CP

Soft Yellow & White Exterior Color Scheme

A cheerful cottage exterior in soft buttery yellow with crisp white trim and a deep blue door, all matched to real paint you can buy.

By Mark Thompson · Pro Contractor & Field Editor

Start with Buttery Yellow on the siding and the whole house feels like a sunny day. It’s a soft, warm yellow that leans toward cream, so it never shouts. On an exterior it catches morning and evening light beautifully and gives that friendly, lived-in cottage look without going anywhere near a harsh lemon. This is the color people slow down to admire on a walk.

To keep it crisp, wrap the trim, fascia, and window frames in Bright White. That clean edge frames every window and makes the yellow read as intentional and tidy. Then save Slate Blue for the front door, where its deep, cool tone gives the eye somewhere to rest and adds a little quiet drama. So: yellow on the body, white on all the trim, and the blue reserved just for the door.

View palette in
Buttery Yellow
siding
Dutch Boy Glimmer of Green · 221-3DB
#E2CE93
LRV 62
Bright White
trim
Behr Decorator White · PWN-10
#F6F4EC
LRV 90
Slate Blue
door
Benjamin Moore Hudson Bay · 1680
#3F5266
LRV 8

Buy These Colors

Each color matched to the closest real paint in every brand, by ΔE2000. Tap a swatch for its full guide or + to save it — take any SKU to the store, they mix on demand.

Buttery Yellow
#E3CF96 · LRV 63 · siding
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6400 · ΔE 3.48
Behr · M320-4 · ΔE 1.93
Benjamin Moore · 200 · ΔE 2.15
Valspar · 8002-24C · ΔE 2.11
PPG / Glidden · PPG1108-4 · ΔE 0.72
Glidden · 45YY 62/288 · ΔE 0.74
Dutch Boy · 221-3DB · ΔE 0.52
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 2207 · ΔE 3.48
Dunn-Edwards · DET489 · ΔE 2.45
Magnolia Home · JG-42 · ΔE 3.94
Farrow & Ball · NO. 72 · ΔE 1.61
Diamond Vogel · 0869 · ΔE 2.31
Hirshfield's · 0806 · ΔE 2.06
Rodda · CA137 · ΔE 5.34
C2 Paint · C2-640 · ΔE 2.59
Clare · PNT100-MD-22 · ΔE 3.25
Portola Paints · EL MATADOR · ΔE 8.06
Annie Sloan · OLD OCHRE · ΔE 7.09
Backdrop · BD-EA · ΔE 4.46
Rust-Oleum · 398641 · ΔE 5.22
Kompozit · 0806 · ΔE 2.06
Bright White
#F6F4ED · LRV 90 · trim
Sherwin-Williams · SW 9541 · ΔE 0.59
Behr · PWN-10 · ΔE 0.47
Benjamin Moore · 2148-70 · ΔE 1.38
Valspar · 8007-4A · ΔE 0.91
PPG / Glidden · PPG1001-1 · ΔE 1.92
Glidden · 61YY 89/040 · ΔE 1.51
Dutch Boy · 002W · ΔE 0.99
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 4002 · ΔE 1
Dunn-Edwards · DEW381 · ΔE 0.97
Magnolia Home · JG-21 · ΔE 1.57
Farrow & Ball · NO. 2005 · ΔE 1.57
Diamond Vogel · 0355 · ΔE 0.52
Hirshfield's · 0011 · ΔE 0.99
Rodda · R007 · ΔE 1.89
C2 Paint · C2-612 · ΔE 0.56
Clare · PNT100-LT-04 · ΔE 0.78
Portola Paints · ORIGAMI · ΔE 1.69
Annie Sloan · OLD OCHRE · ΔE 14
Backdrop · BD-TR · ΔE 1.87
Rust-Oleum · 285140 · ΔE 4.55
Kompozit · 0011 · ΔE 0.99
Slate Blue
#3D5366 · LRV 8 · door
Sherwin-Williams · SW 7602 · ΔE 1.71
Behr · HDC-SM14-7 · ΔE 2.45
Benjamin Moore · 1680 · ΔE 1.46
Valspar · 4005-4C · ΔE 1.59
PPG / Glidden · PPG1042-7 · ΔE 3.4
Glidden · PPG1042-7 · ΔE 3.4
Dutch Boy · 338-6DB · ΔE 1.71
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 7602 · ΔE 1.71
Dunn-Edwards · DE5818 · ΔE 1.93
Magnolia Home · JG-90 · ΔE 2.24
Farrow & Ball · NO. 9919 · ΔE 7.95
Diamond Vogel · 0592 · ΔE 6.47
Hirshfield's · 0634 · ΔE 2.3
Rodda · R083 · ΔE 4.53
C2 Paint · C2-760 · ΔE 2.12
Clare · PNT100-DP-55 · ΔE 10.81
Portola Paints · BLUE MOON · ΔE 3.92
Annie Sloan · AUBUSSON BLUE · ΔE 7.24
Backdrop · BD-WK · ΔE 2.2
Rust-Oleum · 391445 · ΔE 17.39
Kompozit · 0634 · ΔE 2.3

Questions

Will soft yellow siding look too bold on a whole house?

It stays gentle because this yellow is muted, almost a warm cream in full sun. From the curb it reads as soft and welcoming, not loud, and the white trim keeps it grounded.

Does a blue door really go with yellow siding?

Yes, and it's a classic cottage move. The deep slate blue is cool enough to balance all that warmth, so the door becomes a calm anchor instead of fighting the yellow.

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