• The colors used on colonial homes were made from materials found in the natural environment.new england colonial home. image by Tom Oliveira from Fotolia.com
  
  The colonial architectural style took place between the 1600s and 1780, according to the Money Pit. Historically accurate colors for this period relied on the natural elements in the environment. The colonial style was used on the eastern coast and some parts of the southwest. When painting the exterior of a colonial home, you must choose the colors that were available and common during this time.
  
  

Indigo or Blue

• Indigo or deep blue is a color used on colonial style homes. Blue was a sign of wealth in colonial times because of the scarcity of blue pigment for paints. A blue exterior was a status symbol and homeowners aspired to paint their homes with the color.
  
  

White, Ochre and Yellow

• Ochre is a brownish yellow that decorated the exterior of colonial homes. Colonial homeowners also used softer yellows in a creamy tone. White, beige, almond and taupe were all used on the exterior and interior of colonial houses. These colors were chosen for modest homes because the materials were readily available and inexpensive.
  
  

Red

• Red was used on the interior of colonial homes to accent rooms and furnishings. The interior of drawers, inside cabinets and dining room hutches were common places to use red. Exterior shutters and the trim on the exterior of the house are accented with red paint on some colonial homes.
  
  

Burnt Umber and Brown

• Burnt umber is a reddish brown color that can paint a colonial home in a historically accurate shade. In addition to the reddish shade of burnt umber, rich chocolate browns are a good choice for colonial homes as well.
  
  

Colonial Revival Colors

• Between 1900 and 1940, after the popularity of the Victorian era began to fade, the colonial architectural design had a revival period. The colors homeowners chose for colonial homes during this period are not necessarily historically accurate representations of the original colonial period. Homeowners chose gray, taupe, white and blue to paint the exterior of these homes.