I like the cream color of these homes:

Colombatto Oceano · More Info

Woodsworth Avenue · More Info

From what you seem to be liking, I don't think you could go wrong with a creamy off-white. Our California Spanish-style stucco home is a very light tan; the trim is a light, bright "burnt" brown - the whole effect is soft, behind a lot of landscaping. Our neighbors did their home in off-white stucco with soft, rather pale aqua/blue trim, and it's beautiful!

You might also want to get a railing around the front porch and stairs. Our appraiser was adamant about safety-first on the entry-way.

Have you considered painting your shutters darker? I love the creamy white you plan to paint the body of the house, particularly the creamy white you show above in your insp pics (Woodsworth Ave and Colombatto Oceano). Below is a home with the darker shutters:

Charming Spanish Revival Home in Montecito, California · More Info

What a pretty house you've got.

Depending on the light your house gets, whites might seem whitier than they are..it's outside lighting, enhancing colors. Your inspiration pics are very pretty and authentic. My guess would be to go to the paint store, find there that person X or Y -the most experienced and knowledgeable, you know-they're usually always busy too..:) and ask him what paint folks are using for stucco..show him your pics.

Our place is also white stucco but I think ours is more true white. It's Dunn Edwards allright..I can check the color if you want, I like it enough, I just have an impression you're looking for a bit warmer white. Again, light will influence your perception some. Say our house doesn't look jarringly white. Not cream though.

On the exterior colors appear much lighter therefore you'll want to go darker than you think; the correct one will probably be found n the pale beigey shades. I can't say I love the older home you posted with the very yellowy cream and pink shutters/trim. I feel that the colors don't complement one another and it comes off as rather dingy looking. I do like the others posted here.

sableincal Funny you should mention that! That is something my home inspector said too. I almost never use the front door though (we come in the back) and so I haven't yet gotten around to it. Maybe when I find something extra cool looking!

Denita I love that house I think I have that same picture saved! It looks nice but it's not quite my style. I should have mentioned in my post that I want my house to look like a cake! With buttercream frosting and pastel cream details - hahah. Not everyone's taste I know!

jean1 Thanks Jean I'm going to pick up a sample can!

aprilneverends and jama7 Ah thank you that is just the type of tip I was looking for! I have noticed that indoors colors look a lot darker and stronger than they do on the sample chip but I wasn't sure if it translated to outside. The house will get a lot of light, as it kind of wraps around a wedge-shaped lot. I'm hoping to walk that line of off-white and cream. Youre right that the photo of the house looks a bit dim on a computer monitor. I'm hoping for a lighter, brighter version.

Nira Juso Thanks for the tips! I think tan is a bit too, well, tan, but the vellum is delicious! I will check it out.

ellenoir17 I actually have a sample can of the Navajo White! I haven't put it up yet though.

Benjamin Moore Calm and Sandblast.

I like your house and am sure whatever you choose will look great. I've seen Fixer Upper do some nice painted brick and stucco. And, the show "Restored" has some nice Spanish style re-dos. Restored

Ours is painted in Dunn Edwards Antique White with Burnt Crimson trim. Goes great with our red tile roof.

cawaps - Yes! That is just the look I am going for. Thanks for posting.

sunfeather - I haven't seen the show yet but I have made note of all the Spanish style episodes and when they rerun!

1929Spanish-GW I bet it looks lovely!

Hello everyone! Thanks for all your help. My paint work was finished today. Here is how it turned out! I'm very pleased. Looks just like a cake.

Colors: Body was BM Ivory Tusk - just the hint of cream I was hoping for. windows and trim are BM Desert Rose, and corbels are BM Chocolate Candy Brown. I also painted the little round vents a terracotta color which I really love the look of. I didn't intend to go with all Benjamin Moore colors but with all the sample cans I tore through, they were the only store that was open late enough for me to go repeatedly after work!

Next up, fixing my landscape...

I'm sorry, but I don't understand why a house should look like a cake, and the pink shutters don't look right to me. You need a darker color that corresponds to the roof color,or a dark gray or green. It takes away from the interest of the house and unfortunately gives it a cheap and faded look. I hope you'll get rid of the grass and install a more authentic-looking landscape for this kind of home. The wall color seems fine, although more white and less creamy than I would have chosen.

It looks really nice, Astrid C. Have fun with the landscape!

Looks great! Classic Spanish-style colors.

Astrid C - Your home looks fantastic. I'm having my *pink* stucco house painted white tomorrow and enjoyed seeing your photos!

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 - Why post a comment like that? It was kind of her to post an "after" shot so we could see the transformation and there was no need for a critique.

I'm sorry, but I see such a disconnect between the terra cotta roof and steps and the pink shutters. If it were my home I would want someone to make me aware of something that I might not have considered. Astrid, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings; that was not my intention.

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9 - no worries, no offense taken. Though it doesn't do a lot of good to know after the fact - unless you are offering to pay my painter to come out again ;). I think it's a matter of taste for sure. To some eyes (like my own) terracotta and red cement in their ubiquity is a "neutral" in these older homes.

I had a neighbor come by and compliment the paint job and said she had lived here 50 years and the house looks just like it did back "in the day." Mission accomplished!