Choosing the right trim color for a brown house can be a challenging task. The trim includes elements like window frames, doors, eaves, fascia boards, and corner boards. While brown houses are classic and timeless, the trim color makes a big impact on the overall look and feel of the exterior. The right trim color can enhance your home’s curb appeal, create a cohesive color scheme, and allow your home’s architecture to shine.
Consider the Shade of Brown
The specific shade of brown on your home’s siding is the first factor to evaluate when selecting trim colors. Light, medium, and dark brown houses may call for different trim hues. Here are some brown shades and trim ideas to consider:
| Light brown | Soft white, pale gray, light tan |
| Medium brown | Crisp white, light gray, beige |
| Dark brown | Bright white, dark gray, black |
Light brown houses look great with soft, muted trim colors like pale gray, light tan, or soft white. These will provide enough contrast against the lighter brown walls.
Medium brown homes can pair well with classic white trim, light to medium gray, or beige. These brighter colors pop against the mid-tone brown.
Dark brown homes often look best with a vivid white trim or a dark charcoal gray. The bold contrast creates a striking look. Black trim can also look modern and stylish on a deep brown house.
Consider the Style of Your House
The architectural style of your brown house is another important factor in choosing trim colors. Here are some common home styles and the trim colors that work well:
| Craftsman | White, light gray, beige, tan |
| Farmhouse | White, light gray, black |
| Victorian | White, tan, light gray, medium gray |
| Cottage | White, light gray, sage green |
| Colonial | White, black, navy, dark green |
| Tudor | Black, charcoal, dark gray |
For arts & crafts style homes, white, light gray, beige, and tan trims look natural. Farmhouse styles look great with white, black, or light gray trim. Soft colored trims like white, tan, and light to medium grays suit Victorian styled homes well. For cottages, white, light gray, or sage green evoke a charming vibe.
Colonials and Tudors can handle bolder trim colors like black, navy, dark gray, and dark greens. These help accent the traditional home shapes and facades. Consider how a trim color will look against the architectural details of your brown house.
Match Other Exterior Elements
It’s important to consider your home’s other exterior elements when choosing trim for a brown house.
Look at the undertones in your roof color. Cool-toned gray or black roofs work well with cooler toned whites or grays. Warm roofs with brown, tan, or terracotta undertones pair better with cream or beige trims.
Think about your home’s stone or brick accents. Warm bricks suit warmer cream or gray trim. Cool stone or brick looks great with crisp white or cool grays.
Also consider the color of exterior elements like shutters, railings, and fencing. Choosing trim in the same color family will give a cohesive look.
Matching your trim to the temperament of these other exterior elements creates a harmonious scheme.
Focus on Contrast
The level of visual contrast between the brown siding and trim color is another key factor.
A general rule is the darker your brown house color, the lighter your trim should be to create contrast. Light brown homes can use colors of similar lightness like tan or gray. Dark browns need vivid whites or black to stand out.
Without enough contrast with brown siding, the trim details can look muddy and disappear. Bright white is a foolproof choice for making trim pop against brown.
Too much contrast can also look jarring, so aim for enough difference between siding and trim to highlight architectural details. Getting the right balance of contrast makes all the difference.
Consider Direction and Sunlight
Think about what areas of your brown house get direct sunlight versus shade. This can impact how trim colors appear throughout the day.
North facing sides tend to be more shaded. East and west facing sides get morning and afternoon light. And the southern exposure gets the most direct sunlight.
Brighter whites and lighter colors may look intensely bright in full sun. Darker shades of gray or brown might feel more natural in shady areas. Consider sunlight intensity when planning what trim colors to use on each exterior side.
Visualize Total Curb Appeal
When deciding on trim color combinations, visualize the full exterior view of your home.
See how the trim colors you’re considering look against the brown siding from top to bottom. View photos of houses with similar color schemes.
Some combinations to consider visualizing:
– White trim with black window frames and accents
– Light gray trim and eaves with white corner boards
– Navy blue door and shutters with crisp white trim
Make sure your trim and accent colors work cohesively together for maximum curb appeal. The right combination can really make your brown house stand out while maintaining a classic look.
Test Swatches Onsite
There’s no better way to evaluate trim colors than by testing swatches. Paint small sections of trim in the colors you’re considering when planning a repaint.
Look at the swatches at different times of day and in different light. Take photos from across the street. The real-life test can give you the best sense of what colors suit your brown home.
If painting swatches isn’t feasible, use photoshop to digitally test out trim color combinations on photos of your house. This can also help envision the options.
Embrace Contrasting Tones
Sometimes going with complementary or contrasting shades creates the boldest and most eye-catching combinations.
For example, pairing a warm based brown wall color with a cool toned gray or sage green trim brings out the undertones of both colors. This creates visual interest.
Don’t be afraid to go bold with black or navy accents against brown walls. Dark meets light for dramatic effect. Just make sure to also use some white or neutral tones to balance and avoid looking too dark.
The contrast of warm and cool tones can modernize a traditional brown exterior. Embrace unique color combinations.
Add Depth with Multiple Tones
Using different trim tones in different areas builds depth and dimension.
For example, try light gray corner boards and eaves with crisp white window and door trim on a medium brown house. Or combine black shutters with white trim boards.
Mixing white, gray, and black accents provides depth without going overboard on colors.
Or layer shades of the same color family like tan window frames, brown fascia boards, and cream corner trim on a light brown cottage. Playing with multiple complementary tones keeps things sophisticated.
Factor in Landscaping and Environment
What colors dominate your home’s landscaping and overall setting? Consider echoing these colors in your trim choices.
For example, sage green or ivory trim could complement gardens with those colors. A home surrounded by evergreen trees may look great with deep forest green or hunter green trim.
Coordinate with nature’s palette to make your home feel seamlessly integrated rather than competing with its environment. This creates a tranquil feel.
If your environment lacks much color, use brighter trim to provide needed contrast. Just ensure colors aren’t so bold that they fight the natural backdrop.
Don’t Overdo It
While the trim is an opportunity to have fun with different colors, it’s important not to go overboard.
Limit trim colors to two or three coordinating shades for a simple and cohesive look. Too many competing colors can look busy or cluttered.
Bright, vivid trim colors look best when balanced with neutral browns and whites. This keeps the palette looking crisp instead of overwhelming the brown base.
Focus trim colors in smaller doses on key architectural details like framing windows, doors, and garage doors for maximized impact. Avoid brightly painting every element and surface for a clean and refined color scheme.
Conclusion
Choosing the perfect trim colors to pair with a brown house may take some thoughtful consideration, but the impact can transform your home’s whole look. Assessing the specific brown hue, architectural style, and lighting along with creatively visualizing color combinations helps narrow down the ideal trim color options for your exterior. Don’t be afraid to get creative with bolder black and navy accents or by mixing multiple complementary tones. Just keep the overall palette cohesive. With the right trim colors that play up your home’s details and add dimension, your brown house can stand out while maintaining maximum curb appeal and style.
