Framed house portrait hanging on a living room wall

Choosing a Background Color for your House Portrait

The color decision

So, you know you want a house portrait, we’ve talked about how to get a good photo so that I can draw your house, but there is one other decision you’ll need to make: Color.

I offer a choice of over 30 different background color/paper options that range from light to dark, and cover most of the rainbow. There are no bad choices in my color palette, but you may want to spend some time considering where you plan to display your house portrait, what your long-term plans for your space may be, and of course things like your wall color or primary decorating colors.

Completed house portrait on light gray background in black frame
Light Gray Background
Navy Background

Darker colored backgrounds really make the house pop off of the background and add some nice contrast to your wall. Lighter colored backgrounds really emphasize the way light and shadow play across the paper as the light changes over the course of a day.

Red Background
Black Background

Charcoal Gray Background
Light Blue Background

Bright colors like yellow, pink, light blue, and green, give the finished house more energy and add a pop of color to your wall. Darker colors like charcoal gray, navy, forest green, and black look very elegant and end up feeling a little more formal.

Of course, since your house portrait is entirely custom, we can look at background color options as part of the design process, but it’s best if you can choose the color you most want to see when you place your order, so that we can focus on the design of the house first before getting lost in the weeds of alternative color options!

If you don’t see the color you want in the swatches, it’s possible I could source a custom background color for you. I’ve also created custom watercolor wash backgrounds for clients in the past, if you want something more painterly.

Photo at the top of the page © Sri Thumati, all other photographs © Abigail McMurray and yeiou paper objects