JDez, I just read the link kswl posted - great article BTW, and given where you are, you don't want taupe. I wasn't crazy about the suggestion anyway, but taupe and similar colors where you are (and where I am) tend to look "muddy" acc'd to the article. They work well above the 35th latitude, not below. The article also nixes the dk grey for below the 35th latitude, and it makes sense. Better color choice for New England or Maine than Cajun country. About halfway down the article is a home with a color combo that you might like, and is a color without being too dk, deep, etc. Top left, mid aqua blue - works with the red steps so your brick isn't a far stretch.

Personally, I like the one on the right with your room's wall color. I like the neater square pattern. For your son's room, I prefer the big squared pattern on the left or the same pattern I like for your room. The round pattern just looks odd to me. Which one does your son like best?

lily's mom wrote: cpartist, are you still planning for the windows to be white or bronze? Is the color around the windows the color of your trim? Or are you planning green window frames? The window frames themselves can be either stark white, beige or bronze. I'm inclined to go with the bronze. The window trim around the windows can be any color I want and that is the different colors shown. No green window frames. If I had my choice, I'd actually do a dark red/cranberry color but not at 2x the cost of white, beige or bronze. I grew up in Florida and there were several older craftsman homes, there with stark white windows and white trim. Might have been a tropical thing, but if you like it, I would not be afraid to use it and it will not fade like a darker trim or window frame. Probably wasn't a tropical thing but what was considered "in" at the time. In reality back in the 20's and earlier, stark white was not an available paint color. The colors were always had a hint of color in them making them less bright. I can't say I love stark white on a craftsman house. To my eye it feels forced. Have you picked a paint brand, yet? It would give us a better idea if we could grab our color chips. Our builder uses SW We built a craftsman, house, and used a dark green on the lower level and lighter on the shed dormer, with cream trim and windows, plus a red/pink door. Neutral stacked stone on the foundation and base of columns. It was so pretty. Someone told us, that we would be sorry that we choose a dark green, because, dark green absorbs more heat than black. So... in Florida, be sure not to go too dark with the greens. I will definitely take it under advisement and I may wind up going just a bit brighter than a typical craftsman is just because a typical craftsman color may look too "dull" in the FL sun. I may also take a ride up to Tampa to see the houses up there along the drive. If your lot has lots of shade, it might not matter, but if your lot is bare, you may want to go with the lightest shades of the color combinations you like best. Agreed. Honestly, they all look good. Thank you. Annette wrote: Cpartist, the other thing I thought of could be to do the columns in the lighter green. I could try that too. Or even stone all the way up, which I've seen on many homes but those may be prairie or another style. I'm not overly knowledgeable about craftsman so that may not be correct. I just like the stone :). The stone all the way up would be too heavy for the type of house this is. I think stone all the way up needs to be on a house that is more "solid" for lack of a better word. I think the stone on part of the columns, and surrounding the base of the house will be more than enough to ground the house so it feels like it's sitting on a solid base. bpathome said: Late to the party, glad to see my favorite is rising to the top. Late to the party? You've been with me from the very beginning well over a year ago. And the party hasn't even really started yet! ohh, the columns? I can't decide! The dark columns look so grounded and craftsman, the lighter ones look so fresh and airy. I suppose that even in the Craftsman era, people repainted it they decided they wanted something a bit different. You could start with one, and change it. Painting just the posts would be an easy change, DIY; the rest of the house, not so much. Looking at it for a bit, I like the darker columns. They frame the door nicely and give it context. I'm leaning towards the darker columns too in that not only do they frame the door as you mention, but I also feel it helps "support the gable. With the darker columns it feels like the porch roof is truly "resting" on the stone part of the porch.

Flooring does not exsist on its own. What are the colors and textures of your walls, ceilings, furniture, and accessories? For example, if you have very busy ceiling, furniture, and walls, you probably would want plain flooring. Conversly, if you have very plain ceiling, and furniture, and walls, you could probably do well with busy flooring. Please post pictures of the room.