It is funny, but I did not change the garage door color. I used MS Paint and it did weird things to the roof too. Looking at it here, it seems like I made the top part brown.... I'd either do the garage door with the 2 light tones or keep it all white. I'd paint it last to see how it looks white first with the new house color. When I was working on the mock up, the lavender was either too strong or too light. I went with too light because the next step up was garish. Our lavender is sometimes very subtle, but when you see the nearby white, you realize it is not white too. It also looks different as the light changes throughout the day. I'll try to take an exterior pic of our house tomorrow. The landscaping needs a major trim, but the blooming trees out front are at their best. I work from my office Thurs-Sun and from home Mon-Wed (much fewer hours), so can do some work on them in the a.m. and take a neater photo ;) Although, it sounds like it is raining outside at the moment...

My deepest sympathy on the loss of your son. You will get more help if you post your question in the Home Decorating part of this forum. It's more active than this one and there are lots of talented people who have good ideas re color choice - both exterior and interior.

Janet, you have my sympathy as well. I would only add that you should pick colors that make you feel happy. I know the trend is toward neutrals, but if this is your long-term home, I would not worry about painting for resale, but to choose colors you really like and that flatter you. Look in your closets and see what colors are prevalent -- that is a good clue. Several years ago, I lost both my mom and dad just a few months apart, and shortly after the loss of a very dear friend. I was devastated as you might imagine. Fortunately for me, DH and I had just purchased a fixer-upper, and we had always agreed that we wanted to paint in colors we loved. We ended up painting in a warm palette of spring greens and warm, buttery yellows, and every time I stepped into the house after work, my spirits lifted. We just sold the home, and despite my agents suggestion that we "soften" the paint colors a bit, we did not. We had multiple offers after 5 days on the market it, so our color choices didn't even hurt us financially, and I am convinced that that they helped me through a very difficult time. My best wishes to you and your family.

The advice I have seen would be similar to this: the garage should not be the focal point but rather, should blend in. So you would select a color that would cause it to disappear against the siding material. The front door should be highlighted either with color or interesting features such as attractive planters, lighting, etc. Pretty sure most advice would call for selecting one “visually heavy” material (either brick or stone) but not both. And I believe they would recommend not having the stone facade run up toward the roof of just one area (because it’s a visually heavy or grounded material it should stay low to the ground). These are suggestions I have read over the past couple of months and learned from reading various books. I’m not a pro or a designer.