LFB Color Study 2: Exterior Shutters and Balanced Color Saturation
A completed LFB COLOR exterior project for this gorgeous Houston home
Color familia and aficionados!
Did I lose you with the technical sound of this title about “balanced color saturation?” I hope not!
Saturation simply refers to the pigmentation, boldness or vibrancy of a color. High saturated colors are pure and clean, while low saturated colors are muted, “grayed down,” or muddy. In the example below, you can see that the highest saturated color is on the bottom in Benjamin Moore’s Baltic Sea CSP-680.
The most saturated of the three exterior shutter colors is on the bottom in Benjamin Moore’s Baltic Sea CSP-680. It is NOT my final choice for this home exterior.
This project was more complex than I had anticipated in that we have several colors already present on the home. While I don’t have any ‘before’ pictures, suffice it to say that we had a darker main color, light limestone just below it, the faded antique blue shutters, tile on the front and center of the second floor, orange toned roofing, and brown present on the door, window frames and corbel areas just under the roof. The tile itself is multi-colored. I was working with SIX COLORS at once and only had the option to change TWO of them on the house body and shutters. Actually, the green landscaping adds a 7th color to this home!
In the end, I chose the main color in Benjamin Moore’s Pale Almond OC-2 and the shutter color in Schooner AF-520, a refreshing shade from Benjamin Moore’s Affinity color collection.
Below are some photos of the home in progress after Pale Almond OC-2 had been painted on exterior body. I chose Pale Almond to match the limestone because we absolutely HAD to eliminate some colors from this space! Pale Almond creates continuity and a singular exterior body color.
Selecting the shutter color was an entirely different matter altogether. This is also where I want to address saturation. Here’s a HUGE COLOR TIP: All colors in the palette need to have consistent levels of saturation. Stated plainly, bold colors harmonize with other bold colors, while muted colors match with other muted colors.
Initially I thought to make the shutters match the front door’s wood, but my clients wanted color. What color would we choose? The only place to pull in a “color” would be from the tile front and center on the second floor. See images below for the three color choices we were contemplating.
Option 1 in Lakeside Cabin 1658 could have worked, but it seemed too dull and lighter than my client preferred. I had suggested a dark blue as represented in the tile, but the client asked for the lighter blue tone in the tile.
Option 2 in Schooner AF-520 was my choice ultimately because it is darker than Lakeside Cabin with just enough saturation or brightness to complement the other exterior colors and elements.
Option 3 in Baltic Sea CSP-680 matches the lighter blue in the tile but is absolutely far too bold and saturated for this home exterior.
We together chose Schooner AF-520 from Benjamin Moore’s Affinity color collection for the shutters. The entire Affinity collection offers a beautiful palette of color that isn’t too saturated, making it perfect for many home exterior specifications.
Here below are some pictures of the finished project!
The final view! With every project I learn something new!
Friends in Houston and beyond, I invite you to contact me by phone 281-989-4086 or email lauren@lfbcolor.com to discuss your interior or exterior color project. I work on all architectural spaces from residences to commercial buildings and multi-family properties. Don’t forget that I specify color on all materials from paint to roofing to counter tops and everything in between!
It would be my pleasure to specify color for you on your next project(s).
Until next time, have a colorful week!
XOXO,
Lauren
