10 Earthy Color Combinations That Add Warmth And Elegance To Your Home Exterior

Do you ever notice how some houses just feel warm and elegant without you ever having to step inside? Earthy colors have the ability to make a home feel effortlessly grounded and cozy. If you'd like to add some of that elegance to your home, there are tons of unique color combinations you can choose from. We're talking about hues naturally found in the outdoors, like in foliage, clays, stones, woods, and sand. You can create stunning palettes from these colors because they belong together in the real world, which gives them a grounding and natural cohesiveness. Think shades like ochre, terracotta, wood brown, sandy beige, charcoal gray, and olive green. 

A common mistake everyone makes when choosing exterior paint is forgetting to consider the architectural style of the home. For example, Spanish-style and Scandinavian homes both use reds and whites. However, it's the particular shades and the balance of colors that really differentiate them. The former uses mostly whites with terracotta red accents. Their Nordic counterparts use a much deeper red with small white accents. Both are earthy and cozy but lend themselves to different materials and architectural styles. 

When choosing exterior paints, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, check your house's surroundings. If you live in an area with lots of greenery, for example, you might want to take those shades into account for your color palette. Also, remember to take your paint swatches outside. Natural light makes colors look different than indoor artificial light, and that's also true about the time of day. View your chosen paint colors outside in the morning, afternoon, and at night to check if you like what you see, no matter the hour.

Olive green is one of the quintessential earthy tones. This is a dark shade of green that's close to brown with some yellow hues. When used for exterior painting, it has the ability to fade into the landscape while perfectly complementing it. During sunset, the sun's rays bring out its yellow hues. Pair olive green with a yellow front door and window trim to help bring out those warm hues and instantly turn your home into a joyful haven. You can do this with muted yellow paint or by using yellow-brown wood.

What says cozy and warm better than Sweden's traditional red and white houses? This color combo can turn your house into a red cottage that looks straight out of the northern wilderness. The key here is to choose a shade of red that's warm and deep. This will make the red look more natural and earthy. To complete the look, use white paint for doors, windows, and trims. This looks particularly good with wooden homes in woodsy areas, where the surrounding foliage helps balance out the intensity of the red.

For something a bit more muted, consider painting your home with a combination of sandy beige and rich brown. The warm tones of the sandy beige, almost a pastel yellow, match perfectly with deep wood colors for something that feels light, airy, and earthy. It's a calm design that pairs well with white trims and green foliage. Homes with this color combination will come alive during golden hour, where the yellow tones will shine through. On gloomy days, it feels warm and uplifting, like a breath of fresh air.

Another muted palette you can choose for an earthy makeover is cool browns paired with creamy whites. Cool browns and tans are closer to gray than yellow, which allows them to blend perfectly into the landscape. To make these cool colors pop, pair them with off-white or cream accents, which helps brighten the home's exterior and make it look more luxurious, balanced, and open.

For a darker and more elegant style, pair dark olive green with deep brown and black. This color combination is reminiscent of an old manor, and it will carry the spirit of autumn throughout the year. While this is a bold statement, it is a sensible alternative to painting your home black, which your neighbors might prefer. For example, paint the entire home with a dark shade of green and highlight smaller elements — like window frames, porches, and railings — with a matte black shade. It's classy, earthy, and unique.

Earthy doesn't have to mean autumnal. Instead of going with something dark and moody, you can go the opposite route and turn your home into a Mediterranean dream. Paint your home's exterior white for a limewash look, and pair it with terracotta accents. This can be done through painted window frames, but also roofing, brick alleyways, or even large statement terracotta pots. This color screams warm and breezy, and it works wonderfully with Italian and Spanish-style homes. Decorate with lush greenery to bring out an air of Tuscany.

Nothing quite says earthy like a brick wall. If you're renovating a home with some apparent bricks but would like to make it look more elegant and muted, consider painting some of the walls with a shade of warm gray. The depth of the gray paint will help make the red brick pop where it's visible while grounding the home and making it easier on the eye. Before you get started, remember that primer is required to prep exterior brick for a seamless paint job.

If you're a bit more daring and want to use bright colors, consider a joyful and whimsical mix of yellow and red. The key with these bright colors is to avoid overwhelming the eye by covering entire walls with saturated hues. Remember, earthy means natural. Instead, use a shade of yellow that's light and orangey, like a sunrise on the beach. Then, opt for a bright and saturated red only for small accents like doors or windows.

While we tend to associate earthy with greens, browns, and reds, there are also some shades of blue that can be found in the natural world. Look for blue shades that have gray and green undertones, like those you find in a deep lake, at the sea, or in a cloudy day's sky. These colors are naturally calming and match beautifully with dark gray slate roofs and white trims and window frames.

For a bit more energy, consider using bright orange for elements of your home exterior. To avoid making it look too artificial, consider bright wood tones with warm yellow and orange undertones instead of orange paint. By pairing orange wood with darker organic materials, like gray stone walls, you can create a perfect balance of earthy colors. To do this, you can use an orange wood stain to add a bit more vibrancy to your existing wooden elements, like garage doors, porch railings, or window frames.