What do the colors on your house say about you?

Passionate about the color purple? Best to keep that passion inside the house and not splash it all over your home exterior.

That's the advice of color expert Kate Smith with Sensational Color.

"While a bit of purple on a home - like a deep grape color on the front door - shows the free-spirited personality of the homeowner, purple isn't one of those colors that everyone loves to see covering an entire house," says Smith, chief color maven at Sensational Color.

"The most popular colors for home exteriors are light, toned down colors and neutrals like putty, beige and tan. Then the punch of color can come in distinct features like landscaping, trim and shutters."

As part of National Curb Appeal Month, Smith offers color insights to guide homeowners toward colorful exterior home enhancements.

"Gray is a very trendy color right now and it plays out well on home exteriors," says Smith.

"There are many shades of gray that have widespread appeal. From gray green to charcoal, grays are an ideal color for the roof and siding on a home. There are many secondary colors that can beautifully play off gray so that a homeowner can add his or her own personality to the house."

What colorful exteriors say about you,

Smith says that homeowners will often pick colors for their home exteriors that reflect their own personalities. Different "pops of color" tell passers-by a good deal about the home's occupants, including:

Green: boasts that you have traditional values, are down to earth, well-balanced and nurturing.

Blue: tells people that you are relaxed, at ease, sincere and even a bit conservative.

Orange: says that you are friendly, assertive, adventurous and optimistic.

Brown: shows that you are honest, approachable, sturdy, reliable and wholesome.

Yellow: reveals that you are cheerful, a leader or organizer, and that you have a modern, open outlook.

Red: expresses a confident nature where you like to be the center of attention and sometimes exhibit signs of impulsiveness.

Purple: discloses that you are a "free spirited" person who is comfortable taking risks and dreaming big.

White and black are the two biggest extremes in curb appeal color.

"Using black trim to accent a home makes a regal, independent statement," says Smith.

"On the flip side, white is a very popular color for many aspects of a home exterior because it makes a house look bright, clean and fresh.

Smith offers more colorful insights in her free e-books "FRESH Home Exterior Colors" and "FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home Exterior" available at http://fypon.com/design/.