Color Trends
Boral® Roofing LLC, a provider of durable and energy-efficient roofing systems, has just released key findings from research conducted into national exterior color trends in roofing. The research results confirm continuing and identify future directions for roofing colors and residential architectural styles. Additionally, Boral Roofing’s findings single out secondary and tertiary market trends, highlighting regional colorways and home exterior architecture trends. As a result of the research, Boral Roofing has released a CEU course for architects, Exterior Color Trends: Continuing and Future Directions 2021–2024, which is now available through HanleyWood University and the AIA.
Notably, Boral Roofing’s current research confirms forecasts made by its researchers a few years ago when they forecasted that the overload of virtual content and stimulation that consumers faced would lead them to seek sensorial reduction strategies in their design choices, including for architecture and home exteriors. The current study confirmed that in primary and secondary markets, architectural styles and color palettes, including for roofing, had in fact shifted to transitional styles with reduced ornamentation and neutral, calming hues.
In an effort to identify regional trends, Boral Roofing identified key secondary cities within the United States to study. These cities and the accompanying findings include: Seattle, Washington, which has been identified as an early adopter of gabled modern architecture, increasingly embracing an all-black residential exterior palette; Phoenix, Arizona, whose architecture points to a growing trend toward upscale gabled designs and neutral exterior color palettes; and Dallas, Texas, where reduced ornamentation, toned down elegance, and white hues are converging exterior home trends.
Boral Roofing also selected key tertiary cities to study and some findings include: Bend, Oregon, minimal colonials and farmhouse adaptations join neutral color palettes; Boise, Idaho, warm materials are trending, blacks are increasingly being introduced on exteriors, and whites are becoming plentiful; Salt Lake City, Utah, soot blacks, earthy soil browns, and rust reds are the color trend; Austin, Texas, wood additions and clean lines marry light color palettes; and Lake Tahoe, California, and Aspen, Colorado, darker palettes and modernist lines are met with organic textures, and gabled moderns are adorned with gray-brown neutrals and crisp whites, respectively.
