Absolutely. Do it. Here's a inspiration photo for ya. Colors featured are from Pratt & Lambert. Image/concept is a copyrighted system called My Sense of Place⢠- gotta cite the source. :)

I love the color, but I think I would hesitate to do the house, the retaining walls and all in that color. I think you will end up losing some of the depth that you get with the contrast of colors on the different wall areas.

I think the retaining walls in the front would be wonderful in the same grey tone as the mortar on the flagstone. If you could top those with flagstone as well, it would add a nice touch.

Then the cherry cola walls as they are.

Finally, I would do the house in a rich grey-green, tying in the cool tones of the retaining wall but bringing in the spark of the green tones. Then purple for the doors.

One other thing I would do is paint the walls and ceiling in the entry area in the same grey tone as the retaining wall, to bring some light into the space and show off the purple door.

The thing about using grayed tones, even lighter khaki green colors is that here in the southwest it ends up looking like a primer coat. Universal Khaki from Sherwin Williams is a really good example. Great color for exteriors when I was working a lot in Ohio. Here in El Paso, Texas it looks like uncured stucco.

I have to disagree with les - this time - and vote for the bold color strategically placed to bring some continuity and cohesion to all the different planes and elements. Especially if you're in one of the kinda quirky AZ neighborhoods a bolder orange and purple color scheme (or something similar) would be a good fit from a streetscape perspective.

I defer to funcolors on this, absolutely, as far as the effect of the grey tones. Funcolors is truly our color/paint authority bar none!

I do still think that painting the all the surfaces the same color will flatten the visual effect, tho. Perhaps do the retaining wall in a purple, the short wall stays cola, the house in a rich green, with the purple door and cola for the trim when you are ready to do trim. I would just want to be sure that the green house color would be olive or some warmer green to avoid looking like Christmas.

Thank you both so much!

Les917, I love the idea of pulling four colors together, but the most we can do is three. Almost nobody in this neighborhood (that I've seen) used gray tones, and I never thought about it, but funcolors has the reason. The greyish colors look funny in our light. I think you're right about doing a lighter color on the porch ceiling. I'll pick a lighter/brighter green or purple for the door and porch ceiling for that purpose.

Funcolors, I love the inspiration pic! The house in our neighborhood that is orange is more of a neon circus peanut orange (not kidding--I should get some pictures during our evening walk) I don't care for. I wish I could figure out how to post the accent colors we're considering. Now I'm thinking a fun green (at the risk of being known as the Christmas house..lol).

You are welcome. Just to be clear, tho, I meant the walls and ceiling of the entry area, not just the ceiling.

Please be sure you post pix when you are done. I am betting it will be amazing!

That's a nice color but are you sure you want to go that dark on the house itself? It's hot there, right? That color is going to absorb more heat than a lighter one.

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/coolyourhome/cooling.htm

Being that you're in a quirky neighborhood, I think going with 3 colors would be fun. Going by my computer it seems like one color would just flatten the look as was already mentioned. In a conservative neighborhood I might think differently.

When it comes to energy accumulation, solar reflectance values (SRV) are equally a concern as the more well-know light reflectance values (LRV).

Here in the southwest, the color of your roof is actually more of a concern than the color of the body of the house because that's where anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 of the heat accumulates. Depending on slopes, angles, etc. You'll see a lot of flat roofs in the SW because it's easier to paint and maintain with a reflective coating - that's just one reason, there are others.

You can mange a hot roof and benefit from it too. You can install a solar heating system for your pool and swim warm all year for little $$$.

But for color on body, trim, elements of the house as a color consultant I don't worry about SRV or LRV with regard to solar/heat accume. PROVIDED, the LRV of paint colors meet specs for the element being painted. For instance if the front door's color specs say don't use a paint color with a LRV below 20 - then you have to pay attention to that.

Also, one more lil geographic tidbit. Yes, it gets hot during the day in the southwest, the desert but it also gets cool at night. It might be 92 degrees at 3 pm but the temps dip pretty quick when the sun goes down.

One more thing re: the Christmas House reference.

Context is everything. A Christmas scene reference isn't exactly what comes to mind in context of the southwest. New Hampshire, Connecticut - maybe. In the SW, however, color associations rarely wander off into winter wonderland territory.

Plus Cherry Cola leans orange. Not likes it's "red". wouldn't hesitate to go for a punchy, sassy green with Cherry Cola if that's what you want.

Another note -- when it comes to bold and vivid colors exterior. Before you get your heart set on any color, verify that it is indeed a color that CAN be used exterior.

Not all colors in the chip rack are formulated to play outside. Most of them are interior only.

Hi Dawn,
I Photosoped your home in various trim options. Hope this gives you an idea as to what it may look like.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

Option 4:

Option 5:

Ooooo! Fun! Definitely need to break up the Cherry Cola. . .

I like the window trim and door painted a different color like that - the first and last picture especially.
You're lucky you have the cool temps in the evening to get rid of the heat. In the Mid-Atlantic when we have week long heat spells, it takes our stone and brick houses a while to heat up, but when they do, they're ovens. We always say it's not the heat but the humidity. I don't car what it is, but I'm glad for air conditioning. It's brutal otherwise.

les917, thank you! I know we can paint the ceiling of the entry, but I don't think they'll let us do the walls a different color than the house. I've never seen that done. It won't hurt to ask, though. I'll post pictures when it's done. I'm guessing it won't be until mid-summer.

ufgator, thank you!!! Those pictures are invaluable. I was having a hard time picturing the whole house done. I love the trim around the windows! I didn't even realize the pop-outs (what we call the raised trim) went around the entire window because they're not painted now. I think I like the purple best, or maybe the deep red. Now I have to talk my husband into doing the trim.

Funcolors, your advice is so helpful! I am checking to make sure the colors can be used on exterior, especially the bright ones. As you said, a lot of them are interior only. You could probably tell from the pictures, but our house is indeed a territorial with a flat roof (white coating). I'm so glad the darker color won't be a problem, because I was a bit concerned. We're in Tucson at about 2800 ft. elevation, so it does cool down at night. Now I'm going to do some more research on flat roofs because you've got me curious :-).

Chickadee, thank you! I hear you on the humidity. We lived in Austin, TX for about a year and it was awful. I know Austin isn't as humid as back east/south, so it must be epic there. We had to move back to the west because I couldn't take the humidity. I'm such a wimp. LOL

Option #2 with a purple door could be interesting, but I'd prefer not to use so much "cherry cola". I think it works better as an accent than a field.

I love the color where you have it painted in the first pic, and on the house in the photoshopped pic. I do have a strange question though. Are you leaving the stairs the way they are? Did the metal rust a bit on to the stairs. I don't know why, but my eye is drawn to what looks like similar orange on the stairs when the bottom wall is painted the cherry cola color. I would love to see what that would look like painted the same as the trim color. Hope that made sense. These are the little things that drive me nuts, but I am sure that could just be me!

Some very good points are being made by everyone. I love the color, it is a strong color but if you break it up with the proper trim colors it will look great. You also have to remember that the PS images above do not "tell" the whole story. The home has a beautiful green tree in front of the house and a second story with windows whose trim will again break up all the "Cherry cola" on your exterior walls.

Boopadaboo has a good point with regards the entry gate and stair railing which appears to be bronze type color. The Option 6 PS below could be better done, but the idea of using the same color on the entry gate and rail on the trim around the windows. Then use a color from the entry decorative tiles (I used a green below) to highlight your door, and I think you have a wonderfull color combination. I also happen to like the deep blue or purple idea for the trim and door of option 5 above.

Option 6:

Thanks again! Ufgator, I LOVE the last mockup! It's so elegant. I'm looking for a bronze brown now.

One thing that I should mention is the Cherry Cola, though it's reading orange on here, does not read orange in real life. It's definitely deep reddish brown (or brownish red :-). It goes beautifully with the flagstone and brick (inside the courtyard) which is all red and pink in undertone.

Boopadaboo, the yellow stuff on the stairs and sidewalk is dropped flowers from our palo verde trees. That can be swept away :-). The metal is all powder coated.

Ufgator is right, we have two bright green trees that will help break up the paint a lot. Here's a better picture of those: {{!gwi}}From House front