I like your existing color very much. It harmonizes with your surroundings and the red door looks great with it.

Painting the exterior is as much a maintenance issue as it is an aesthetic issue, so I don't necessarily agree that you have to use a new color. You can stay in a similar color family (e.g., clay or other such neutral earth tones) and still have it look new and fresh.

When I first opened the pic of your house, it looked more of a light sage-y green, very pretty with the door color.

(and, of course, pretty with the green surroundings : )

Thanks!

It's definitely not sage - the undertone is more warm toward yellow than green. The closest color to it is BM Bleeker Beige (that's my fall back color in case the painter comes and I haven't picked a color yet! - lol)

I probably won't do any obvious green color because I prefer to have a contrast with the landscaping rather than blending in.

I also have a confession to make - the door isn't red anymore (old photo) - it's now a burgundy-merlot color but it seems to go with anything I put next to it.

Adorable house : ) Here are a bunch of colors to look at, starting with a light cream and even some reds!

{{!gwi}}

Thanks you so so much! I just can't believe how amazing that is.

Of course, I just love the red (that's my favorite color), but my painter would probably strangle me.

I think my favorites are 3 & 4 - they look sage and greenish-gray on my monitor. Very nice!

Now that I see the house in different colors I really want to make the change. I should ask now for recommendations for green colors (which I never thought I would like)!

Which one is your favorite?

You're welcome. I like them all! but my favs are #4 (the darker green, which might be a bit on the mossy side) and red (not sure which I would choose, maybe the second to the last one, not too dark or too intense). I like #3 very much also (the lighter green).

You might be able to do a cream trim on the green if the gutters and window capping can be painted. That's also a pretty combination with the greens. I'm thinking you are set with white though due to the type of materials (unpaintable).

Colors do go up quite differently as you've found, so test them on some large boards or areas. I'm sure some here can recommend some colors they are familiar with to start with, so you can see where your preferences fall. Don't let your painter rush you if you aren't sure of a color yet -- just reschedule and test the paints on sample boards.

Thought I was going to freak you out with the red, lol. Why would your painter strangle you ??? : )

MqMoi mentioned colors being a maintenance issue -- could be keeping it clean or fading. Maybe she'll elaborate : ) (Thinking of the red and possible fading issues.)

I'm in FL so fading is definitely an issue (even though I am under trees). Dirt is an issue to. The current color does not show dirt, but there are houses with lighter colors in my neighborhood that always seem to look dirty.

The reason I think my painter would strangle me is because he would have to do an extra coat. Actually I would have to PAY for an extra coat so he might not mind at all!

Cream would be my preference for the trim - I think the painter was going to paint the fascia and soffits (which are both metal) but not the windows which are white aluminum). So, I was thinking of a "softer" white for the trim - not the bright white that it currently is - because cream might clash with the white windows stiles.

I cannot cancel my painting appointment - it's scheduled for April 7 and I have been waiting since February (this painter is very popular)! It's me - I procrastinated in picking the color (actually, it's my DH who refuses to focus on this very important task!)

Ohh, right. Reds can take many coats. He should know how reds would hold up in FL -- thought you were in Jerzee! Probably not the best choice -- do you see any around? But paints are continually formulated better and better, you never know. I've never been to FL, but the red doesn't seem like an exterior FL color : ) Can the trim around the windows be painted the cream too?

So you still have time to test some colors : )

My house is Pratt and Lambert's Ancestral (but mixed in Benjamin Moore). It's a creamy white with undertones of yellow and lavender. I, also, have a roof with the slope in the front, like yours. Mine is slate (gray), and the Ancestral looks great with it. The doors, windowboxes, and shutters are a very dark green, almost black.

But I like your current color very much. I also like all of squirrelheaven's colors except the gray. I really like the pumpkin color just below the gray.

I can't believe it but the phone call from the painter's wife just came - her ears must have been burning! They need to know the color by Monday so they can buy samples for our approval - aargh!

Marisany - I will check out Ancestral - it might be a good color for the trim.

I never thought I would care for those pesky greens but I really like them a lot. Darn!

I vote for the red! So cute.

jerzeegirl, There are a couple of Behr colors that are close to Ancestral, White Smoke and Daisy Field, if that is easier for you to check. Isn't Behr what HD sells?

Here is a link that might be useful: Behr matches to Ancestral

Try looking at BM's historic colors. They tend to be more subdued. I don't have the exterior fandeck, there seems to be a very limited number of cards labeled EXT in the Classics deck. Here are a few that caught my eye. They look totally different indoors to daylight though (currently rainy here).

You should be able to get some help at your BM store. They will know how their paints behave and how they look in large-scale, real life. Try saving the image above (right-click) and print to photo paper. If you still like the color, take it with you as a guide. Maybe look for some mag pics too to show them what you would like the paint color to look like.

HC-113 Louisburg Green (alittle mossy looking but grayed)
HC-114 Saybrook Sage (grayed, maybe too gray?)
HC-116 Guilford Green (? maybe try) Light, somewhat yellow, doesn't look like it would go minty. Is historic, so should have a subtle quality about it.

481 Dillweed (warm, mossy green)
473 Weekend Getaway (Grayed)

These are colors that have been discussed on the board, so maybe you can get some input on them. Although indoor lighting and conditions will be different, it should tell you something about the paint color.

Is red in the running at all? Ask your paint man : ) Maybe someone here will chime in as well.

Think about the interior of your home, too. Is the red or green a nice introduction and make sense?

Loden Coat (64-5 MT) and Olive Branch (64-3 WW) by Martin Senour are really nice warm sage greens also. Don't see them on ColorCharts.org but formulas should be available. Maybe they have old swatches or manuals with the old color swatches in them too.

Actually I am using the BM colors and samples but my painter will have the color mixed by Scott Paint. This is a paint company that makes paint specifically for Florida conditions (hot, sunny, humid, lol!).

As much as I love the red, I have not seen even one house down here in that color. I suspect red fades, which is why it's not used.

Here's the latest snag - Dh and I went for a walk to look at house colors and he likes the gray greens and I like the yellow greens. This always happens to us and it's either Designing for the Sexes or War of the Roses, depending how committed we are to our choices!

I have been sticking to the BM historic colors to narrow the field. We do both seem to like Sag Harbor Gray (which leans to green) and Old Salem Gray (which I think is too dark but it's a nice color); Bennington Gray (it turns out our current color); and Danville Tan.

Tomorrow I will check out the colors you mentioned above. I think there's a Martin Senour store somewhere around here and I'll go back to BM to get the colors you suggested. Thanks for your help!

Ugh, that's always a pain. I bet you can find a warm one that's grayed enough for him though. Good for your gray roof too if it won't be replaced any time soon.

Wow, paint colors really look different from the color chips and from the brochure photography! I saw a BM brochure with a photo of a house that had colors I just loved, so I bought a sample of the color - Horizon Gray. In the picture Horizon Gray is a beautiful soft green; on the house the color is a definite gray. In fact, in some light it reads blue. I am amazed at how different it looks from the photograph! And kind of surprised that they didn't adjust the photograph a bit.

Well we have sampled two colors - the BM Horizon gray - and BM Cypress Green. I like the Cypress Green (saw it on another house). I love the color but I think it's too dark and with the house being under trees and plantings all around it, I am worried that the house will "disappear" in a wall of green.

Talk about disappearing though, there is a house one street over from me and I really like the color - so this morning I knocked on the doors and asked and was told the color is BM Camouflage! What do you all think about Camouflage for paint color on my house?

I am supposed to pick a color by today but I think I am going to try to buy a few days since the painter doesn't start until Monday.

Your house is very cute JG!
the grays with underlining greens work well in Florida.

I'm not big on the red since dark colours hold heat, and I've yet to see a red that doesn't fade in florida sun.

If you still like number 4 , email it to your painter and have him find a colour that will "read" that colour.

Kart

Hi JG - we're getting ready to paint our house this spring too, and I've been pretty much paralyzed by color choices. IÂve made color mistakes before, and the exterior of my house is a pretty big deal.

We have a gray-brown roof too, ours is steel (newly installed last fall). ItÂs supposed to be charcoal gray  and the little piece IÂve been carrying around in my purse does look gray  but on my house, I think it looks brown. Hubby says itÂs because the house is currently painted a (unflattering) brownish color, my eye is picking that up when I look at the roof. IÂm starting to think IÂm colorblind or crazy.

Anyway, IÂm finally ready to buy my first sample color. ItÂs BM Revere Pewter HC-172. WeÂre thinking of a blue for the trim. ThatÂs hubbyÂs pick, and IÂd be okay with it.

You house is really sweet, and I think could carry any of those colors. I really like the green. Louisburg Green is a very nice color. My boss painted her bedroom this color and raves about it. IÂve actually got the color chip right here in front of me  green is an option weÂre considering too. Like you, weÂre already surrounded by lots of trees and other greenery, so I was afraid a green house would get "lost".

Good luck with your quest - I hope youÂll show "after" photos!

Thanks Kart! I realized last night that I really *do* want to change the current color. I am the most indecisive person in the world when it comes to color so as much as I love red, I couldn't possibly find the correct red in just one short week. I put the Cypress Green sample on the front and it looks very nice. I also bought a little jar of Camouflage and so will try that out. If I don't like that I will move on to the warm grays. I have a reprieve with my painter - I now have until Wednesday!

Thanks rilie, I saw Revere Pewter and love it. I would have bought that sample too but I wanted something in the mid-color range and I believe that one is in the lighter range. We painted our last house pewter and I loved it. Did you notice that there are so few grays as samples - the samples are mostly tan and beige and even though colors might be called gray, they sure don't look it. I got all excited about Silver Fox because it looked like a warm medium gray but when I saw the sample I realized it's taupe. I have nothing against taupe but our neighbor's house is taupe and we promised we would do something different.

I just realized that I still need to pick a white for the trim! Aargh!