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Paint The Old House Design Dilemma

How can I make my 1887 plain white house exterior more interesting?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

We recently bought a 1887 house that is painted white with white trim. I don't hate the white on white, but it just seems so boring to me. The floor of the front porch is a light blue gray. I like the color of the front door currently, but am very open to changing it. Ideally, I would like to keep the white siding strictly for cost purposes, but am interested in hearing all ideas!

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Comments (16)

Elaine Ricci
3 years ago
What a beautiful house! I am not a pro, but here are a couple of ideas: Paint house celery green and keep white trim, or keep house white and paint trim forest green.
houssaon
3 years ago
I like it all white, but a dark green or a dark blue on all the trim would look nice. This is Benjamin Moore's Essex Green. I have it on my shutters. I also like Everard Blue which has a lot of green in it.

This is Kensington Blue.
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I'll chime in as a fan of contemporary myself, and a not-so-much fan of country. Your kitchen definitely has a country look to it for reasons already posted. The natural color oak cabs unfortunately don't fall into any description of contemporary, but I would expect touching the cabs to be off the table. If you need canisters for practical reasons (e.g. storage), then consider stainless steel. I got a nice set from Costco for not much money, and Crate & Barrel also have nice ones. Your family room has a contemporary look to it (with the exception of the table lamp). If you look at the elements there in comparison to your kitchen, what you see are solid colors, clean lines, and a lack of nicknacks. Look at the window treatments in particular. Solid color valence, and solid color drapes. Also look at the artwork over the fireplace. Dramatic dark frame that matches the color of the fireplace below, complementary colors in the matting, and a repeating dark brown mat towards the inside. So ask yourself, "how do I bring these design themes to my kitchen?" Well, replace the window treatment with a solid color. I would recommend a dramatic color that matches some other elements in the room such as your counters. Vertical pleating such as you have now is more country. No pleating (like your window valence in the family room) or horizontal pleating (like in roman shades) are more contemporary. Although roman shades always have a summer beach house feel for me, but that's probably just me. For the stuff on top of the cabinets, you should replace them with repeating items in solid or repeating colors. For example you could use a dozen clear/colored art glass plates that again match the counters. The key here is to use multiples of the same item in the same or similar colors, whereas currently you have a mix of disparate items (plate, jug, basket, bottle, etc). Anyway you get the idea - repeating elements, repeating colors, simple lines, no clutter. Those things say "contemporary" to me. Good luck and I hope that helps a little.
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If replacing the garage doors is not in the budget, paint them the color of the siding. bigger light fixtures would help. I agree, darker trim and railings would provide some contrast (especially with almost year round snow. ...), but maybe deep brown or forest green. Black will probably highlight the White windows. Upload the house to a paint company site, and play with it. New efficient windows, not sliders, might actually give you a great payback if touted properly when you sell. Sliders are about the least efficient, at least in my area... which is about as far from you as you can get, in the continental USA. Maybe these are well rated. I don't know. Do you? 3200 SF is a lot to heat in Alaska. If I were looking for a house that large in that climate zone, I'd be a lot less concerned about decoration, and s lot more about efficiency... Insulation, window quality, and maybe solar power to offset the huge heating bills... I would also agree that the front door is kind of boring. if it's steel, and not insulated fiberglass, that's the place I would begin...
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Michael says: The handrail is just bolted on. It was a quick patch job the previous owners did to move the place quicker. It's literally 3 little bolts. Nope. Betcha they added the handrail because it was required by code and they couldn't sell the house at all without it. So you can remove those three little bolts, but don't let your mortgage or insurance company catch wind of it. As for the windows on the door being close to the handle, that's what double cylinder deadlocks are for.
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Landscaping definitely need updating and definition. As it is, everything seems to be nebulously running into everything else. For example, at each side of the entrance area are what look like they are trying to be small tree forms ... but there is no canopy shape or separation from shrubs below. For analyzing the foundation planting, you need pictures that are taken about 50% closer to the house so that things can be seen well. Provide a full panorama taken from a central (in line with door) single camera position. Pan from far left to far right, taking slightly overlapping pictures. Include background space that is beyond the ends of the house. No way would I change the stone to wood as in your inspiration picture. It is not a match. Is the stone in bad shape? I don't see the problem with it.
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lynartist
3 years ago
Please keep it all white! It’s lovely and so are your hydrangeas!
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Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
3 years ago
I think house looks great.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
IMO what you need now is landscaping , beutiful foundation plantings , paint the ceiling of the porch a pale blue like the sky
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User
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I would paint the trim a greige color so it's subtle but has a bit of interest and definition. Beautiful home!
Melissa Gergen
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you, I love the idea of doing something subtle like a greige just to give some definition and highlight some features. Do you have a specific greige in mind?

I also am intrigued by the Essex Green idea for the trim....
PRO
User
3 years ago
I don't have personal experience with selecting greige colors but here's a great article: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/best-greige-paint-colors/
Seabornman
3 years ago
It looks like your house has received the vinyl/aluminum wrap typical of so many renovations. Any painting of those materials brings with it future painting, whereas it will be fine left as is. I'd look for other ways to liven up your home: Lots of opportunities when you have a porch.
Julie Martin
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
We're painting our house a light greige (BM White dove) that I've seen lots of examples of and it looks beautiful, I painted the front/garage door BM Yorktown Green and they go together really well, but I actually came here to say that I love the white and agree with the above poster about considering landscaping instead. Maybe wrap through hydrangeas (if the conditions are right) to around the side of your home that looks bare or some evergreens.
Melissa Gergen
Original Author
3 years ago
Any thoughts on shutters? Just on those too three windows? Maybe too cramped.

I’m leaning toward keeping it all white now and sprucing up the porch. Just not sure what to do other than paint the porch ceiling.
Julie Martin
3 years ago
Do you have a porch swing? That would be a nice touch and could add some wooden color with the painted porch ceiling! Personally I think shutters are great but only when they are consistent all around the house.
houssaon
3 years ago
Don't put shutters. If you do have a wrap, then even more reason to let it alone. (Although I do love the Essex Green.)
suezbell
3 years ago
Really nice house.

There is some white from the fascia on the underside of the shingles of the porch roof but that's not noticeable from a distance. If, however, you want a bit less white, you could paint the fascia the same gray as is dominant in the roofing but leave the window and door trim white.

Where is the driveway? is the building behind the house your garage?

Really like the Hydrangeas. Grass seems a lot healthier with the season change and your care.

Did you do anything to upgrade the steps and/or sidewalk? If not, you might consider cladding

the steps with brick or stone pavers and outlining your sidewalk with stone as well, leaving the tops of the outline material ground level.

https://www.google.com/search?q=facing+concrete+steps+with+stone&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAs_qlwt_qAhXllHIEHUWkB3YQ_AUoAXoECA0QAw&biw=1366&bih=654#imgrc=5zN--r55-XLfwM

You could then create a planting area along one side or both sides of the sidewalk or just

outline the wider sidewalk with a planting of a low growing plant you like that grows well where you live (?Liriope?) .

https://www.etsy.com/listing/804693762/liriope-flowering-grass?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_low-low_d-home_and_living-outdoor_and_garden-garden_decoration-yard_art&utm_custom1=ee26f8df-d4da-4642-96a7-2daebcf72e89&utm_content=go_6721326423_78897197949_388267833987_pla-310643597252_c__804693762&utm_custom2=6721326423&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjaXg9cPf6gIV1MDICh2EPgheEAQYASABEgIzXfD_BwE
ShadyWillowFarm
3 years ago
Love the house! Instead of a solid pony wall around the open porch, can you replace that part with a simple railing? It would open it up a bit in front, and you could see your hydrangeas bloom when you sit out there.
grapefruit1_ar
3 years ago
You have a very lovely house! Is it possible to open up that enclosed porch? It could go from lovely to STUNNING!

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