Popular Exterior Shutter Colors: Inspiration & Combinations

🎨 Most Popular Shutter Colors in the RVA Market

The leading choice for shutters in Richmond is a high-contrast, dark color that offers maximum visual pop against lighter siding or brick.

1. Classic Black (or Deep Charcoal Gray)

The Go-To Neutral: Black is the most timeless choice. It works universally with almost any siding color, including classic white, cream, pale yellow, and brick.
Local Tip: When choosing black, local professionals often opt for a deep charcoal gray. This provides the same striking contrast as black but softens the look slightly and often pairs better with warmer brick or stone accents.

2. Rich Navy Blue (Midnight or Nautical)

Modern Elegance: Navy blue shutters are a highly popular trend in RVA, offering a sophisticated and slightly more contemporary feel than black.
Best For: White, light gray, or shingled coastal-style homes. Navy provides excellent contrast while bringing in a softer, historical feel, especially popular on Colonial and Farmhouse styles.¹

3. Deep Forest or Hunter Green

Historic & Traditional: This color is a classic choice, especially in Richmond’s historic districts. Deep green offers a natural, harmonizing contrast.
Local Tip: Many traditional homes use Charleston Green, a color so dark it appears black until the sun hits it, revealing a subtle deep green undertone. This is a great choice for brick homes.

🏡 Recommended Shutter & Siding Combinations

RVA painters emphasize using contrasting colors to highlight architectural features, which is often a requirement in the city’s older and historic neighborhoods.

Base House Color (Siding or Brick)	Recommended Shutter Color	Mood & Architectural Style
Crisp White or Cream	Classic Black or Deep Navy	Timeless Colonial: The quintessential American look. Crisp, stately, and high-contrast, perfectly defining the windows.
Light Gray or Greige (Gray-Beige)	Charcoal Gray (Tone-on-Tone) or Black	Modern Sophistication: Using a slightly darker shade of gray for the shutters creates a subtle depth and a refined, contemporary feel.
Warm Taupe or Light Beige	Deep Forest Green or Deep Blue	Earthy & Grounded: The cool tones of the green or blue provide a beautiful contrast to the warm tones of the siding, balancing the palette.
Brick Red/Terracotta	Deep Hunter Green or Dark Mortar Gray	Historic Harmony: Green is the complementary color to red brick, making it a natural and traditional pairing. Choosing a gray that matches your mortar keeps the look cohesive.
Rich Charcoal or Deep Blue/Gray	Crisp White or Light Taupe	Maximum Definition: Lighter shutters are necessary on a very dark house body to ensure the windows stand out and don’t get lost in the facade.

Professional Tips for Your RVA Project

Consider the Trim: In RVA, it is common to paint the trim (around the window) white and the shutters a dark, contrasting color (Black, Navy, or Green). This three-color scheme (Siding, White Trim, Dark Shutter) gives the most dramatic and professional result.
Durability in the Climate: RVA Pro Painters and others in the region use high-quality, 100% acrylic exterior paints with fade-blocking pigments.² This is essential to prevent dark shutter colors from fading in Richmond’s humid, subtropical summers.
The Front Door is the Accent: If you use a neutral, classic color for your shutters (Black or Navy), you can choose a bold, bright color for your front door, such as Bright Red, Deep Teal, or Sunny Yellow, to serve as the single, vibrant accent.