Oh my gosh, I just talked to this guy today. You should call him. He totally gets color!!! His name is Michael Kornell, VP Sales & Marketing of Eco-Wares, 866-874-8070 Â Toll Free, 703-425-0439 Â Direct Line. Eco-Wares offers Trojan Masonry Sealer that leaves no trace, but they also have a TINTED one called Color Sealer. He's sending me the color chart of 36 colors. Yes, 36 colors! According to Michael, TCS dramatically changes the color of your brick without making it shiny, it's matte, it is permanent, and waterbased. It's a green product ta boot. Coolest stuff I've come across in a long time. Really excited about it. If you call him, get info, or use it, definitely post back. I don't have the color chart, so I can't make a guess at what might work to bring some harmony to your exterior, but honestly it doesn't sound like it would be that difficult to pull together a good exterior color combo. Here is a link that might be useful: CHANGE THE COLOR OF YOUR BRICK!

hi feisty68. thanks much for inquiring!!!! the answer to your question is an old maine expression: "slower than molasses going uphill in the winter." it seems that phrase is also the motto of new york contractors. the house is now freshly roofed. most of the window cut-outs are in the right place, but the porch columns look (in photo) unevenly spaced and.......ok, you get the drift. best (?) is response from contractor (who still owns the house) to one of my many questions. he texted back......."don't poke the bear!" good news is that half those terra cotta tiles are on site; the rest are in my car scheduled for friday departure to new york. am also bringing a giant supply of "molasses melter!"

We just did a podcast about that very thing this week, Pal. I think there is basis to using color in strategic ways. There are methods for to applying color psychology to support a specific environment  like a school, a restaurant, a hospital, etc. However, I have a hard time agreeing that color psychology applied 'makes' people eat faster. Using higher saturated colors from the typically designated "warm" side of a basic color wheel like red, orange, yellow to create an atmosphere that's high energy, intensity - and even volume - would align with the goal of encouraging people to move quickly. And a reasonable result would be that people are motivated by, and perhaps even mirror, the psycho-physiologial momentum of a high energy color palette. Or, could say lingering would not be an activity supported by those color choices. That, I can agree with. A color that fits common descriptions of terra cotta, or muted, dark oranges, could have the same affect. But like every other color and situation it would depend on context; how it's used, the circumstance of the other parts of the color palette. One of my favorite terra cotta paint colors is Hitching Post. It's a Pittsburgh Paints color from the Porter paints palette. Another oldie but goodie is Iced Tea from Behr. There might be a couple good candidates in the new Martha Stewart palette at Home Depot too...

Thank you for all the suggestions. I guess calling it terra cotta was wishful thinking on my part. It is more pink/red, which is even worse. I love Revere Pewter, and it would be a great transition from the Wythe Blue in the bedroom. It never occurred to me that gray would look good with that tile. It would look fantastic with the granite for sure. We are currently out of town visiting my family, and the painters are there working while we are gone bc they have to use KILZ on the wainscoting. So I can't put a paint chip up to that tile. I guess I could ask my contractor to and take a picture. Assuming it comes across right on the screen. I would love to tone down the pink. I guess gray goes with everything. I confess I struggle to see tones on a small paint chip. It's not until it is on my wall and big as life that I see it. I love the Greek blues, and it is part of my color scheme, so accessorizing with that would be great. My dining room is painted a china blue. More navy than royal, but still very happy and bright. That room is mostly windows with white trim and gets a lot of light, so it really works. I even have two prints from our trip to Greece that we haven't framed. I haven't looked at them for years so I need to see what is in them. And I do have a big blank wall that needs something on it, so a print that incorporates the colors is a great idea. I'm open to anymore ideas! Thanks everyone!