No matter which fun new colors the forecasters predict will be popular this year, the ones you choose for the exterior of your home should transcend trendy.

The pinkish-coral “honeysuckle” color that the Pantone Color Institute chose as its 2011 Color of the Year, for instance, might look lovely on your bedroom walls. But it’s probably going to stand out like a sore thumb on your stucco.

Instead of going with the trends when you update the color of your home’s exterior, consider:

• The environment. What surrounds your home? A desert xeriscape? A lush, green lawn? Notice the color of the soil, and allow your house to blend in with its natural surroundings.
• The neighborhood. Which colors have your neighbors used for their stucco, siding, windows, trim and front doors? Which ones do you like? Seeing how others use color on similar homes will show you both what’s possible and what you don’t want to do.
• Your homeowners’ association. Many neighborhoods restrict owners to certain colors for painted exterior details.
• The roof. Color your house from the top down. Your roof will last 25 to 50 years, so its color is the foundation of your palette. Tie the colors of the rest of the exterior to that roof. If it’s terra cotta, choose a color for the siding or stucco that doesn’t clash. If it’s got gray shingles, you’re working with a more neutral color and have more choices.
• Other permanent elements. What color are your driveway, sidewalks and the home’s foundation? Is the home red brick? Natural stone? Consider those colors when choosing a shade for siding and trim.

Once you realize what the permanent parts of your home have in common when it comes to color, you can create a complementary palette for the paintable pieces. This will ensure that your color scheme pulls all of the elements of the home’s exterior together so they look like a single, unified whole.

Some tips:

• There’s no need to match the color of the stucco, siding or window trim to the roof, but the shade should complement it. If you pair dark red siding with a green roof, for instance, both will “pop” rather than flow into each other. On the other hand, a terra cotta tile roof will look great atop stucco that’s painted creamy yellow with terra cotta undertones.
• Most homes have three paintable elements: windows/trim; siding/stucco; and front door. So choose no more than three colors for those pieces.
• Paint the front door a color that contrasts with everything else. If the rest of the exterior is neutral, choose a deep red or dark blue or green for the door. Make it a focal point.
• Add splashes of color by planting flowers in front of the home.

Before you choose a color, know exactly what you’re getting. A few guidelines:

• Sun “absorbs” and diminishes the appearance of color, so an Arizona home can handle vibrant shades. Don’t shy away from corals, pinks and reds; they wash out a bit in the sunlight and look just right in this environment.
• Choose “warm” colors rather than “cool” colors for use in this warm climate. Warm colors generally have gold undertones, and cool colors have blue undertones. Your painter or a paint store consultant can help you tell the difference.
• Don’t paint the whole house until you paint a few swatches on each side of it. If you’re going to paint anyway, use the siding or trim that needs painting as a canvas to try out several shades of the color you like. Paint a two-foot by two-foot patch on each side of the house using a sample-sized can of paint. Let it dry and paint a second coat on top of it. For two days, look at each square three times: in the morning; at mid-day and as the sun sets. You’ll see that some squares might appear to be a completely different color than others, depending on the time of day. You might even have to paint one side of the house a slightly lighter or darker color to make it match in the light.
• Get advice. Paint stores like Dunn-Edwards Paints employ “personal paint advisers” who can help you select the right color and feature computers that can scan a photo of your house and digitally apply color to it to give you an idea of how it will look once it’s painted.

The exterior of your home makes your family’s first impression on everyone who visits or even drives by. Make it a good one by investing some time in choosing just the right color for it.