Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Home & Garden
  • Style & Culture
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • These Haircuts Are Going To Be Huge in 2021

      The trendy haircuts you’ll be seeing everywhere next year. Read More Next
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More Next
    • The Right Way to Heat a Pre-Cooked Ham

      It's so easy, trust us. Read More Next
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Lost Cakes of the South

    These simple and spectacular Southern cakes deserve a comeback
    • All Food
    • All Recipes
    • Holidays & Occasions
    • Quick Fix Suppers
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Casseroles
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    70 Wedding Vow Examples That Will Melt Your Heart

    Fight writer's block and find ways to express your love with these romantic, funny, and short wedding vow examples.
    • Christmas
    • Entertaining
    • Thanksgiving
    • Southern Weddings
    • Easter
    • Kentucky Derby
    • Valentine's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Mother's Day
  • Home & Garden

    Home & Garden

    See All Home & Garden

    7 Paint Colors We’re Loving for Kitchen Cabinets in 2020

    ‘Tis the season to ditch your all-white palette in favor of something a little bolder and brighter.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Before & After
    • Inspired Communities
    • Curb Appeal
    • House Plans & Builders
    • The Grumpy Gardener
    • Plant Names A-Z
  • Style & Culture

    Style & Culture

    See All Style & Culture

    50 Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime

    Curl up with a classic!
    • Southern Culture
    • Hair
    • Travel
    • Beauty
    • Pets
    • Southern Fashion
    • Healthy Living
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. Home
  3. Home Decor Ideas
  4. 7 Classic Southern Paint Colors

7 Classic Southern Paint Colors

By Zoë Gowen
February 27, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet
We’ve rounded up the colors most closely associated with our region’s architecture.
Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Colorful History

Throughout the South, there’s history behind everything—even paint colors. We’ve tracked down the seven most recognizable colors, explained the stories behind them, and recommended our favorite color to get each look. We hope you will be inspired to try one of these Southern looks for your own home.

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Barn Red

Years ago, Southern farmers concocted a mixture of orange-colored linseed oil and rust to protect wooden barns from the elements. The mixture kept the barns standing longer and created the iconic red barns that dot the Southern landscape.

Paint technologies have evolved, but barn red is still a sought after paint color to make your home stand out. It’s a strong color that is best used as an accent or for outbuildings. Punch up your exterior with small doses of red on shutters and doors against a more neutral base such as white or cream.

Get the Color: Stadium Red (TH224) by Ralph Lauren Paint; ralphlaurenhome.com.

2 of 8

3 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Texas Leather

In Texas, the land of wide-open spaces, it’s imperative that buildings and nature blend together seamlessly. Texas ranch homes are typically painted brown or tan to keep the focus on the landscape and the bright blue skies rather than the house.

Take this ranch-inspired color beyond Texas. A brick home painted a dark brown comes alive with charming pale blue shutters and doors. Or try the deep brown as an accent color on a beige home for a tone-on-tone color scheme.

Get the Color: Texas Leather (AC-3) by Benjamin Moore; benjaminmoore.com.

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Charleston Green

Local legend says that Charleston Green, a green so deep it looks black, came about after the Civil War when Union troops sent buckets of black paint to help rebuild the decimated town. Colorful Charleston residents couldn’t bear the thought of their Holy City being painted government-issued black, so they tinted the paint with yellow and green, creating Charleston’s signature greenish-black accent color.

Regardless of the tale’s truth, the inky green is ideal for defining shutters, doors, ironwork, and window trim on homes everywhere. It looks especially great against a white body. For maximum impact, try it in a glossy finish.

Get the Color: Historic Charleston Green (DCR099) by Duron; duron.com.

4 of 8

5 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Creole Pink

Throughout New Orleans, Savannah, and other Southern towns influenced by the Creole and Caribbean cultures, you will find plenty of pink houses. Not a hot pink, but a more subtle hue that has been mixed with khaki.

You don’t have to live in one of these coastal towns to bring their signature muddy pink to your home. While it works well as a backdrop to Historic Charleston Green trim, consider painting your exterior Creole pink with gray trim for fresh look. If you prefer a lighter and more classic effect, update a traditional white home with pinkish-khaki accents.

Get the Color: Pink Ground (No. 202) by Farrow & Ball; us.farrow-ball.com.

5 of 8

6 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Williamsburg Blue

Colonial settlers turned to nature for their vibrant color palette. Looking at the sky and ocean they came up with the chalky blue that covers many buildings throughout Colonial Williamsburg, most notably the Blue Bell Tavern.

This color works best on wooden Colonial-style homes. The symmetry of these homes keeps the look restrained. Paint trim a crisp white that plays up the blue.

Get the Color: Bracken Tenement Blue Slate (101) by Martin-Senour Paints; martinsenour.com.

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Haint Blue

Blue porch ceilings are prevalent all throughout the South. Pale blue is not only visually expansive, but it’s also a ghost buster of sorts. The Gullah culture of the Lowcountry believes that spirits, known as “haints,” can’t cross water. Using light blue paint to symbolize water, the Gullah people applied the shade to porch ceilings and doors preventing evil spirits from entering.

Though we aren’t sure how effective paint can be against bad spirits, we can’t resist the Gullah look. The calming shade of blue adds both culture and charm to porch ceilings. We also love to bring it inside to interior ceilings!

Get the Color: Palladian Blue (HC-144) by Benjamin Moore; benjaminmoore.com.

7 of 8

8 of 8

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Antebellum White

No roundup of Southern colors would be complete without mention of the white shade that coats the grand columned homes throughout the South. Early Southerners were inspired by ancient civilizations like the Greeks and began building homes based on classic Greek temples to represent the prosperity of their young country. Why white? It emulates the marble that composed the original Greek structures. If you live in a home that’s Gone With the Wind-inspired, bow to tradition and keep it white.

Of course, not all white houses must have columns. But to get the right antebellum-influenced shade, we recommend a white with dark undertones. It adds instant patina and keeps the home from being blindingly bright in sunlight. Shutters and doors can be a slightly darker cream color for a monochromatic look. If you prefer a more formal look, use a black to add definition.

Get the Color: Site White (SW7070) by Sherwin-Williams; sherwin-williams.com.

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Zoë Gowen

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 8 Colorful History
2 of 8 Barn Red
3 of 8 Texas Leather
4 of 8 Charleston Green
5 of 8 Creole Pink
6 of 8 Williamsburg Blue
7 of 8 Haint Blue
8 of 8 Antebellum White

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message Print

Login

Southern Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Southern Living
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Southern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

View image

7 Classic Southern Paint Colors
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.