What Colors Go with an Orange & Brown Roof?

Make your house a positive presence in the neighborhood by maintaining its attractive exterior appearance. When building or updating a home, determining the paint color can often seem overwhelming. Let the color of the roof help narrow down your options. Several colors go well with shingles that have tonal variations of orange and brown.

Orange and brown roofs typically have overall earthen tones. Choose other brown tones for house colors that blend with the tones of the shingles. For a weighty, rustic quality, use darker browns such as Van Dyke brown, walnut or java. For a lighter look, go with lighter browns that have hints of orange.

For colors that still blend with but do not necessarily match the roof, choose analogous colors. Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. Analogous options for an orange-brown roof include yellow or red. A house done with any combination of orange, red or yellow tones will exude a feeling of warmth. If desired, tame the sensation of warmth with paler or grayed tones.

Balance the warmth of an orange and brown roof with the coolness of blue. On the color wheel, blue sits opposite orange, meaning they are complementary colors. For a more vivid color relationship, use a brighter, more saturated blue such as teal or cobalt blue. For something more toned down, use a paler, softer blue such as baby blue, sky blue or light gray-blue.

Emphasize the earthen quality of a brown and orange roof with house colors that reference the warm, reddish tones of terracotta. Many paint manufacturers sell terracotta-colored paint. House exteriors painted terracotta have the essence of brick or adobe. A traditional native American adobe home often features a splash of color, such as trim painted bright blue.