Beachy Exterior Paint Color Schemes and Painting Ideas?

by Lisa Hanna

I am wanting to paint the building a new color. You can see the awning is a teal color. More green in it than blue and my bead sign has a pretty aqua green with brown sea horse and letters.

I am thinking about a few colors I like but not sure if they will work: an apricot orange, the green on the sign, a yellow green like the plant pot or just white.

I want it beachy. I have buildings on each side of me and they are close to my color. I want to separate me from them.

Hope the pics are good enough. Thank you.



Yelena's Response:

Hi Lisa,

I am not sure if it's my monitor or maybe we just see colors differently, but to me your awnings look turquoise, and the sign appears aqua blue - without a hint of green in it!

You already have a beachy color scheme going on (blues, greens and neutral/sand color on the walls). So in order to separate your building from the neighbors', we'll have to exaggerate the beachy palette and crank up the paint color.

First, let's take a look at the four colors you have in mind (white, green, blue, apricot), and then I will give you a new suggestion.

(NOTE: the colors are not exact - but they will give you direction and a good idea of what result you can expect)



White walls usually work great with turquoise/aqua accents. But in this case, white looks too clean compared to the other colors - it does not relate to anything, and seems too stark and out of place.

Plus, it is not very practical, and high maintenance.



The blue color of the sign looks great with the brown trim, but clashes with the awnings and takes away from the sign.



The green of the plant pot still looks wrong with the awnings, and competes with the other green accents.



An apricot orange shade will look good, but deeper/more saturated shades of orange will look even better (for example, terra-cotta or the coral above).

Blue and orange are natural complements - they enhance/intensify, and bring out the best in each other.

This color combination can look artisan and ocean bottom inspired at the same time - depending on how you look at it.



Finally, here's a new paint color idea for you - yellow.

Yellow will work with all your existing colors, and will make the accents "pop". This color will create a sunny, cheerful and exaggerated beachy palette.

So in summary, my recommendation is to use a shade of orange or a shade of yellow for painting your store's exterior. Both orange and yellow shades are eye-catching, they will coordinate nicely with your current color scheme, make your building stand out, and grab attention (very important for a commercial building).

The shade you choose will depend on how much color and change you can handle!

I hope this was helpful - let me know!

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