Natural Wood Siding

A popular option for house color exteriors is to go with the natural wood color. Whether it is clapboard, shakes, shingles, or log, the preservation of the natural wood color as the main body color of the house presents unique challenges.

Consider Scale

Picture yourself looking at your house straight on…a certain percentage of your house will be dedicated to the body color, some to trim, some to shutters, roof and door. When you think of your house in this two-dimensional way, it becomes easier to map out your color schemes.

A house with wooden siding that is stained or clear coated is definitely a house where “wood is the message”. Recall back to the image of the house I asked you to picture and all of its components in scale…certainly the body color is largest component in square footage and most likely in visual impact. Therefore, a house treated in this way says what? It says “I am all about the fact that I am made of wood and I am derived from nature and am part of the landscape”. Yes, your house does have a voice and it is speaking to you, you just have to be listening.

The question now is, “what becomes a house that looks like it is made directly from natural materials?”. The answer is simple and obvious…the trim and accent choices for such a home are those which are derived from nature itself; colors that look like river rock, bark, foliage, sand and soil.

Today, take a walk outside and look at nature. Tree bark, rocks, soil, mosses, lichen; all these things are very muted in color. They are not bright, but low in intensity. Intensity is a colorist’s term for a hue which is very muted and far away from being a primary or pure color. So since nature itself is very muted, the use of a muted color for trim and accents which mimics stone, moss, soil, etc. will be a compliment to the main body of the house. The trim and accents will not overwhelm the body color but will support it, allowing the subtle nuances of the wood siding to have its own voice.

A color scheme or palette especially of natural wood colors is a delicate balance of components; not easily composed to be sure. But then again anything worth having is certainly a bit of work. I am here for you, please feel free to contact me for questions or consultations. :)