Mixing Exterior Patterns and Textures with Your Roof

Chad Esslinger of Chad Esslinger Design answers homeowners’ questions about how to enhance their home’s exterior design and curb appeal when getting a new roof.

Patterns, Textures, and Shingle Color

Homeowner Question: I live in Texas and our brick tends to have more texture and color than the brick I’ve seen elsewhere.  My home has a mixture of stone and brick, which is a lot of patterns already.  I’d like a bold roof but am worried about too much pattern with some shingles.  What do you suggest?

Chad’s Answer: Regardless if you are in Texas (where you really embrace texture and pattern) or are located elsewhere in the country, this question can apply to all.  Whether it is interior or exterior design, I love mixing patterns, textures, and materials. When it is done well, the mixing of these elements showcases a well-curated home design.    

Determine Your Color, Pattern and Texture Comfort Zone

This is a case-by-case basis, but the first thing you want to do is determine is your comfort zone with color, pattern, and texture.

We all have a personal level of color or design expression. 

– Chad Esslinger, Designer

We all have had experiences when considering a purchase (clothing, accessories, furniture, paint, etc.), our head tells us to make a “safe” color or pattern choice while our heart tells us to go with a bolder choice. 

Sometimes we make the safe choice, then do nothing but regret it later.  It’s no different with the exterior of your home, except of course, it’s a bigger purchase. Our psyche is going through the same mental debate.

Determining your personal comfort zone with color expression is the first step.

Color Expression Comfort Zone

• Level 1: Oakridge® Shingles
• Level 2: TruDefinition® Duration® Shingles
• Level 3: TruDefinition® Duration® Designer Shingles

Owens Corning Roofing has a wide variety of roof shingle colors that range from a softer, highly blended look in their Oakridge® line to a higher level of color saturation and contrast in their TruDefinition® Duration® line.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, so if you really want to go Texas big and bold with color, then the Owens Corning Roofing TruDefinition® Duration® Designer line offers the liveliest palette of color, texture, and contrast.

Between these three product lines, you can definitely find a shingle you like in your comfort zone.

Warm Colors vs Cool Colors

If you’ve decided that you are going for it with a bold roof color choice, then you really want to pick a shingle color out of the Owens Corning Duration® or Duration® Designer line. Your next decision is whether the new roof should coordinate or contrast with your existing exterior materials: 

• Are your exterior materials on the warm or cool color spectrum? For more information here, see my answer to a homeowner’s question about warm or cool colors.
• Are they more browns, beiges, oranges, and reds (warm colors), or grays, greens, and blues (cool colors)?

Warm Color Palette

A home exterior with a warmer color palette can be complemented with a warm roof color like Sedona Canyon or Aged Copper or contrasted with a dark neutral color like Black Sable.  

Cool Color Palette

A combination of siding, brick, and stone in cooler colors can be complemented by roof shingles in cooler tones, such as Pacific Wave or Storm Cloud, or can contrast nicely with a warm, golden color like Sand Dune or Summer Harvest. TruDefinition® Duration® Designer in Merlot is a very nice rich red with a touch of purple in some of the tabs; on the right house, it would make a statement.

Do Your Homework

My last piece of advice is to do your homework and carefully consider your roof shingle color choice. Ask your roofing contractor for addresses where you can see the roof shingle colors on real houses versus small sample boards. 

Seeing specific roof colors in their real environment – installed on a house in natural, outdoor lighting – can help you determine your comfort level with those colors. 

– Chad Esslinger, Designer

It can also help you avoid buyer’s remorse that you didn’t get exactly what you wanted.

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