Exterior paint color for old Dutch house

11 years ago

Hi . . . I wanted to throw this out there to see what people think. I've just bought a house in the Hudson Valley, the front of which is brick, and the other three sides of which are wood siding. I want to unify the whole thing by painting the brick. The question is, what color?

The easiest thing to do would of course be to go white (just paint one side), but that is more of a stately New England look (seems more Concord, MA), and the house inside is old Dutch with low ceilings, little doors, rustic hearths, and the like. (The house is from 1721.)

I love what they've done with this other house in Kinderhook -- a monochromatic gray/green, with no shutters. What do people think of this? Would this work equally as well with the brick? To shutter, or not to shutter?

Thanks . . . I look forward to responses from this formidable group.

Featured Answer

PRO

Diane Whalen Architect

11 years ago

Perhaps consider painting the wood siding to match the brick instead of painting the brick. The window frames/dormers/soffits/fascia could be a gray colour like the roof shingles. You could leave the shutters, and paint them a shade of gray also.

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Comments (12)

PRO
Ellsworth Design Build
11 years ago
I constantly advise people to paint brick, UNLESS it's a historic home. Make the brick work by choosing colors that go with it. You are a steward of this home for a very short time, please don't make changes that can't be easily undone.
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flopsycat1
11 years ago
Geeez.....this is a tough one. I love the look of the monochromatic house AND I love the look of your house. But I know it would be very difficult for me to take a paintbrush and totally alter the look of an historic building such as your home. Truly a design dilemma.
PRO
Brenda M. Miller Designer of Interior Spaces
11 years ago
If you are sure you want to paint the brick, you might go with a bay green or even a weathered gray.
delyanks
11 years ago
DO NOT paint the brick. That would be a sin on a historic house like this. I'd look into Colonial Yellow SW, Needlepoint Navy SW, Colonial Revival Stone SW, or Classic White SW. All are historical colors.
feeny
11 years ago
I'm afraid I think it would be very foolish to paint the brick, which is lovely and historic.
Jon Varese
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi all . . . thanks for the comments.

First off, the Dutch almost always painted their brick. Granted it was often a color close to the brick, but in the 1720's, this brick would have been painted. (There are actually some examples of this still standing in the area.)

Secondly, this brick was sandblasted in recent years (likely to remove previous paint residue -- it was painted white in the 19C) so what you have now is "historic" brick that looks like someone just installed it brand new. It makes for a bit of a schizophrenic look, in my opinion, and makes the house look LESS historical.

Thank you for the opinions though . . . I am loving hearing what everyone has to say!
flopsycat1
11 years ago
Ok, Jon, if that's the case, and you prefer the monochromatic look, dilemma solved! As I said before, I like the painted house in your pic. A color in that family which looks good with your roof should be a stunner. Be sure to post after pics! Beautiful house.
Jon Varese thanked flopsycat1
linlac
11 years ago
I would do a whitewash on the bricks to lessen the contrast with the white.
Jon Varese thanked linlac
PRO
Chartreuse Design, Ltd.
11 years ago
Funny Jon, I was going to ask you if you are sure the brick is original. I too think it looks out of place. The white wash idea is great, as is the painted monochromatic idea. If you choose the latter I think the texture of the roof and siding is important to complete the look. Is your roof slate? The current siding looks quite a bit newer unless the gutters are throwing me off. If you're restricted to just paint (and not at least changing the siding), I say just do the whitewash (or full-on white) on the bricks and stick with the white siding. You can always paint over again should you decide on the monochromatic look. If you're planning an extensive exterior I like the monochromatic look. A great greenish gray is perfect! Best to you!
Jon Varese
Original Author
11 years ago
Hey Chartreuse -- the roof is not slate, it is composite, but it has a great dark look like slate. As for the siding, I'm not sure of the age. I'll find out more about all this once we go through inspection next week, but I do think the siding is old. We have pictures of the house from the 19C, and it looks like the same siding is on there. Will keep everyone posted.
HU-581374992
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Can someone please tell me the grey/green paint color used and brand for the dutch barn house.