Help please!!! Can this house pull off the black and white MCM look?
We are having the exterior of our rental painted on Monday and I had been planning on going with Chantilly Lace walls, Tricorn Black trim (on front posts and overhead beam), Tame Teal front door, and Online Grey for the front porch and walkway. It dawned on me last night, though, that the non-removable window grilles might throw off the clean, modern look that I am going for. The house is a couple blocks from the ocean. Should I switch gears and go with coastal colors like much of the rest of the neighborhood or do you think I can pull it off despite the windows? Is it too late to go coastal now that the roof is black? Below are some pictures of the house. Sadly, we had to remove the planters and all of the vegetation because my husband was concerned about moisture being held against the house. The garage door will be replaced with a white, modern flush door. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Comments (18)
deb s
2 years ago
Indecisiveness
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRelated Discussions
Please vote on which look you prefer:off white cabinets/hw/faucet
Comments (5)I persobally love ORB as well as white cabinets. I have painted white cabinets with ORB knobs, pulls, lights and faucet. Stainless/nickel also looks great on white but it's a different look. There's not as much contrast between the two but it has a fresh light feel to it. I have brushed stainless bar pulls on my outdoor kitchen which has dark wood cabinets. As for the finish on the ORB, if it's what they call a "living finish" it will wear with age to a nice patina on the areas that get handled. Some of my faucets have this finish, the kitchen and master bath precisely. They're acually oil rubbed copper so the worn areas are a copper color instead of a bronze color. I chose this because I have several copper accents throughout my home. The powder room vessel sink is copper and the accent on the knobs on my stove are as well. As for ORB knobs, pulls and faucets with a sealed finish, I think they hold up as well as any other color. I have Moen ORB in my kids' bathrooms and they look just as new as they did three years ago. BTW I have ORB (copper) on my white farmhouse sink and it looks great....See MorePlease post photos--off white/cream cabinets and black appliances
Comments (11)Thanks so much for all of the pictures. They are very helpful to get a visual idea. I so appreciate everyone's help! Boxerpups, I'm always amazed at the photos you have filed away. You are amazing. slush1422, I can't wait to see pictures of your completed kitchen. It is beautiful. noebee1313, thank you for your suggestion. This was one of our original options, but the majority of the cabinets are uppers. Therefore adding the few base cabinets wasn't very expensive. Here is a drawing of what the kitchenette is intended to look like. Its not very big but should work perfectly in the space....See MoreHelp! White or off white Diamond cabinets for 1915 house?
Comments (13)I have off-white and although I love it now, it was a NIGHTMARE to get it to look half decent. Instead of gray undertones, mine have PINK. You would never know it now but I had to go through 3 wall colors, going darker and darker to make the off-white appear whiter. I had to forget the white subway backsplash I'd planned and get something that wasn't so bright white. Then, I had to paint all the trim in the room off-white because having too much bright white in the room, made the cabinets look pink or dingy, depending on the lighting. I'm not trying to discourage you, because it is a nice look.... It's not impossible to pull off, just takes some extra coordination. My carpenter is going with off-white and he witnessed the whole debacle. He said he loves it! Thankfully, my kitchen is closed off to the rest of the rooms, 2 doorways and a pass through window. The rest of the house still has white trim. Despite everything, again, I love my new kitchen. I even noticed that I prefer my brighter white ceramic utensil caddies and vases in the room now. I thought I was doomed to off-white everything forever. Here's the result, not finished yet but not dingy!...See MoreHelp - Do I have to honor the MCM design of a house?
Comments (19)I'd buy that one in a heartbeat, wow. I agree that making changes to the carport area wouldn't look right, and I like the idea of an additional garage (not attached.) I don't know how popular MCM homes are in your area, but in many parts of the country you might be hurting the resale value of the home if you make major changes to the architecture. I think a good deal of the value in that house is it's so well preserved. I love those bathrooms and the fireplace, and would try very hard not to change them. We are in our tenth year of living in a MCM Spanish style home (not nearly as pristine or beautiful as yours.) We honestly were not fans of MCM when we moved in, but that gradually changed over the years. What we're doing now is slowly adding and changing furnishings as we find them, at thrift stores and elsewhere, to reflect our changing taste. We'll probably sell some things on Craig's List. You really don't have to do it all at once, so don't let that pressure you. In fact, I have really enjoyed going slowly, because it gives me time to learn about MCM (reading books and online resources) and think it through. I feel like I am still finding my way. It's obvious that you're sensitive to design or you wouldn't be doing this thoughtful post and asking these questions. If you buy the house, I'd suggest living with it for a while before doing anything. I think there is a good chance that you will find a new appreciation for some of the features of the style as you learn more about it. We've already made some small changes to our house in the early years, and now I worry we shouldn't have...so I'm trying to help you avoid some of the confusion we've experienced. My heartfelt advice is to take your time. It sounds odd, but I think we are finally learning to let our house teach us a few things, instead of us forcing the house to be the way we thought it should be initially. We're currently trying to be open to letting the house help us grow and change, instead of the reverse, if that makes sense! I'll bet you could do the same, and you have a much more wonderful starting point than we did. That place is such a gem!...See MoreRachel
2 years agoRachel
2 years ago
PROJudyG Designs
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoFirst: the true divided lite windows won’t spoil anything. Just remove those shutters.
Of course you can do white. It won’t look like your inspiration photo, as it shows black windows.
Except for the front door, here is white body, white windows and black roof. Lovely.
Landscaping: if your husband is afraid of plants near siding, try stones and the foundation and grasses. Example:
I like this look for your location, working with the white windows, and you could still do a teal front door.
Then there is drastic, but stunning. You could stain the house black (hot sun make black paint bubble), white windows and still do teal door.
Rachel
2 years agoMarleneM
2 years agoIndecisiveness
2 years agoI can relate, I’m not good at it either. I’ve been procrastinating painting my house for 2 years because I can’t pick a color. It’s so much easier when it’s someone else’s house. :)
I think if you want white, that the trim would look better a slightly whiter color than the body. The teal door would really pop. Then you could add back bright, colorful landscaping
Dark colors on a MCM ranch really pop, but if you’re in a sunny climate that’s not the best choice. A blue-green would look nice, but two days isn’t much time to pick the right shade.
Indecisiveness
2 years agoRachel
2 years ago
tangerinedoor
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoMy absolute favorite comparator for your house (it started almost identical!) is in this article. It shows different paint palates for the house.
This is one variation, but there are 5! They also show different cosmetic touches like that wood screen.
Catalina Exterior Renderings · More Info
PROhousegal200
2 years agoMarleneM
2 years ago- PRO
JudyG Designs
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRachel, just a guess:
But I did locate who did the renovations on the house and a contact email. Maybe they will share the color.
info@threebirdsrenovations.com User
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
PRO
RachelOriginal Author