Just my initial thought, i think i would stick with the original architecture and rethink the landscaping ( that’s what bothers me the most ).

I would paint the house Wedgwood Blue and keep the white trim with it-- as in Wedgwood pottery. The molding will look lovely.

Replace the shrubs in front with a border of white flowers.

Not a pro, but I do live in the Bay Area. Off the top of my head I’d paint it deep olive/ grayish green with charcoal/ black where the white trim is. The quality of natural light in SF and the East Bay calls for somewhat grayed colors, IMO; too much “color” pastels/ too much white/ bright just doesn’t suit. Deeper colors look great against greenery and landscaping. Just my opinion. I love blue, but not as an exterior paint color because the sky is blue and it can clash with the sky:)

Bay Area native here, too.

Looks like near GGPark or the Presidio, lots of high fog. The first photo captures the S.F. light with the white sky and diffuse light.

@tracefloyd … even though I normally hate blue on the exterior of homes I think you nailed it with your suggestion. Brilliant.

Limewash the exterior

Quoin is what is on the corners of the house, Keep them, as it is part of the architectural design, What about changing the exterior to something this:

B.M. Gray Owl

Recommended trim is

Do the quoins in trim color.

I was thinking a pale-ish blue with white trim. Your house is pretty much a box, with some decidedly not-modern details to make it interesting. If you strip away all those details, you'll just have a boring box. Black and white will be too stark, look at your neighbor's all white house. I don't think many people would think adding some black would improve it. To make the house super modern, you'd need to strip all the current details, but then add some carefully thought-out details. A section of natural wood. I can't begin to suggest how you'd do that and would not recommend doing anything without talking to an architect.

I'm not a fan of the current olive-beige paint and stark white trim. Most paint schemes would be better. If you want something more subtle, you could have a medium cream for the body and a lighter cream for the quoins and trim --- it would give you more definition, without having the details stand out the way the quoins do now.

It's a lovely house, I don't know why you wouldn't embrace the style.

First that landscaping needs a total rip out, The house is avery particular style why buy it if you didin't like the style? To make this modern is a big $$$$$$$ job what is the budget ? I think all one color can simplify the exterior somewhat remove the stuff above the arch and maybe a really soft green for the whole house . I do not love blue houses at all and by the beach is IMO too much beachy . Some large vertical stainless house numbers on that corner and then landscaping to be a lot more modern and I like quite structuarl landcspaing o for a modern house .The scalloped trim along the roof line is awful but removing it might be a whole new can of worms so all one color . I actually don't mind the color on the body now it it was done on the quoins it would have a better feel for the direction you want to go. This is what I mean by more structural landscaping

I learned the word “quoin” by reading this post! I erroneously referred to them as “trim” above. I do like the limewash Beverly shows.

These houses are all in San Francisco.

These are in SF and stucco. I love the white stucco and pale green trim….

@K Laurence: Thanks for mentioning about landscaping.

Here is an updated more "recent" photo. As you can see, we did some landscaping already. Just need to remove the weeds. :)

@chinacatpeekin I think you brought up a good point. I also like the Wedgwood Blue color that @tracefloyd suggested, but yes you might be right that it may clash with the blue sky....

@tracefloyd The house is located near Stonestown area, about 1.3 miles away from ocean and near Daly City. So yes there are fog, but not as bad as Daly City.

Light version of Wedgwood. Not a paint color...

Rough sketch to visualize.

Darker version

House

Quoins

Front door

Sustainable garden

Your home has lovely details, and personally, I think the wall color is fine. I would warm up and darken the cool white trim and especially reduce the contrast on the quoins (maybe even more than I did here; use two variants of the wall color, darker for quoins, lighter for other trim). Then widen the walk to match the stair width (and upgrade its material?), reduce the size of the existing shrubs if possible (replace if not), add a couple more for a bit of contrast (in form or texture or color), and plant some crisply-edged ground cover. (Sorry, but I would remove the red and white gravel.) Think classy instead of flashy, timeless instead of trendy, elegant rather than edgy.

With the red rock, avoid a blue and white house, you don't want a red and blue color scheme. Especially not red, white and blue.

Here is a nice Gray and White color scheme with your red and white rock

Thanks for the like. People back East don't like rock or gravel but that part of the Country gets consistent Summer rains.

San Francisco has had some devastating fires. Remove the foundation shrubs. Use a five-foot non-flammable zone around the house. You can plant a small specimen tree such as a flowering cherry farther from the house.

https://www.fire.ca.gov/dspace

I noticed something in my neighborhood. Do you think this kind of color combo would work? What blue color is this if we buy the paint from Sherwin-Williams Paint Store? Thanks!

Ask the sellers about their blue paint color before they move out.

I think the color it is now, is the best color for your house. It is a good look. I really dislike the blue. Please keep all those mouldings. They belong with the house. Dont try to make it something it isnt. Its unique and special just like it is, with the exception of the landscaping which needs to be all redone. Spend your money for that, rather than the house itself exterior.

I love the new Blue paint choice you just found! I think it would look great on your house.

@cat_ky Yes. The landscaping will be redone. As for the exterior paint, for this remodel project, it is already covered in the scope of work with a fixed price. So, we will be painting the exterior for the entire house soon (in another month or so), so we can't repeat to use the same green color.

You mentioned that you don't like the light-blue, can you please elaborate a bit more. We want to try to make the house appeal to as many people as possible (inside and outside). Thanks!

So there is a big difference to fix up a home for yourself versus marketing a house.

• As a rental, unless the house needs paint, leave it the color it is now and save the expense. A tenant will not rent based on the house color
• For resale, talk to your Realtor, they know what works for your area and what buyers expect.
• For yourself...choose colors you love and make you happy, not what you think your neighbors would like.

Here is Sherwin Williams Windy Blue.

I think this would be lovely I already rendered your house in blue and white in my previous comments. Please keep your intricate trim.

The gray-blue from @tracefloyd is a better blue than the lighter one. It just seems more sophisticated. Leave the trim and quoins white. I don’t think it screams “red-white-and-blue” at all.

Pastel/ pale colors work beautifully with stucco houses. The blue looks right to me. Please avoid gray. There is enough gray in the SD sky.

*SF

@tracefloyd It is for a long-term rental but we need to repaint it because we added some windows in the back of the house. So there are a lot of area in the back that has exposed stucco.

Here are some rendering that I consulted with ChatGPT, which one do you like the best? Thanks!

Also, do you think maybe I should remove the current Urethane Pediments that's above the main window? Note that originally there were no pediments there. We added it because our next door neighbor has them (see photo below). We were just trying to do our part to better match with the entire neighborhood's architecture style. Thanks!

I asked ChatGPT, and here is its answers:

🎯 Quick Summary Answer

• Is the peaked cap pediment common for Streamline Moderne / Art Deco Revival?

  • No, peaked cap pediments are not typical of Streamline Moderne or true Art Deco.
  • However, they are often found in eclectic 1930s San Francisco interpretations, especially in neighborhoods like Merced Manor where Spanish Revival, Deco, and Classical influences were sometimes blended.

• Should you keep, replace, or remove it?

  • Recommendation: Keep it, but restore or refine it.

    • It adds visual interest and charm.
    • It’s consistent with localized Deco Revival trends in the area.
    • Removing it may flatten the character of your home's façade unnecessarily.

🏠 Your Home’s Style:

• Your house is a transitional Deco/Revival hybrid — a common phenomenon in SF’s mid-1930s developments.

• The curved parapet and decorative appliqué scrollwork above the window aren’t true Moderne, but lean into Hollywood Regency or late Deco Revival territory.

• The peaked cap pediment is a soft nod to Baroque or Neoclassical influences, and while not textbook Moderne, it’s regionally contextual — especially in Merced Manor, where developers often blended:

  • Deco/Moderne geometry

  • Spanish Revival roofs or arches

  • Classical motifs like cartouches and floral appliqués

🔍 Design Evaluation of the Existing Pediment

✅ Pros of Keeping It:

• Adds character, historical depth, and curb appeal.

• Matches the decorative stucco appliqué already present.

• Reinforces the visual focal point above the large picture window.

• Compatible with luxury-oriented styles like Art Deco Glam, Hollywood Regency, or Modern Classic.

❌ Potential Cons (if in disrepair):

• If cracked, heavily weathered, or damaged, it can bring down visual quality.

• Might look out of place if the rest of the exterior gets hyper-modernized during remodeling.

---

Do you agree with this recommendation? Thoughts? Thanks!

I agree it looks great without the ornamentation. I love the first one, the dark gray. It works for this house. It looks great with the roof...and with the fog lol.

I like the landscaping....looks clean and nice now.

@Maureen Do you remember what were the paint color names/codes of your design? I suppose those were from Sherwin-Williams? Thanks!

Here are two more ChatGPT renderings keeping the Pediments (or replace the old one with new one):

Thoughts?

I'm not sure what look you are striving for. Anything can be achieved with the right color and styling.

Only guessing, some of these have similar undertones.

A bit lighter so one shade darker on chip might be closer. Still pretty though!

You really have to compare colors with the same undertone you are drawn to, then testing swatches on your house as it’s a big commitment. Here is a similar combo, although a bit lighter. Hope this helps.

If it’s a rental, you can do a color that works with your neighbors’ to keep it cohesive. Looks like pale colors will work best. I would do SW Rainwash with white trim.

Leave all the design features on your house. They are very “San Francisco” and look great!

True, a dark color could be too distinctive.

I also think SF houses can be unique colors like these:

Thanks for everyone's feedback and input! Super appreciate it!

I think we probably would go with SW Rainwashed color, and this is ChatGPT's simulated rendering (after we clear the front yard weeds, etc)...

Thoughts? Thanks!

Thanks for everyone's input again. I think we are getting closer to finalize the exterior color choice. I believe we are now down to these three colors: Sherwin-Williams

• SW-6211 Rainwashed,
• SW-6247 Krypton, and
• SW-7071 Gray Screen.

Please see ChatGPT simulated rendering below:

SW-6211 Rainwashed:

SW-6247 Krypton:

SW-7071 Gray Screen:

Which one do you like the most? Thanks!

I think you can't go wrong with any of those! I'm glad you decided on a lighter color bc they were my favorite. :)

The gray screen is nice. A grayed color feels sophisticated. Try your house in Site White. This color really is like a fog gray. Seems like it would blend with the others on the block.