Explore these 11 yellow paint color possibilities for a touch of butterscotch on your own home’s exterior. Peaks of Victorian-era gables were often decorated, with angular spaces hidden by latticework called “gable pediments” or “gable brackets.” Porches with posts broke up large areas of siding, so a strong yellow color could be used. A house designed to be more fanciful than a traditional Colonial home should not point out its ornamentation with bright colors — brilliant white is often the first of two complementing colors. Be sure to check out some of the free online tools to help you choose your house paint colors. Remember that computer monitors aren’t precise in the way they display colors, so always try a sample of the paint in a small area before purchasing a large quantity. This 18th century farmhouse nestled in the Berkshire mountains inspired American writer Herman Melville during one of his most productive periods, from 1850 to 1862 and the writing of Moby Dick. One can only guess at the house color during his ownership. Likely, because of Melville’s limited income, the rambling house would have been painted white, or perhaps in “writerly disrepair.” Now a museum, Arrowhead has been commercially restored with a vibrant, deep yellow color — a hue that might stop any bypassing tourist on this country road in western Massachusetts. Yellow, with all of its different hues, is a wonderful siding color for experimentation. Unexpected color combinations often work just fine with various shades of yellow. Yellow and green often work well, but the shades of both the yellow and green can provide wildly different results. Names for yellow and gold tones can also be surprising. Encourage your neighbor when he experiments with what he calls “banana” and “peanut butter” colors on his home. Some people are hungry for color. The paint colors you choose may be drawn from history, but also picked to complement a pronounced roof. Color experts will tell you that the palette is the specific colors you choose, but the color schemes come from the color wheel. Most paint manufacturers have created their own paint color charts and palettes. Color experts can be very useful when thinking about how colors work inside or outside your home. A neutral color scheme doesn’t always mean beige, writes one design consultant. A monochromatic color scheme of only one color can be made interesting by complementing it with tones, shades, and tints of that one color. For the exterior of a home, a monochromatic color scheme works best with a colorful roof. This small house in Delray Beach, Florida is painted with an approach similar to the architecture further down the coast in Miami Beach—yellow siding, a light, pale blue for the shutters, and reddish tones picked up in the walking path. When colors are used to contrast with a dominant shade of yellow, a green or blue is often chosen. Hopefully, the tone of the mix is chosen wisely. Choosing exterior house colors is a complex process. But remember — paint colors are not in stone. Live with your choices, and then, if you’re feeling something is not right, you can always change it. Choosing yellow siding will allow many options. Harmonize the elements of your home, big or small, and you may feel better about all things. When you move into a very historic town like Salem, brush up on your history. Learn more about Historic Second Empire Architecture.
