Our Top Exterior House Color 2022
By: Sarah
Our expert exterior design team has agreed on the top exterior house color 2022 will bring to the forefront. First, we reflected on our selection for the top paint color of 2021. We’ve used Benjamin Moore’s Seapearl in hundreds of exterior designs this year. It’s been a smash hit on everything from brick to stucco to siding. Next, we highlighted our favorites from our go-to paint vendors, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. Then, we cut that list to 17 exterior paint colors that we expect to be on-trend. Now, we’re ready to declare Black Beauty by Benjamin Moore as the best exterior paint color of 2022.
At brick&batten, we’re more than exterior paint color consultants: we’re expert exterior designers ready to help you visualize the home of your dreams — and make it happen. Learn more about our exterior design services.
Why We Love Black Beauty
We only use paint colors in our exterior designs and renderings that we’ve used ourselves, in real-life applications. Our favorite exterior house color of 2022 is a prime example: our co-founder Allison painted her home in Black Beauty.
Black Beauty is rich and elegant without feeling stuffy. It’s warm and dramatic. We’re feeling saturated tones, like earthy sage greens and coppers and browns, as on-trend color palettes in 2022. Black Beauty works well within this range.
The Nitty Gritty: Technical Specs
Benjamin Moore’s Black Beauty is dark, with an LRV of 3.26. (Learn all about LRV here.) It’s similar to another paint color we love, Onyx, but is a couple of shades lighter. We consider it a deep charcoal gray or a near-black.
Black Beauty is heavier on the blue in the RGB (red-green-blue) mix, but it can also pick up on some green depending on a building’s surrounding natural environment.
We always recommend sampling and testing paint colors before committing. Factors such as natural lighting, undertones, and your property’s fixed elements will have a significant impact on how a color will appear on your exterior. Our friends at Samplize offer extra-large 9 x 14.75 inch peel-and-stick paint samples of the colors we love for exteriors. Order your ‘Real Paint, No Mess’ samples from Samplize here.
Black Beauty As an Accent
Our designers love to use colorblocking and multiple building materials in coming up with dynamic exteriors that are full of layers and texture. With that in mind, our go-to exterior paint colors must play nicely with others. And Black Beauty does.
Furthermore, Black Beauty is a gorgeous complement to natural stone, natural or painted brick, stained wood, and more. Above, Black Beauty on the siding provides striking contrast against the brick, which is limewashed with Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.
Additionally, we used Black Beauty on the trim and soffits in the rendering above to highlight interesting lines and architectural details. And on the home below, our designers used Black Beauty on the brick and accents alongside Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster on the siding.
Black Beauty’s Versatility
We understand that using black paint on exteriors isn’t for everyone (though here are 15 more reasons why you should consider it). It’s a bold choice. But the versatility of dark paint colors like Black Beauty may surprise you.
For one thing, near-black paint colors often act as a neutral within an exterior color scheme. This can help other design elements shine, even without using bright pops of color. To illustrate, check out the exterior design above. This rendering is of a barn that the owners plan to convert into a spa and wellness space. Notice how the backdrop of the dark siding enhances the brightness of the stone siding and warmth of the stained wood? That’s the magic of Black Beauty.
Benjamin Moore’s Black Beauty: In Conclusion
From vacation homes to commercial spaces and mid-century modern split levels to industrial farmhouse two-stories, we’re excited to use Black Beauty in our exterior designs. Overall, we expect to recommend this paint color to many clients in the year(s) ahead.
Would you like to see the exterior of your home (or business) rendered in Black Beauty? Or perhaps an earth-tone color palette, or something off-white? Or to compare all three of the above? That’s what we’re here for! Get started on envisioning the exterior of your dreams — and making it a reality — today.
Our designers only use and recommend products that we know, love, or would use on our own properties. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
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