What color trim will make this look french country. The exterior will be antique buff, Pennyslvania slate will be on the front porch,steps and path leading down to street. Shutters will be on outer windows, don't know what color to make columns and trim. HELP with any IDEAS. Thank you in advance.

Love the French blue on simple plank shutters. Do you want the columns and trim to standout or blend in?

If you want them to stand out, maybe a terracotta color. If you'd like them to blend more, a pale dove gray or a light taupe. You do realize that a bunch of posters are going to tell you that most of your windows shouldn't have shutters. I do think the end result will still be lovely even if not entirely architecturally correct.

Thank you for your response. Since the entire house is antique buff stucco (light cream), we want to use Pennsylvania flagstone (blue/gray) for the porch, steps and sidewalk. I also want to have the same stone as a soldier course or trimstones above every window and one piece long stone below each window for the sill. So the stone is the only "color" at this point, then we'll stain the mahogony door, which is color number 2. I want the home to have a classic timeless feel or look similar to a french county but I don't want it to be screaming. Since there is a lack of color I thought I might need the shutters, trim and columns to be the trim color similar to a sea pine by BM #AC-17 or SW recycled glass # 7747. The french blue scares me as it seems it may be too bright. The community in Asheville, NC is all "arts and crafts", mountain type homes and I'm trying to go french country which is permitted in the community. The homes around me are mostly siding with lots of greens, toned down reds/burgundys, browns, etc to blend in with nature. So I'm leaning with the soft subtle understated SW #7747 but can't envision it on columns, shutters and trim with the Pennyslvania porch, trimstone, sill (in the blue gray). So I don't know if I want the columns to stand out or blend but I want a old world, country french, with beautiful soft colors (warm tones).

mfoor, the windows directly underneath the porch will NOT have any shutters, only the 2 windows on each end, but all windows will have the trim stones and stone sills to give some dimensional interest around the windows. The front porch is 9' x 27', the columns are 12" x 12" to give some bulk/beef to the front.

and the windows on the back garage will have shutters. The stucco will be hard coat stucco with a smooth but troweled on finish to make it appear old world. It will not be the pebbled or busy stucco finish as seen with most acrylic stuccos.

here's the green I'm considering.....for shutters, trim and columns

oops, here's the green SW 7747 recycled glass

How about using a washed out greyed out blue for shutters? Very soft but still a bit of blue. Love the stonework, it will be striking. Personally I'd like to see the blue grey for shutters and a dove or putty grey for trim and columns. Love to see your finished product , hope you'll post after pictures when you complete project.

mforr, love your comments and I'll definitely consider your notes as I go through this process. Thanks again!

Take a look at these blue greys: sw 6225 6226 6227
What about the recycled glass just for trim and columns?

If you want to consider terracotta , sw 6331 very pale or sw 6332 a bit stronger. I think either would be nice with either the blues or green. What do you think?

You're welcome, I love your ideas, it's a fun project. Especially for me since I don't have to pay for it!!

I love the blues you selected! Very soft subtle with hints of gray. Lovely. I'll check out your terracotta but I'm afraid that would be too bold for me as I tend to be more tonal, monochromatic, subtle but still sophisticated. Love the blues! Thanks again you seem to have the drift of my vision and I appreciate you sharing.

Not a problem, I love it.

Your house is Acadian design and I think the porch will look best with perhaps a very light version of your antique buff as shown in these elevations. Color can be brought in to the shutters and trim, the soft grey blue or grey greens already discussed will be really pretty.

Whoops, I attached the same one twice. Here's the other.

Bluenan, thank you so much for describing the style, I had no idea. I really like the idea of having the columns blend with the stucco finish and using the color on the shutters and trim. Your attached photos have been a huge help. I noticed the columns in the photos are doric while mine are square but that shouldn't matter. Our community as a design review committee and they really wanted more mountain/arts and crafts look. I don't like the columns that are tapered square (fat at the bottom and narrower at the top) so I opted for the same width on both. You and mforr have been so helpful and I appreciate the input from you both. Excellent job ladies! Acadian huh, well now I know.

I guess I should have said your house has Acadian features. A true Acadian has the porch roof integrated into the main roof of the house like my pictures, but yours combines Acadian features with some Arts and Crafts. But since the Acadians were French who settled in southern Louisiana and later became Cajuns, and you want your home to reflect French country, you can use the Acadian features such as stucco and board and batten shutters to achieve that look. I think your home will be lovely! I guess very few new homes are pure examples of historical architecture.

Love the first one on the bottom row!!! Fantastic look for your house, great country French detail.

Bluenan, I see what you mean about the porch roof and how it is separate from the main roof. For the shutters I too like the first one on the bottom row and the 1st one on the top row. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone with arched windows in the front, but not to be. This is our retirement home in Asheville and the interior has 10 ft ceilings, very opened concept and the drywalls will be skip troweled with a very neutral very light brown faux finish/glaze. We're excited and we designed this home by taking the best parts of our last 3 homes and combining them together for this look. We're downsizing to this one story, 2800 sf, lots of storage and a beautiful city to retire too with lots of restaurants and great weather. That's my story and I'm sticking with it! You and mforr have been amazing and I feel much more confident as we start to zoom in on these final decision.

Sounds like you've got it all under control, are you sure you need our help? It sounds lovely.