Exterior color help

14 years ago

We need to paint our house just because of general condition and thought now would be a good time to get away from all the white. Really don't know what to do color wise so looking for help. We will update hardware & lights accordingly and we prefer the oil-rubbed bronze look for that. Thanks in advance for help.

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PRO

Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

14 years ago

I would pick up paint chips from your favorite paint store in the approximate colors of your brick. Take them home and see which strip most closely matches your brick. Then select the darkest shade on that strip for your front door and the area around it.
Select two or three shades lighter for your trim. Don't be afraid to go what looks dark to you on your trim. The sun will make each color look lighter to you once it's all up. Buy sample jugs of the colors you've selected and paint them on big poster boards. Take masking tape and tape them to the house to see how they all look together. Back up 15 or 20' from the front of the house to look at the colors. Now paint and live happily ever after.

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Comments (12)

Karla Juarez
14 years ago
I think a dark red or rust color might look nice on the trim around the windows.
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mathomson5
14 years ago
Farrow and Ball has some nice grays that Benjamin Moore can duplicate in their superior exterior paint. I would choose two grays; one for the trim, including the trim on the garage doors, and a different shade for the garage doors, and front door perhaps darker. Consider red for the front door or black. Increasing the size of your exterior lighting and a did you consider a dark pewter color? Reds are a good idea, too, but landscaping can provide the needed punch of color,perhaps in clay or gray pots on your lovely porch.
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Sheila
14 years ago
I agree that a few shades of grey (not 50, haha!) would look lovely with your exterior. A coral or terracotta shade might make the door pop. Such a pretty house!
crchappell
14 years ago
I agree with the others that a couple shade of gray would look really nice. Also, the scale of your house with all of that vertical space makes it a great candidate for some over-sized outdoor lanterns if you're looking to freshen up your lighting as well. Beautiful house!
PRO
Vikrant Sharma Homez
14 years ago
This house looks scary I'd say , as it feels its got no inmate; I'd ssuggest paint it like this .
mjcmartin
14 years ago
Like Karla, I immediately thought of a rust front door and trim. I'd also consider some medium-height trees, one in front of each window pair and halfway to the street, to soften the stark look of the landscaping. Good luck.
trisn
14 years ago
I know you'll ignore me, but I reckon you'll ruin the house by painting it. Spend the money on the garden.
PRO
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID
14 years ago
Hey, trisn, they're only planning on painting the trim and door.
trisn
14 years ago
Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design - Daft me! thanks.
wes18
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks all for the help. We actually knew we needed bigger lighting and have taken care of that. Also, the only brick is on the front of the house and the remainder is siding just like over the garage. We are still struggling with colors. If there any any Naperville (Chicago west suburb) exterior color consultants then would like to hear from you regarding your services. I think we are at the point where having an "expert" spend an hour with us would be of great help.
juliewolfe
14 years ago
I would paint the front door in a moody blue gray (Olympic "cannon gray") and the garage and trim in a deep brown...espresso. Because the brick has a lot of coral tones I'm afraid a rust door would make the brick read as pink. Oil rubbed bronze hardware would pull out the espresso tones in the garage. Then I'd add orange flowers in potted plants on either side of the door. Send picture when you're done!! Good luck!