One of the biggest decisions to make when embarking on a strata painting and maintenance project is the colour scheme. While paint is only a small amount of your project’s cost, it’s the most lasting feature, so it’s important to choose the right strata colours from the start. In a bid to give your owner’s corporation some fun inspiration, we recently spoke to Dulux’s Colour and Communications Manager, Andrea Lucena-Orr, about the exterior colour trends that we can expect to see in strata complexes in the 2020s - and beyond! 

“A lot of exterior strata colour trends reflect the building materials that are currently popular, such as brick and Colorbond steel colours,” explained Ms Lucena-Orr. “For example, when we know that greige or stoney brick colours are popular, we’d look at colours that reflect that - so not too cold or yellow, but neutral and stone-like paints.”

“Colorbond colours that are increasing in popularity now and ones that you may want to match include Monument, Woodland Grey, Shale Grey, Dune, Surfmist and Ironstone.”

“When it’s a full paint with no building material to consider, the world is your oyster,” she continued. “Lighter shades are very popular at the moment for high rise buildings - light to mid-tone greys and mid-tone stone colours - while tans, greiges and sand colours are popular for coastal properties, although be careful not to go too yellow.”

“For big builds, earthy or natural colour schemes are the way to go. They have a timelessness that will last longer and as an added bonus, they’re usually easier for everyone to agree on.”

“Lastly, white continues to be popular. We’re starting to see lots of grey whites and warm whites in strata buildings, such as Terrace White and Natural White.”

Popular strata paint colours in 2021

Choosing a colour scheme for your strata building

Ms Lucena-Orr advised strata managers to understand the key features of the building and the look they were trying to achieve before recommending a colour scheme to their committees.

“There are so many different architectural styles, especially in apartment buildings, so you have to decide what key features you want to make pop when choosing exterior strata colours,” she said.

“If you have a beautiful old building with elaborate metal balustrades and circular corners, you’ll choose a different colour scheme than for a Hamptons-style property with lots of timber.”

The local landscape is also important, whether you’re in an urban or natural environment.

“You want the building to work with the local landscape. So you’d never use a dark charcoal on the Gold Coast, but in an urban setting such as Sydney, that would be a good choice,” explained Ms Lucena-Orr.

“Don’t forget to be mindful of any restrictions that could impact your building as well. Some coastal areas may stipulate what colours you can and can’t use, or a new estate with strata title townhouses could require all the properties to be painted in the same colour scheme,” she added.

Are you struggling to get your strata painting project off the ground? Our strata lookbook includes seven case studies and two expert interviews that will help you convey the vision of the project to your stakeholders and find a unified way forward. Download it today.

Higgins Coatings is Australia's premier commercial painting contractor with over 70 years of experience in providing a cost-effective painting service and tailored maintenance solution. We help strata managers plan their painting requirements and execute them with minimal disruption to residents. Contact us for a consultation.