Color Trends 2012: Neutrals Get Colorful

The last home exterior color trend for 2012/2013 that I’ll be talking about before heading off to present at the International Builders’ Show, is neutrals.  Now you may be thinking,

"What? Neutrals are a trend?  Come on, Kate, neutrals aren’t trendy.  They are always used on home exteriors."

"And, colorful?  Neutrals aren’t colorful.  What are you talking about?"

You’re right, neutral colors aren’t a trend.  They are a staple for homes both inside and out. What is new about the neutrals is the materials and combinations we will be seeing going forward.

What you aren’t so right about is that neutrals aren’t colorful. 

My current favorite neutral colors are not the earthtones used in decades past simply coming around again. Today’s neutrals are sophisticated, complex colors that would never be satisfied to be called simply tan or khaki. They have more than a hint of color and are anything but boring.

I’m not the only one loving the complex neutrals so be looking for how designers are allowing neutrals to take center stage rather than using them as a foundation for other colors.

Any low chroma (think low intensity, less saturated) is considered a neutral and these are just the types of colors that are perfect for home exteriors.  The home above looks light gray but when the sun hits the siding you can see the mauve undertones.

A neutral color James Hardie siding compliments the variety of fixed features on the facade of this home. For the siding that is exposed you want to have a color that will fade into the facade rather than compete with the many design details and architectural elements.  Choosing a neutral with the same undertone as your fixed features is the perfect solution.

Going forward you will continue to see an interesting mix of materials in the permanent elements on home exteriors as buyers look for home constructed with more materials that have longer lifespans. Often the manufactured materials mimic natural materials but are a "greener", more durable product and can be offered in a wider variety of colors than is easily achieved in nature. This is true for the simulated slate and shake tiles that DaVinci offers.

But even with 49 color and almost unlimited possiblities for color combinations for your lightweight roofing system, the colors are all based on the hues of nature.  This means that they will blend beautifully with the many materials used on home exteriors and all of the many complex neutral siding colors that are so right for today’s homes.  This is true of most of the materials that will continue to be used on home exteriors.

With so many neutrals coming together to define the characteristics of your home it becomes more important than ever before to understand how to make the colors and materials work together.  To help you know how to select your color confidently I put together an ebook (pdf) for you and DaVinci is making it available to you for immediate download.