The
unique personalization that an accent wall delivers to an interior
room can also be enjoyed as part of an exterior home space.
Today’s porches and patios increasingly display customized
exterior accent walls consisting of exciting and innovative
paint applications. Ideas for painted finishes may be as simple
as a one color stenciled border or as elaborate as a multi-colored
decorative paint technique that adds texture as well as color
to the space. Outdoor accent walls that echo an existing exterior
color scheme, including house and roof color, exterior doors
and trims personify a unified home appearance that reflects
style and street appeal. Consider painting a color-blocked border
(either freehand for an artistic look, or stenciled for more
of an orderly appearance) on a half wall belonging to a front
porch. Or, create an exciting mural on the wall that is part
of a side patio which is frequented as an outdoor family living
and entertaining space. In addition to the colors of the existing
home exterior, remember to take the architectural style, colors
of the current landscape (including shrubs and flowers) and
outdoor furnishing color palette into account when designing
your outdoor accent wall. 
Dare
to be different when designing a color palette for exterior
living spaces.
Regardless of whether you prefer this seasons hottest muted
pink tones, vibrant greens and oranges or earthy natural favorites,
a carefully considered exterior paint color scheme allows
homeowners to mix and match furnishings and fabrics that are
part of outdoor living spaces with confidence. When designing
and decorating an outdoor living space, sticking to the same
intensity of color is a commonly used designer ‘secret’
ingredient that leads to exterior color scheme success! That
means it is totally possible to marry rich red to deep purple,
as long as both hues share the same color tone. Examining
paint manufacturers color swatch cards helps determine if
impending choices for exterior color scheme will harmoniously
blend. Once you have selected your color scheme, inject splashes
of color by painting exterior furnishings, outdoor decorative
accessories, exterior walls and flooring using the desired
color palette. Do not hesitate to partner differing furnishing
fabrications within the same outdoor vignette. Interesting
paint colors and finishes provide the cohesive ingredient
that instantly binds the surfaces.
To ensure enjoyment of the fruits of your labor throughout
the warm summer months, be sure to use top quality, 100% acrylic
paints. Outdoor living areas can be exposed to intense sunlight,
moisture and mildew. Using top quality acrylic paints will
give you better color retention, adhesion to the surface you're
painting and superior mildew resistance. Be sure to consult
the paint professional at your favorite paint store or home
center for information on the best paint and primer for your
particular project. Also check our new Prep,
Prime and Paint section for guidelines on proper surface
preparation, priming and topcoating.
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