When to Paint Your House Brown
Nature loves brown, from rich soil to sunlit sand, and so do home exteriors with a traditional or Craftsman bent
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
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With its association with the natural world, it's no wonder that the color brown became the de facto choice for Prairie and Craftsman houses. Brown, from dark to light, fit these styles in a way other colors could not. Perhaps this is because these styles are celebrations of the natural and organic world that rely less on a cool and cerebral machine aesthetic and more on emotion and craft.
I do, however, find houses painted brown without any relief or variation to be a bit overbearing. Brown houses that incorporate other colors in the details are the most interesting and rich, as you'll see here.
I do, however, find houses painted brown without any relief or variation to be a bit overbearing. Brown houses that incorporate other colors in the details are the most interesting and rich, as you'll see here.
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A home nestled in the woods is an ideal candidate to be painted brown. With a rock base and brown body, this home appears to be just another structure set in among the trees and earth, especially as its proportions stress the vertical.
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| Adding an accent color, such as forest green, to some of the details, such as the window frames, further strengthens the home's connections to the site while also breaking up what could be an overwhelming amount of one color. |
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| The addition of an accent color definitely enlivens and enriches an exterior that's painted brown. While a brown body color will accommodate just about any accent color, keeping a similar hue for each will soften the overall mass of the house. |
| A more polished and urbane scheme is a better fit for a suburban setting. In this case, a brown body color paired with white trim gives the exterior more presence and stature. This scheme works especially well for a large structure like this one, as the white trim and accents break down what could be an overwhelming mass. |
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| While dark brown paired with bright white trim is a classic color scheme, a nice variation is to combine medium brown with cream trim. This will yield a softer and quieter exterior while retaining the architecture's classical formality. |
| Brown isn't always dark, and it can be combined with varying tonalities to articulate each element of the exterior. A very light brown body combined with medium brown for the eaves and dark brown for the window and door frames allows each element of this Craftsman style home to be distinct. |
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Dark brown, like black, tends to fade into the shadows. This is a chance to dematerialize a particular aspect of the structure. Painting the very top level dark brown, as was done here, keeps the focus on the lower, brighter portions of the structure and allows the roof to float above it all.
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| Brown isn't just for horizontal and vertical sidings. It lends itself to a stucco exterior, especially in a more traditionally designed home. I find that, because of the lack of detail and the monolithic quality of stucco, it's best that the color be lighter. Dark brown would simply be oppressive unless there is an abundance of other details. |
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by mark gerwing
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| While the focus here has been on traditionally designed homes, brown can work for more modern aesthetics, given the right circumstances. It's ideal for a home such as this one, which is rooted in place and employs natural materials. As such, it follows many of the tenets of the Prairie and Craftsman styles even if its form and structure are more International style. More ideas for exterior paint colors |
Ideabook published on Jan. 3, 2013.
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In the photos the brown has such a calming effect, evoking thoughts of nature. Knowing me my house color would remind people of something decidedly less pleasant!
You, sir, are a philosopher.
I always recommend against "Crayola brown" colors. Gray brown, deep taupe and green/brown are the most successful and sophisticated hues in the brown family. Think gray browns of tree bark which is not chocolate brown. If you are in a woody or natural setting the gray or greenish brown painted homes sit seamlessly in their invironment. Mocha browns with tan trim look great in more urban or suburban areas.