Need exterior paint help!

6 years ago

Hi everyone... my first time posting here! Our house is about to be painted and we are having a very hard time choosing a color. It's an unusual house in that I don't see many that have this layout, making it hard to find comparables for paint ideas. I have posted pics below of the current color. One is obviously on a more sunny day. Right now I would say it's a medium blue-gray (not sure of the color). I have 8 samples up on the outside of the house and I'm not sure I like any of them and the painter wants me to decide this weekend. We are thinking we'd like a touch lighter of a color, and either gray or a pale blue (but not too light).

Right now I'm kind of liking Boothbay Gray, Nantucket Fog, and Storm (all BM). But I'm not convinced enough to go for any of them. I'm considering picking up Wolf Gray, Amsterdam, and Blue Spruce to try. If anyone has any advice regarding colors in the gray/blue family I would love to hear it.

I also feel like I need help with the upper windows... they look very blah. I'm considering either shutters or some type of molding on top. Clearly, I am very new to all of this!

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Comments (7)

graywings123
6 years ago
No shutters. In the pics, the framing around the windows looks fine. Personally, I would go darker, like the color in the lower photo. I would paint the garage doors the same or a similar color as the house so they don't stand out so much. Maybe a bright yellow door?

The landscaping could use some work. If it were my house, I would remove and replace much of it. The stone wall by the sidewalk is lovely.
H V
Original Author
6 years ago
I appreciate your advice, graywings123! I know the landscaping needs work, but we can only afford one big project at a time. :) Never occurred to me to paint the garage doors the same color as the house! Something to think about.
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cpartist
6 years ago
You absolutely want to paint the garage doors the same color as the house, unless you prefer the garage doors being the focal point of the house. Our eyes will naturally go towards the lightest color which is white.

Here's a suggestion: Notice now the doors become the focal point.
H V
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks, cpartist!
H V
Original Author
6 years ago
Now I'm questioning everything I've been thinking. I was thinking a color similar to BM Philipsburg blue because honestly the color it is now depresses me. I absolutely love gray (I liked BM Storm and Boothbay Gray when I put up a sample), but I'm worried about *that* much gray, since the house is so long. Any other color thoughts? Also, any thoughts about how to add character? The outer style of the house is not my taste at all but the inside and location were perfect for us at the time we were buying.
cpartist
6 years ago
I think BM Philipsburg Blue might be a gorgeous color for your house. Do a small sample first though to make sure. If you do a blue, you can do a door that is red, orange, yellow or even an orange brown.

Also, any thoughts about how to add character? The outer style of the house is not my taste

What do you mean to add character? I think your house has lots of character. Or are you meaning putting useless doodads on the house, otherwise known as lipstick on a pig?

I think if you want to add character, the best you could do is landscaping.
H V
Original Author
6 years ago
LOL! Thanks, we did three samples on different parts of the house of a California Paint shade (since that's what my painter exclusively uses) that is very close to Philipsburg, and it looks nice in all light. And I think we'll do the garages the same, unless I decide to do a complementary color, like a gray or a darker blue or a brown... playing around with ideas. I appreciate your candor. I always thought I'd end up with a victorian house, and this is so different from that! So I've been having difficulty finding the beauty. We will look into landscaping next year.