The Moody Exterior Paint Color That's Making Your Home Look Outdated

There's a lot of talk about interior design, but what about your home's exterior? It's important to make a good first impression through careful design choices, but unfortunately, there are just as many common exterior design mistakes that can make your home look bad as there are tasteful decisions. Your home's exterior paint color, for one, is extremely important — and it can be the difference between an appealing or an outdated home. According to some design experts, shades that are keeping your home looking like it's stuck include certain moody brown hues, from dark chocolate to muddy brown.

Moody hues of dark, earthy browns can have their perks. If you live in colder climates, for example, a deep shade of brown might absorb more heat compared to a lighter exterior color, which can potentially reduce heating costs. Despite the practical reasons and the fact that the earthy shade can blend in with nature, some design experts say that painting your house brown may be a huge mistake. Because of shifting trends, more people are opting for warmer browns and neutral these days, and unfortunately, specific shades of dark brown, chocolate, and muddy brown can fall flat, making your home look heavy and outdated.

According to Consumer Reports, many homeowners chose darker shades to showcase their homes in 2020, so it's safe to say that moody exterior paint won't going out of style anytime soon. That said, dark and rich browns may not be such a classic, timeless choice. If you're thinking about switching up your home's exterior but you're set on similar moody shades, consider other exterior paint color trends that may give your dated home a revival. Softer browns with warm undertones can bring an element of coziness to your home's facade and give it an earthy elegance.

Some paint considerations that share a warm undertone include soft mocha or sand. These moody tones look polished and sophisticated, especially embellished on homes with sleek, contemporary architecture. Shades of taupe or light brown with neutral undertones can also give you a similar effect for a more classic, earthy look that can look natural on colonial or traditional homes. For a deeper, darker aesthetic, you might consider near-black browns that have cooler, ashy undertones like Black Fox by Sherwin-Williams.