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12hmdcaceres

Help! My paint colors are not working for me.

last year
last modified: last year

Hello! I had the exterior of our home painted SW Snowbound and used a grey/beige accent. Snowbound is looking much creamier than expected against the brick and the trim color is not working against the stained wood doors. I had samples painted in the back and all looked well but I should have had samples up against the brick and wood of the doors. Any suggestions? I'm considering changing the trim to sea salt as I have it in the interior and like it. I originally wanted to keep the wood doors natural but I'm uncertain that will work.To add to my pain, my garage which was previously painted two years ago, is in pure white but the painters argued that the swatches didn't match and suggested Snowbound as the painted sample matched better somehow.
update: thank you for all the comments! they were super helpful. I had the window trims painted the same white - snowbound, but kept the doors and door trims the grey/beige. It was the perfect solution. Plus, I now dont see the difference in the pure white on the garage vs the snowbound on the house. My next step will for sure be landscaping. thank you again.

Comments (16)

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    From the photos - the Snowbound looks fine to me. Can you just paint the trim the same Snowbound? I don’t think the accent trim look is needed - especially around the windows.

    12hmdcaceres thanked thinkdesignlive
  • last year

    Looks like a nice style ranch! I think there's enough going on already with the roof and the brick that you don't need all the additional color so consider like mentioned above to have all the trim and garage door painted in Snowbound. Then, if budget allows, focus on the landscaping to bring color to life for greater appeal. The shrub on far left is too big and should be smaller to open up porchway. If you prefer privacy, you could have a Coolaroo shade at the left end and front left end to use only when needed. Hope to see your updates, it will be charming!

    12hmdcaceres thanked bearbev
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  • PRO
    last year

    I agree with Diana Bier - keep the trim and the body of the house the same color. Have you considered painting the brick as well? In this case I think I will suggest that in order to give your home more cohesion.

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    Is that last one a garage side door? Do you really need to call attention to it?

    I would paint the trim and door in the siding color so that it disappears.

    My "important" exterior doors/sliders are wood or brown on the outside, but my garage man doors and laundry room door are painted in the siding color, so they blend in and don't call attention to themselves.

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    It looks great to me. Don't overthink it.

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    On my iPhone, your snowbound color looks creamy and soft and very pretty next to your brick!

  • PRO
    last year

    I totally get how frustrating it can be when paint colors just don't feel right once they're up on the walls — I've been there too. Sometimes what looks perfect on a swatch can feel completely off in different lighting or at different times of day.

    When I was going through a similar struggle, what helped me was stepping back and considering the undertones in combination with the natural light in the room. Also, I found that looking at some color psychology resources really helped to rethink the overall mood I wanted to create in the space.

    If you're still feeling stuck, I found this article helpful when working through some design updates at home — it’s more about roof and exterior planning, but surprisingly it helped me think of color balance in a broader way: https://professionalmetalroofing.ca/5-basic-steps-to-master-roof-repair/. It’s more technical, but some concepts can be applied when considering exterior and interior harmony too.

  • last year

    I think, it all looks very nice the way it is. I would just leave it. I would certainly never paint your very nice brick, and I dont like the idea of the trim the same color as the body of the house.

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    Looks great to me the way it is, maybe you just need to get used to it, to the change.

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  • PRO
    last year

    That little change looks so much better!