Whether you are building a new home, or considering some form of remodeling to bring your home into the 21st century, odds are you may be considering adding some flair to your windows with the assistance of vinyl exterior shutters. Once used to protect a home's windows from storms and other bad weather, shutters are now used solely as a design element on the exterior of your home. They are permanently attached to the side of your home, and choosing the right color to fit your home's style as well as your neighborhood can be considered easier said than done. Here are some simple tips to choosing the right color of vinyl exterior shutters for your home so you can finally obtain the curb appeal you have always dreamed of.
First, avoid standing out from the crowd. Unless your home is located on a large plot of land with few to no neighbors around, you will want to make sure you choose a color that complements your home without making it look tacky. While you may like the color, unusually bright colors will make your home stick out like a sore thumb in your neighborhood, and could really hurt you when it comes time to sell. Your neighbors will probably not be too fond of your color selection which can also have a negative effect on their homes value because no one will want to live near the home with the hot pink window treatments.
Thou, whose exterior semblance doth belie
Thy Soul’s immensity;
Thou best Philosopher, who yet dost keep
Thy heritage, thou Eye among the blind,
That, deaf and silent, read’st the eternal deep,
Haunted for ever by the eternal mind,—
— William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
Second, consider choosing from a color family similar to the color of your home. When it comes to choosing the right color of vinyl exterior shutters for your home, you may want to think about choosing one that is either a few shades lighter or darker than your home's main color. If your home happens to be adorned with a neutral shade like grey or something similar, consider choosing a tint that is either a few shades lighter or even darker than your base color. This color choice for window treatments can help make a statement, without overpowering the style of your home.
Lastly, determine the level of difficulty of choosing accent colors. While you probably already put a lot of time and effort into choosing your home's main color, choosing accent colors like the window shutters and even the color of your porch can be just as difficult. Before you settle on a color, think about how hard it will be to choose a color for your porch, or other outdoor accents that help give your home its style. If you choose a color that has no complements, you may find yourself stuck with accents in the same color which can potentially have a negative effect on the look of your home.
Provincetown was apparently what is called a flourishing town. Some of the inhabitants asked me if I did not think that they appeared to be well off generally. I said that I did, and asked how many were in the almshouse. “ Oh, only one or two, infirm or idiotic,” answered they. The outward aspect of the houses and shops frequently suggested a poverty which their interior comfort and even richness disproved. You might meet a lady daintily dressed in the Sabbath morning, wading in among the sand-hills, from church, where there appeared no house fit to receive her, yet no doubt the interior of the house answered to the exterior of the lady. As for the interior of the inhabitants I am still in the dark about it.
— Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
These are just a few of the simple tips to choosing the right color of vinyl exterior shutters for your home. Avoid choosing loud colors, and look for ones that make it easy to choose accent colors, and you are sure to find the right color of window treatments that can give your home the style you have been looking for.