Homeowners paint their homes but don’t always keep the exterior colors for Spanish houses traditional. Some people try to downplay the home’s style so they chose to use anything but an historic color. What are historic colors and why are they important?
Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors
If you live in an historic neighborhood most likely all homeowners are expected to maintain the integrity of their home by repainting with historic colors. Must they paint the house its original color, or will any historic color suffice? Some historic neighborhoods prefer original paint color and will try to determine what that color should be.
Don’t feel that you must stick to the original paint color, however. Find a period color card for the type of home you have and then choose any of the colors on that card. The color may not be exactly how the house was originally painted, but it will still appear historically accurate.
You may also want to consider other houses in your neighborhood before choosing exterior colors for Spanish houses. If you live in an historic district, you may have an organization dictate the colors you can choose to paint your home.
Obviously you recognize Spanish style houses because of their dark tile roofs. Don’t paint your house to match the roof. The house will appear to shrink in size. Use lighter colors like sand or stone to keep your house from disappearing under the roof. Blue is often used on the exterior trim to denote the Spanish sea sides.
If you don’t live in an historic district you are less likely to have anyone try to dictate your house color for you. However you may still prefer to stick with a traditional color scheme. You want your home to look right in the landscaping and painting it an unusual color may not give you the attention you desire.
Where you live will also determine the exterior colors for Spanish houses.
On the West Coast they are usually painted with neutral tones to compliment California’s sunshine. You might find muted peach, taupe, and warm beige Spanish style houses.
In the Southwest, warm, earth-tones are more common. Colors such as pink, sandy taupe, and golden yellows are the colors of choice when choosing exterior colors for Spanish houses. Accent with blue, turquoise, or terra cotta. These colors go great with the characteristic wrought iron so prevalent in Spanish houses.
Ultimately, when it comes down to choosing exterior colors for Spanish houses, the choice is up to the homeowner. You may adhere to the historically accurate colors but you don’t have to. Choose a color that suits the area and the style of your house and you can’t go wrong.
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