Color can emphasize decorative elements of Victorian exteriors.
The extensive detailing of Victorian house exteriors creates terrific opportunities to get creative with color. The curves, arches and decorative brackets can be painted to stand out or blend in with the rest of the exterior. Period-accurate schemes include dramatic choices as well as more subtle schemes, but you may not be restricted to them. Be sure to find out whether your home is under the jurisdiction of any regulatory body, such as a local or county historic preservation commission or the National Landmark Register. Such organizations may strictly regulate exterior color selections.
Beige
Beige with cream trim color may satisfy requirements of historical accuracy.
Victorian exteriors are noted for their often intricate, sometimes elaborate decorative elements, such as corbels, nature-inspired ornamentation and scrollwork. The homeowner who uses a neutral such as beige, leaves wide open her choices for trim or accent colors to highlight these elements. Such hues as olive green, mustard, or cream make period-appropriate trim selections. Modern-day Victorian owners who are not legally or conceptually wedded to historical accuracy may tend toward such accent colors as cranberry, lemon-yellow or eggplant.
Green
Olive green with pale trim is a classic Victorian exterior color option.
A slightly more adventuresome, yet historically faithful, color for a Victorian exterior is green. In fact, the Governor's mansion in California was originally painted mustard yellow with sage green trim, according to an educational piece published by the state's parks department. The Sherwin-Williams Victorian Preservation Palette for exteriors suggests a deep olive green for walls with dark brown and caramel for trim. Behr displays an image of olive green walls with cream trim in its slideshow of Victorian exterior color options.
Cream
The serene elegance of creamy off-white shades, such as bisque, oyster or antique white, makes them an ideal selection for your Victorian home's exterior. Off-white blends well with any type of tree cover, foliage, fencing or flowerbed. In addition, it won't clash with neighboring home or auto colors. Moreover, using off-white allows broad choice when it comes to trim. Non-traditional trim colors may include russet, cherry or egg yolk. Period-accurate selections might be dusty rose, terra cotta, caramel or amber.
Lavender
It might seem surprising that lavender would have been used on homes during a period of such restraint as to mores and manners. But lavender, typically informed with brown or gray, is a period-accurate selection. Sherwin-Williams depicts a scheme of lavender-gray walls with slate and stone-grey trim, while Behr proffers an image of cream-colored upper walls undergirded by gray-brown brick, set off with deep lavender trim. The scheme is carried into the property's fence design for a sense of unity.
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