Refresh Your Home Exterior With This Bold Red Inspired By Stephen King's Maine Home

Whether you're a die-hard horror fan or someone who covers their eyes during jumpscares, you're likely familiar with Stephen King's work. Novels like "Carrie," "The Shining," and "Pet Sematary" have captured audiences' attention both in written form and on screen, and their impact on the horror genre is undebatable. Producing such spooky novels, however, requires some serious inspiration. While some authors might head out to a secluded cabin or traverse the world looking for a spark to inspire their next story, King had all the spooky vibes he needed to produce arguably his most popular work, "It," right at home.

The author's property in Bangor, Maine was an major source of inspiration when he was writing this beloved novel, and the surrounding area bears quite a few similarities to the fictional town of Derry, where the story is set. Once you take a look at the home itself, however, it's clear that this was the perfect place to write a horror story. The massive Victorian home was built in 1870, and it even features ornate gates that display spooky motifs like bats and spiders. While an architectural design like this could lean into horror regardless of the color, the exterior paint really drives the point home — the walls of this massive house are coated in a deep, rich red that's somehow both inviting and unnerving.

King's home in Maine has become quite the tourist attraction, so he and his wife have understandably chosen to relocate to somewhere more private, but that doesn't mean that this home doesn't still carry quite a bit of significance to fans. While it might be difficult to mimic the exact look without investing in a home from the 1800s, coating your residence in a similar deep red might be just the homage you're looking for.

So much of this home's charm (and unsettling nature) lies in its Victorian design, but the deep red paint goes a long way in completing the look. Choosing exterior paint can be a struggle, but a classic color like this is sure to hold up even as trends change, especially if it's historically accurate to the time the home was built. If you want to coat your space in this moody exterior paint color, look for dark reds with a brown base, like Benjamin Moore's Cottage Red, Sherwin-Williams' Fireweed, or Behr's Allure. Don't be afraid to go deep with this swatch — if you really want that heavy, dark look, lighter colors simply won't cut it.

While we're certainly not judging if you want to go all-in with this dark color, it can help to brighten it up with some light-colored accents. Using King's home as an example, the windows, balcony, porch, and trim are painted a soft white, and on a Victorian home with plenty of embellishments, this goes a long way in keeping the look from leaning too far into cartoonishly gothic territory. If you choose to go this route, stick with a warm white so it feels cohesive alongside the brown-based red.

Not feeling all that bold? This deep red would also be perfect as an accent color. Consider trying it out as a way to spruce up your front door that doesn't stand out enough. Thanks to the warm brown base and low LRV, this color feels much more neutral and subtle than a true, fire-engine red, so it should pair easily with most other warm tones.