Choosing exterior colours for your cottage is a little bit different than selecting for your primary residence. Some folks like their cottage to stand out while others prefer the place to blend in. In any case, you’ll certainly want a shade that looks amazing in natural surroundings. Read on to see a few of our favourite treatments for cottages.
Inspired by nature
You want your home or cottage to feel appropriate in the environment but that doesn’t mean it has to be invisible. Take a tip from your natural surroundings and try echoing the greenery of the trees or the blue of the water.
Alternatively, select a shade to offset those hues.
If you really want to keep a natural look, consider using a stain on natural wood siding instead of traditional paint. We like Malbec Roasted Ginger, a semi-transparent colour for shingles. Your cottage will be a warm and cozy complement to the surroundings.
Achromatic scheme
As the name suggests, an achromatic colour scheme uses only black, white and grey. The result is classy and clean and allows the natural beauty of your surroundings to take centre stage.
Lighten the mood with a pop of colour on your front door. The contrast makes your space extra inviting.
Monochromatic scheme
Where an achromatic scheme avoids colour, a monochromatic scheme uses one colour in varying values. This is an excellent choice for those just starting to play with colour and can be the perfect choice for your cottage.
Once you decide on the base colour (let’s say blues or greys or browns), you can often select the secondary hues right from the same paint chip strip. We love Benjamin Moore Soot 2129-20. It’s our office building colour!
Analogous scheme
An analogous colour scheme uses colours that are adjacent on the colour wheel. For example, you might choose colours in the blue/green/yellow range or purple/red/orange. The idea is to find harmony within the colour scheme without limiting yourself to a single (or no) hue.
For your cottage, an analogous warm palette could flow from the reds or browns in the
brick or woodwork and branch out from there.
If you prefer cool colours, you can start with the blues and greens of the sky and trees and find harmonious colours from there.
Selecting the right exterior colours for your tastes is a subjective journey, but a little colour theory goes a long way. No matter which approach you take with finding your perfect palette, it’s always good practice to test it out first. Buy a quart of your paint or stain and apply it in a difficult-to-see place. View it after it’s dry, and at different times of day to get a sense of how it will appear in a different light. Once you’re happy, get painting!