I'm still at it ya'll. My GC just met with a second painting contractor today, so I expect we'll get a quote soon. (Just in time for me to go out of town for a bit too.) I've acquired a truly absurd number of paint samples, and now possess both sherwin williams and ben moore fan decks:) I would have done better to just choose from the limited Hardie colors. (tone is hard to convey on the internet, this is all in good humor, with me more or less mocking myself). The good news is, I know what I want to do! (hurrah!) I found a new inspiration picture, and both DH and I went "aha, that's it." The previous photos are fine, but this is the one we both definitely like the best: there are a bunch more photos of this house here - http://www.houzz.com/projects/1042760/burwood-custom-home-grand-rapids-mi I didn't think I wanted to go dark with our black metal roof, but there it is, the first color scheme we're both happy about. I think there will still be enough contrast. They claim the color above is Ben Moore Kitty Gray 1589. So, here are some samples: Sorry about the mud splash, should probably clean that off. From left to right: 1) SW dovetail 7018 2) SW gauntlet gray 7019 3) BM Kitty Gray 1589 *- the one in the insp photo above 4) BM quarry rock 1568 5) BM knoxville gray HC-160 So, internet house color support group, what say you? Kitty gray does not look as vibrant (dark, saturated?) to me in real life or in the photos as it does in the inspiration picture. It looks more gray, as opposed to having some dark blue/green. However, I think I'm just going to stop thumb sucking and pick this color. quarry rock has more green knoxville gray is fairly saturated in real life. it really might be dark teal. maybe that's good, I dunno. Then I have to decide a trim color, whether to paint a contrasting trim around the windows, and what color to paint the garage doors. Whew! getting closer:)

What a wonderful project. And how nice that the house is set back so that different areas of transition can be created. Will you be growing tall trees so the home is eventually sheltered in dappled shade? Lower landscaping so the house rises above washed with sunshine? Do you want a rather mysterious look with a narrow area of accented house intriguing and drawing the eye in , making people going by try to see more? Do you want an open look with the property lushly foliaged but the house very much on display, serenely or exuberantly? If you have a image in mind of what you want, style, mood and light included, you could then drive around both creative older and expensively landscaped neighborhoods looking for ideas to realize it. Color choices made then? These mostly lack the rich color you want, but I was mostly thinking first of how it might be dressed with garden. :) Lush elsewhere, perhaps, but close in as open and airy as the interior? I'm really not crazy about brown in general, but even I think a brown reminiscent of wet tree trunks works wonderfully to accent and tie inside, transition areas, garden together. The previous property uses it also.

North facing rooms will be dark most of the day and pick up purple tones from any paint. I would look carefully at the undertones and the formulas to ensure you don't have a lot of red and blue if you can't tell from the paint itself. I had a home with a north facing kitchen that I actually wanted to bring out the purple in so I purposefully went with a barely periwinkle gray that appeared full on periwinkle in that space. I suspect you don't want purple in your room. North facing rooms will also make your color appear deeper so you want something with a high light reflective value. My vote is for BM Gentle Cream.

this is a crappy pic, but if it helps, I have a koi pond w/the white stucco. my overhang is painted in Wrought Iron, along w/the trim decking is a light gray you could do the paint deck in a contrasting color if you go w/the white stucco. maybe paint the posts to the cabana a contrast? bring in some diff colors w/pots, chairs, maybe a teak beach? you see the orchid wall? we did that ourselves with redwoo, coated it w a marine varnish. you could easily make something like that and attatch it to a portion of the stucco wall to break up all of the white after it was done. (and before we painted the house) you could use any outdoor wood, and make it any size attach some plants to it or string some solar lights on them. potted plants, then make a simple bench and put it under the wall hanging slats. This make sense?