Exterior paint goes far beyond practicality. While it provides essential protection from the elements, it also frames your home’s personality and sets the tone for what lies within. These four characterful hues from Benjamin Moore each breathe life into outdoor spaces, from quaint picket fences to quintessential farmhouse shutters.
If you're on the lookout for the best exterior paint colors, these thoughtfully chosen Benjamin Moore shades offer an inspired starting point. Exterior paint trends are leaning into soft, gentle tones that feel harmonious with natural surroundings, architectural details, and outdoor living spaces. And while color schemes are often in keeping with a property’s period, many are embracing the use of color to enhance a home's character.
Whether you’re painting doors, siding, accenting gables, or adding charm to garden structures, each of these colors delivers personality and polish in equal measure.
Here, I take a look at four of Benjamin Moore’s most charming exterior paints, each with its own carefully blended palette that offers the perfect balance of charm, character and quality.
Salisbury Green HC-139
Understated and enduring, Salisbury Green is a fresher take on a traditional sage green paint – subtly softened by a gray undertone that gives it refined depth.
'This soft and soothing green paint is inherently charming, adding a subtle touch of color to any exterior as an accent or siding,' explains Arianna Barone, Color Marketing Manager at Benjamin Moore.
Perfectly at home on colonial and cottage-style architecture, this shade feels especially resonant when used on facades framed by mature plantings or lush in-bloom gardens. It also lends itself beautifully to garden structures, subtly linking home with landscape.
Evening White OC-81
For those in search of a nuanced off-white paint that goes beyond the expected, Evening White is a warm and inviting choice with soft coral undertones.
'Delicate notes of peach bring a cozy feeling to this welcoming off-white,' says Ariana. 'It can make for a delightful exterior with more personality than a typical off-white, creating an ideal backdrop for trailing vines and potted plants.' Well-suited to ranch homes, bungalows, and modern farmhouses, Evening White enhances light without feeling stark.
On architectural elements like porch ceilings, pergolas, and garden gazebos, this shade adds warmth and charm while quietly amplifying natural light, perfect if you are looking to strike a balance between rustic simplicity and gentle sophistication.
Tudor Brown HC-185
Deep, evocative, and rich with heritage, Tudor Brown brings a refined depth that instantly elevates classic exteriors.
'Although brown paint colors may not be the first color you think of when you hear the word ‘charming,’ nothing feels quite as whimsical as a fairytale-like Tudor exterior,' says Ariana. 'Tudor Brown is a deep hue that exudes both softness and elegance and works beautifully on decorative trim, which is an iconic element of these styled homes'.
This shade delivers gravitas and grace when used on half-timbered accents, steep gables, and intricate trim. For those seeking subtle drama, it also works beautifully on gates, garden sheds, or carriage house doors by lending structure and a grounded quality to even the most romantic settings.
Blue Porcelain 1641
Blue Porcelain evokes the charm of dreamy and delicate, vintage cottages and waterside homes. 'A buoyant blue that is as light and airy as it is serene,' says Ariana. 'This powdery hue can bring a playful dose of whimsy to an exterior when painted on doors, shutters, or gingerbread trim.'
Whether you're decorating with blue in a lake house, beach cottage, or heritage porch, Blue Porcelain adds just the right hint of color that is never overwhelming yet always uplifting. Try it on a front gate for a sweet punctuation of color, or on window boxes and railings for a dose of personality that’s lighthearted and utterly timeless. It pairs effortlessly with climbing greenery, white trellises, or soft neutral backdrops for a look that feels both fresh and nostalgic.
If painting your home isn't on the cards for this year, you can still add plenty of charm with decoration in soft, whimsical shades. These are my picks to up the charm.
Pretty plant cages are a great addition to your doorstep when you already have large planters in place. These house smaller plants like saxifraga, pelargoniums, and, if you use the hanging feature and hang them from a beam or hook, plant up with trailing lobelia or creeping thyme for a welcome summer scent as you walk by.
How darling is this sweet door knocker? There's no reason why your home's exterior shouldn't get just as much care, attention, and decoration as its interior, and this is a delightful addition to a front door, especially if you love that cottagecore look.
Outdoor rugs are bang on trend, and we love them for their versatility and how they magically blur the indoors and the outdoors, making your front porch or veranda just as inviting and comfortable as inside your home. This tasteful blue and green rug is ideal for hot summer days and can be brought inside when the weather doesn't hold up.
This is a sure-fire way to put a smile on every visitor's face! This delightful and joy-sparking doormat is a great alternative to a plain, frankly inspiring version.
There's no reason to reserve door wreaths just for Christmas or holidays, they're happy additions to your front door at any time of year, especially one like this lamb's ear wreath that would look perfect any time of the year.
The classic artichoke shape has long been a common sight in heritage and prestigious gardens, and one saton either side of an entranceway would complete the look perfectly.
Whether your style leans traditional, whimsical, or somewhere in between, these four exterior shades from Benjamin Moore are poised to add charm and character to your home. Most of these paints are somewhat under-the-radar Benjamin Moore colors, and as such, they aren't too commonly used.
With just a lick or two of paint, your home’s exterior can be transformed into something full of story, style, and unmistakable presence.
