Designing Al Fresco: Home Exterior Trends

Designing Al Fresco: Exterior Residential Trends

It’s summertime, and those of us who design, build, and beautify homes know this means it’s the season of exciting exterior refreshes.

Here, we’ll take a walk through some of the trends giving modern exteriors the most current kind of curb appeal—and the ones making outdoor living spaces just as comfortable and beautiful as the ones indoors.

Exterior Paint Color Trends in 2022

In 2022, home exterior colors are trending toward timeless style—classic neutrals, moody grays and blacks, and a whole spectrum of blues and greens.

The moody modern shade of Iron Ore SW 7069 (251-C7) gets a contemporary-meets-classic complement of trim in crisp Dover White SW 6385 (261-C2). Photo by Solomon Davis, courtesy of Hatcliff Construction, LLC.

Our Commercial Colormix® New Residential palette features many of these trending hues—nature-inspired greens and blues, traditional grounded neutrals, and bold accents curated to bring on-trend beauty and balance into interior and exterior spaces alike.

Our Colormix® New Residential palette features trending colors for modern home exteriors, like Alabaster SW 7008 (255-C2) and Iron Ore SW 7069 (251-C7).

As always, classic white is still a perennial favorite for exterior appeal. And a front door painted a bright or unexpected pop of color is a trend that isn’t likely to fade any time soon.

Finding the Right Paint for Exteriors

Sherwin-Williams® was proud to sponsor The New American Home® 2022, a collaborative effort by construction, design, and coatings experts to achieve “great design at an attainable price point” and showcase all the exciting new possibilities in the residential sector.

For this year’s home, our premium Emerald® Rain Refresh™ Exterior Acrylic Latex, in Big Chill SW 7648 (256-C7) (and tintable in VinylSafe® paint colors), was the product chosen for the exterior, primarily for its durability, ease of application, and Self-Cleaning Technology™—a special minimal-maintenance formula designed to wash away dirt upon contact with rain or water.

Sherwin-Williams teamed up with other industry leaders to design a home that celebrates everything making modern homes beautiful in 2022—from the inside out. Photos by Jeffrey A. Davis Photography, courtesy of The New American Home 2022.

Emerald® Rain Refresh™ is also great for painting brick, a trend that has caught on for existing structures and new construction alike. With the Emerald® Rain Refresh™ product’s self-cleaning properties, painted brick or siding continues to look fresh and new, season after season.

Bringing the Inside Out: Al Fresco Living

With the help of wellness-driven details and mindful elements of comfort, homeowners are taking to their patios, porches, and yards to unwind and entertain, and we’re seeing several interior trends out in the open air.

Set against a backdrop of Urbane Bronze SW 7048 (245-C7), light wood furnishings and cozy textiles create an inviting al fresco escape. Photo courtesy of Rejuvenation.

Warm minimalism is a favorite style, with furnishings taking on more modern, slim profiles and proportions and plenty of less-is-more functionality. All-weather upholstery and accessories in mood-boosting colors, alongside matte, powder-coated finishes, also create a happy vibe in modern backyard escapes.

Image at top courtesy of Rejuvenation.
Door: Rookwood Dark Green SW 2816 (Historic Collection), Siding: Snowbound SW 7004 (256-C2), Trim: Shiitake SW 9173 (248-C1).