Thank you to everyone for the replies. This is very helpful and I really appreciate the comments. My impression is that many people still go with flat on the wall and semi-gloss on the trim. My neighbor just had his house done by a reputable contractor and he (the painter) said this is standard. But I agree with all of the points mentioned here about the superiority of satin and will go with it. I actually did paint a small section with satin and it looked a bit shiny, but this was in comparison to the dingy flat and I agree about the shine wearing off a little over time. Thanks also for the reminder about proper prepwork and choosing the right paint. What I've been reading is that stucco does better with elastomeric paint because of expansion and contraction. There's a Benjamin Moore store fairly close and I'll head over there tomorrow. Much appreciated, all!

satin

Chris your inspiration house has a large proportion of the natural cedar color to the blue and a lot of what we can see on that house in the photo is in shadow which makes a big difference. You're trying to choose a color for your house without a clean background - the yellow is a player in making colors look different. I took a picture of 2 colors from one of my paint decks for you - put them on a table on our porch that is similar in color to your cedar but when I compare the picture to the paint deck it's horribly off so I hesitate to post it for you. I may email it but just know that it's not representational at all. I'm looking at Benjamin Moore Everard Blue CW-575 and Wetherburn's Blue CW-580. these are from their Williamsburg collection, grayed blues with green in them. Even on the B/M website the colors are off on my computer. I'm not certain these are the *right* colors for your house but it's a slightly different direction that brings your setting into the mix and a place to start. Hale Navy is part of the Historical Color collection from B/M - that collection is a good place to be as well. The colors are dirtier which is good - what you don't want is a bright, clear color on your house. There are different ways to approach trim and house colors - they can be high contrast with crisp definition or lower contrast and more subtle transition. Neither one is better, they are just different looks but your trim will still be differentiated from the house body with less contrast. Are you planning to paint your eves and rake boards like the inspiration house?

I've painted my house twice now with satin. I am sure it wears better than paint with less sheen that I had on another home. Repels dirt better too, rinses off with hose better, repels water better so should last longer. With white I think the sheen would be less noticeable. I went with a darker color and different (from gray to medium grayish beige) in satin on the second painting and reflecting light makes it look a lighter color, kind of. It's only more noticeable, kind of, where there is no shade from any trees and get full direct sun, it was also the area that started losing the sheen of the first painting. Anyone that has noticed that I used satin really likes it and say they would probably use satin next time they paint. If there are any imperfections from the hail you are probably the only one who will notice it. No one else is going to scrutinize it like you will. Regarding light colors and imperfections. A friend who used to restore old cars said light colors hide imperfections better than dark colors.