Exteriors Inspiration

Our Exterior Range is now available in a wider spectrum of colours than ever before, so there’s never been a better time to take your favourite shades outdoors.

From the flat matt finish of Exterior Masonry, to the subtle sheen of Exterior Eggshell and the confident shine of Full Gloss, each finish is designed to perform beautifully outside. Durable, weather-resistant and crafted to protect surfaces for years to come, they allow you to extend the atmosphere and intention of your interior palette into the open air.


Choosing Colours for Exteriors

Exterior colour does more than refresh a facade: it sets the tone for your entire home. When choosing shades for outside, consider how they interact with the surrounding environment, from brickwork and stone to planting, paving and neighbouring buildings.

Light behaves very differently outdoors, so colours often appear lighter than they do inside. This means you can confidently choose deeper or stronger tones: for example, if you like Shadow White based on how it looks indoors, try the stronger Drop Cloth , or Templeton Pink instead of Setting Plaster .

Whether you want your home to blend gently into the landscape or stand out boldly, thoughtful colour choices can transform the character of a property.


TIP: See what sits opposite your dominant flower or foliage tone (or the colour of your pots) on the colour wheel to create an effortless pairing. Pink, red and purple look great with green, while blue brings out the best in orange and yellow.



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Our carefully curated palette of 132 shades, with an intriguing story behind each colour name, will help you to choose colours you love for your home.



Colour Ideas for Outside

From welcoming front doors to beautifully painted masonry and garden details, explore how colour can transform every part of your home’s exterior.


Front of House

Together, Exterior Masonry and Exterior Eggshell give you the power to make over everything from walls to window boxes. If you’re able to, we suggest taking full advantage of the possibilities. Adding a fresh coat of paint to the front of your home doesn’t just enhance your kerb appeal and brighten the day of visitors and passers-by, it’s also a great opportunity to show your personality.


TIP: Head to any of our colour pages to see ready-made schemes for the front of your home. If you know what you want your front door or other feature colour to be, these can help you find the tones that will support and enhance it.


Colour and Protection

Breathing new life into an outdoor space can be as simple as treating fence panels or patio furniture to a new coat of long-lasting paint, which will stay looking fresh until you fancy a change. Not sure where to start? Try picking out a colour or two from your planting scheme – this Cinder Rose patio set mirrors the emerging pink of the hydrangeas behind it for a subtly cohesive feel, while Pelt railings picks out the purple tones of this lavender.



The Light Fantastic

Our paint’s extraordinary response to light is one of its most distinctive features, and it’s shown off in spectacular fashion when our colours are used outdoors. As the level and direction of light changes, so does the appearance of our highly responsive colours, creating a space that looks different depending on the season and time of day.

Wall: Setting Plaster No.231 in Exterior Masonry; Fence: Red Earth No.64 in Exterior Eggshell

Fence: Railings No.31 in Exterior Eggshell; Planter: Bancha No.298 in Full Gloss


TIP: Colours will always look brighter in direct sunlight than they do indoors, so don’t be afraid to be bold!


Inside Out

If you’re lucky enough to have a room that leads directly to an outdoor space, or looks out onto one, you have the perfect opportunity to create indoor-outdoor flow. The easiest way to do that is to have a shared thread of colour that links both areas, whether it’s an all-over treatment that reflects the greenery of the surrounding landscape or a subtle link between interior and exterior features.

Wall: Green Smoke No.47 in Exterior Eggshell

Wall: School House White No.291 in Exterior Masonry; Planter: Inchyra Blue No.289 in Full Gloss


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Look Around

For structural features that give a nod to their surroundings, take your colour cues from the skies. Durable finishes in raincloud greys, stormy blues and misty greens look beautiful no matter the weather, and there are plenty to choose from in our palette, from the light-touch tones of Blue Gray to the deep drama of Inchyra Blue .

Bench: Blue Gray No.91 in Exterior Eggshell; Doors: Inchyra Blue No.289 in Exterior Eggshell

Shepherd’s Hut: Blue Gray No.91 in Exterior Eggshell


TIP: Brickwork, flagstones, render and wood cladding are also great exterior cues to base your paint colour on. For window frames, for example, try a shade that’s close to the colour of the pointing between any surrounding bricks.


Sampling Colours Outside

Testing colours in situ is the best way to make a confident decision. You can use one of our pre-painted swatches or create your own by applying two full coats of your chosen colour to a large piece of lining paper or card. Once dry – or using your swatch – take the sample outside and position it against the surface you plan to paint. Move it around and view it at different times of day to see how the colour responds to changing light before committing to your final shade.


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How Light Affects ColourHow Light Affects Colour
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More ideas this way

Looking for front door colour ideas? Or a quick and easy how-to? Make our blog, The Chromologist, your next destination for inspiration.