A cottage is relaxed by design.
Historically, the exterior color of cottage houses were made from neutral pigments that had been gleaned from vegetables and minerals. These exterior finishes faded over time, giving them a relaxed, sun-bleached look. More recently, cottages have been covered in every hue from shades of white to bright pastels. When a cottage house has a balcony as an architectural detail you have an even greater opportunity to emphasize the relaxed-living style through your color choice.
Go Bold
Primary colors come in a variety of hues.
There are three primary colors: red, blue and yellow. They are the hues from which all other colors are created. Any of these will make a huge decorative statement on its own, but can also act as a powerful accent. Mixing white with any of these primary colors will create a soft pastel. Red turns to pink, blue to baby blue and yellow to pale yellow. These shades of pastels frequently cover the exterior of cottages, giving them the laid-back look of the Florida Keys. Shake it up a bit by painting the balcony in the primary color that was muted for the rest of the exterior. For example, a pale pink cottage with a pure red balcony will have a bold design impact.
Aim For Harmony
Colors found together in nature create harmony.
There are three secondary colors: green, orange and purple. These shades were created by combining two different primary colors. Blue and yellow produce green, red and yellow make orange, and blue and red create purple. Using a secondary shade as the main cottage color and a primary color to accent the balcony and trim will create a harmonious look. For example, paint the body of your cottage a light shade of purple. Because purple consists of blue and red, add white to one of those colors for pale blue or pink accents.
Create Your Own
Any color can take on a new hue with the addition of a neutral color.
You're not limited to colors normally found on cottages or even to those you see in a paint store. Adding a neutral shade such as white, brown, gray or black to any paint color will change the hue enough to make your cottage stand out. Black added to green creates olive green, a perfect accent color. Brown added to orange creates a rust color.
Neutral Colors
Play your balcony up as an architectural feature.
Those same neutral shades that are added to another color to change the latter color's hue, also stand well on their own. A light gray cottage with white trim and balcony will emphasize the balcony feature. A white cottage with a balcony trimmed in black will do the same. Not only will neutral colors give your cottage a fresh look, but they'll hearken back to the days when all cottages were painted using neutral pigments.
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