Every homeowner takes pride in their house and wants it to look as great as possible. With so many different styles of homes and constantly changing trends in home decor, some people may wonder about the relationship between the interior and exterior design of their homes.
Do exterior and interior colors and design techniques need to match? Several factors influence the answer to this question, including your personal style and preferences. However, in general, the interior design and exterior theme of your home should match. You’ll need to consider several aspects of your home’s appearance to achieve a cohesive look without being too “matchy-matchy” — it’s all about finding that perfect balance.
Why Your Home Exterior Should Match Your Interior
Matching the inside of your home to the outside style may seem challenging at first, but it’s worthwhile, as it’s key to keeping your house looking as great as possible.
A few benefits of coordinating the exterior and interior designs of your home include:
- To maintain flow: It can be very jarring for a home to have too many different characteristics, colors or design styles. If your home’s exterior and interior clash with each other, it can negatively affect the feng shui and general vibe of the house. As an example, imagine walking into a home with a modern-looking exterior but a very traditionally decorated interior. You would likely feel confused without even realizing why.
- To have a cohesive style: By matching the inside of your home to the outside, you’re allowing your home to fall into a specific category. This will benefit you when the time comes for you to sell your home if you plan to do so, as buyers will know what to expect based on the style of your home. It also allows them to imagine what the inside will look like based on the exterior.
- To prepare guests for the interior: People like knowing what they’re walking into when they arrive at a new house. By styling the interior of your home to complement the exterior, your home will instantly feel more familiar and welcoming to newcomers.
Overall, coordinating the interior and exterior of your home will result in a more natural flow and style for you, your guests and potential future buyers of your home.
Tips for Matching the Exterior and Interior
Now that you understand the importance of matching the interior and exterior of your home, here are five tips to help you get started on coordinating the appearance of your house.
1. Identify the Style
The first step you’ll need to take to match the interior and exterior of your home is to identify the style you want your house to have. The style of home you choose depends on several things, such as your location, climate, property size and layout and your personal preferences. One of the most fascinating things about becoming a homeowner is that you can choose a style of home that represents your unique taste.
A few popular types of home styles throughout the U.S. include:
- Coastal: If you live by the ocean or another body of water, you might find that homes in your area have a coastal or beachy vibe. Whether you go for more of a nautical theme or Mediterranean atmosphere, you can introduce coastal design elements both inside and outside your house. The blue-and-white color scheme is a popular choice for this style of home, as well as a mix of white-washed and weathered wood furniture. The decor should be fun and playful, with light colors like pastels and other faded hues.
- Colonial: Colonial-style homes are reminiscent of some of the first houses built in America. Most are two or sometimes three stories with either wood or brick exteriors. One of the most distinctive characteristics of colonial homes is that their design and layout is symmetrical. Steep roofs, small windows and massive, centered chimneys are also characteristic features of a colonial home. Though they share many architectural aspects, colonial homes can vary in color and interior design. However, most colonial interiors will follow a warm color scheme and include elegant, traditional furniture and decorations.
- Modern: Modern or contemporary homes are sleek, clean-lined houses with neutral color schemes and minimalist design styles. Modern houses are somewhat geometric and irregular in their architecture and include materials such as metal and glass. They also typically have low-pitched, flat roofs and are one level, though they can also be two. Large windows, open floor plans and modest use of color are also common traits of contemporary houses. Design elements are often bold and unique, following along with the postmodernism theme.
- Victorian: A Victorian-style home is perhaps the closest to a castle many homeowners will be able to get. These elegant, ornate homes have a heavy focus on elaborate exteriors with high-pitched ceilings and usually multiple rounded towers. Most Victorian houses will also have bay windows and other large windows that let in plenty of light. Intricate wooden trims and other ornate moldings should continue from the exterior to the interior of the home, too. A Victorian home may also have bright colors, eccentric but sophisticated decorations and design elements that resemble the architecture of the 1800s.
- Cape Cod: Cape Cod homes are cozy, cottage-style houses that focus on simple and symmetrical architecture. The second stories of Cape Cod houses are typically small, consisting of maybe a bedroom or two or possibly even just a small attic space. These traditional, rectangular-shaped houses have large, central chimneys and represent the style of homes that early American settlers built. Steep but low-vaulted roofs and shingle siding are also defining features of Cape Cod homes. Color and design elements are usually whimsical, chic and perhaps a bit rustic on occasion.
By identifying which of these styles — or other popular home style — you want your house to have, you can begin to decide on design elements you need both inside and outside.
2. Consider Colors
The colors you use both inside and outside your home will have a direct impact on its appearance and overall vibe. While you want the interior and exterior of your home to flow well together, you may not want them to be exactly the same color, as that may too matchy-matchy. Instead, you’ll likely want to stick to a specific color palette with shades that complement one another.
Some color schemes you might want to try are:
- Warm: The warm colors in a color wheel include the shades of red, orange and yellow, as they make us think of warm things like fire and the sun. In interior design and architecture, warm colors will also include some shades of brown, brick and tan. Warm colors tend to evoke strong emotions as well as a sense of coziness, so they are common in more traditional homes and cottage-style houses.
- Cool: On the other side of the color wheel are the cool colors, which include shades of blue, green, yellow and violet and often remind us of natural elements like the grass and water. Cool color schemes are common in coastal and Cape Cod homes because they are calming and soothing. They can also give a house a more breezy, open-air feeling and peaceful atmosphere.
- Neutral: In between warm and cool we have our neutral shades, which includes shades of white, grey, taupe, black, gold and silver. Neutral shades are popular for modern homes because they fit in with the minimalistic, clean look. While any home should have a few neutral colors throughout it to complement the warm or cool shades they choose to use, contemporary homes typically only follow a neutral color palette — perhaps with one or two pops of color.
As you decide on the color scheme you want your home’s interior and exterior to follow, consider both the style of your home as well as the way you want to feel when you walk in the door.
3. Think About Accents
Once you’ve chosen your color scheme, you should select an accent color that you’ll use both inside and outside your home. For example, if your home’s exterior has intricate moldings, shutters or other architectural features you’d like to emphasize, make them a color that contrasts and complements the color of the rest of the house.
You can then use this same accent shade inside your home to keep the consistency and flow going. You might have a few pieces of accent furniture, for example, or perhaps an accent wall in the living room, family room or kitchen. Make sure these interior accent pieces are the same color as your exterior features.
4. Draw Inspiration From Landscaping
In most areas of the country, a home’s exterior looks very different during all four seasons. Your landscaping will have a significant impact on the way your home will look on the outside, and it should correlate with both the style of your house and your interior design.
In the spring and summertime, for example, you might have flowering plants in your front garden or hanging baskets on the porch. In the fall, you might have pumpkins and warm-colored foliage outside and seasonal fall-themed decor inside. Meanwhile, you might use more neutral tones during the winter months. While it’s impossible to change your home’s exterior coloring every season, you can use your landscaping to inspire your home’s interior themes and design elements.
The one factor you usually do have control over when it comes to your landscaping is the coloring of any flowers you choose to incorporate. Aim for shades that will complement both the interior and exterior of your home well.
5. Choose the Right Textures and Materials
The materials and texture you use throughout your home should complement one another both inside and outside of the house. If you have a more contemporary home with an exterior that consists of sleek materials like glass and metal, you should use those textures throughout the interior design in your house as well. Include metallic and minimalistic elements as your lighting fixtures, furniture and other decor items.
You can apply this same technique no matter what style of home you have — just ask yourself which textures will best complement the materials that already exist on your home’s exterior or vice versa.
6. Coordinate Your Entrances
An excellent way to tie in your home’s interior and exterior themes is with the entry door and garage door you choose. Many people wonder if their front door should match their interior doors or if their front door should match the inside of their home at all. The answer is absolutely — your entry door and garage door are often the first signals of the style of your home and the types of decor and interior design to expect.
Since most people will coordinate their garage doors with their front door, here are a few factors to consider as you purchase doors for your home:
- Color: When you want an entry door and garage door that will bring the exterior and interior of your home together, you need to choose the right colors. These doors may be two different colors — for example, you might want a warm- or cool-colored front door but a neutral-colored garage door — but they should still complement one another and not clash. Their coloring should also flow with the existing color scheme of your home’s interior and exterior.
- Material: If you have a colonial-style or Victorian-style home, you wouldn’t want doors made of metal or another harsh material. Similarly, a modern or contemporary home would likely look a bit off with a wooden or low-quality steel garage door. Be sure to match the material of your doors with the style of your home, as well as the materials of the furniture and decorations inside the house.
- Design: With several different design and style options to choose from for your garage and entry doors, it’s easy to choose a design that flows with your home’s interior and exterior, and even connect the two together a bit more. The design of your doors can vary in the amount of architectural detail, the size and number of windows, the materials used and more.
Contact Quality Overhead Door With Questions
Want to learn more about choosing the right interior and exterior colors? At Quality Overhead Door, we can help you choose the right shade and style for your garage and entry doors so they match both your home’s interior and exterior. Our selection of residential doors includes a range of options to suit homes of all types and colors. Since your garage door should match your front door, it’s smart to purchase them together. Once we’ve helped you choose the right doors for your house, our team will also install them for you properly and quickly.
The entrances to your home have a significant effect on its appearance. For more information on choosing the best overhead and entry door for your home, contact Quality Overhead Door with questions or request an estimate today.
Additional Resources on Complementing Entry & Garage Doors: