Exterior Color of the Week: Rich, Fall-Friendly Reds

This week’s featured exterior color is inspired by the rich palette of fall, specifically the crimsons and burgundies found in leaves as they turn. These deep ruby-red hues also call to mind full-bodied red wines that we can dig out and enjoy once again now that the weather is finally turning cooler.

While not as loud as the previously featured bold orange colors, these reds still provide a healthy dose of drama on the exterior of a home, and they’re appropriate for a variety of architectural styles and geographical regions. Read on to see six stunning examples of rich red-hued homes, along with a sampling of paint color palettes to help coordinate siding and accent colors.

I wouldn’t care how frightful the weather outside was if I had this beautiful lake home to take shelter in. From the dark gray roof to the rich red and warm wood siding, the palette is elegant but with a nice rustic vibe. And despite the variety of materials used on the exterior, it doesn’t feel too busy, because the colors are all within the same warm, dark color family.


A gorgeous modern home deserves an equally fetching color scheme. As with the previous example, if you’re using two different siding materials, try using color to further differentiate them. It makes for a more interesting facade. Plus it allows you to use a smaller amount of a deep or dark hue that you might be hesitant to use top-to-bottom on the house.


Our featured hue works well on just about any style of home. Whereas the previous example featured a modern house, you can see this more traditional home also looks great. The light gold trim is an excellent choice; a pure white trim would have been too jarring with the other colors in this palette.


Having grown up in a rural Midwestern town, I fondly tend to associate red exteriors with the ubiquitous barns of my youth. And while the assertions vary widely as to why barns were traditionally painted red — from it being an economical paint color to wanting to mimic more expensive red brick to the dubious claim that red helps guide the cows home — we can likely all agree that red is a great choice for a modern take on a barn- or farmhouse-style home.


Red is not a wallflower kind of color, especially when used against a backdrop of greens. This is because red and green are opposite each other on the color wheel and therefore provide the most contrast to each other. If your house has an interesting form that you want to play up, paint it the complementary color of the surrounding landscape.

Learn more about complementary colors and the color wheel


If you’re loving these rich red hues but are concerned about using them in large amounts on the exterior of your home, think about breaking them up. This is a look best pulled off on contemporary or rustic homes, but even a traditional home could add a red-hued gable or, at the very least, a ruby-red front door.


Try These Palettes

If you go with a deep, rich color for your siding, I’d recommend keeping the trim and accent colors very neutral, so as not to compete with the red.

Siding color: Borscht
Trim color: Natural Tan
Front door-accent color: Raisin

All from Sherwin-Williams


Siding color: Antique Ruby
Trim color: Black Bean
Front door color: Witch Hazel

All from Behr


Siding color: Raisin Torte
Trim color: Graystone
Front door color: Midnight Oil

All from Benjamin Moore

See more exterior colors: Navy | Orange | Green | Gray

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