stucco paint color suggestions needed!

last year

We are looking to paint our northeast 1920s stucco house this summer but are really stumped on color combinations that would help our house stand out. Our house gets a lot of shade so we wanted colors that would be light and bright but we don’t know what combinations will look good with the features we have and our current green roof. Do we need shutters? I’m not a huge fan of non-functional shutters. We will be swapping out the iron posts for wood columns before painting.
Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

Featured Answer

N Johnson

last year

https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/22-stucco.htm. Google “1920s four square stucco colors” — you should see a few historic color panels.
What do your neighbors’ houses look like ?— I see blue and red brick to the left. Where are you in the US? Do you want to stand out or show off the lovely trees and plantings? Maybe a deep green which would go well with the wood front door surround and your porch furniture.

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Comments (24)

Mallory Gilhooley
Original Author
last year
If the above posted photo is too small
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Proceed w caution—I once asked a pro house painter about painting my stucco (as in I was trying to hire him) and he told me ’I will do your interior; painted stucco always looks like crap.’
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ffpalms
last year
I like the idea of green as N Johnson suggested. Here are a couple of shades to consider.

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ffpalms
last year
And these two.

Green, Black, and Beige · More Info
N Johnson
last year
No, you do not need shutters. Look for a creamy white — looks a little older than bright white. We used Abalone (Kolbe window replacement) with very dark brown shingle stain on our 1914 Craftsman and matched the trim to that. A light blue door or red or really any color would work with a neutral green. It will look fabulous when you’re done! Think of colors you really like to see and to see together.
N Johnson
last year
And all of the greens above are neutrals — they blend right in with the grass and trees.
N Johnson
last year
You might want to add mullions to the 2nd floor windows to match the 3rd floor. Love the diamond work on the first floor windows!
Mallory Gilhooley
Original Author
last year
Thank you, everyone for the suggestions! Our neighbors directly across the street have a green house. I love the idea but I don’t think that will work bc of this.

Across the street is also a light blue house, directly next door is a dark blue and brick and on the other side of ours is a dark grey.
N Johnson
last year
You could try pink or gold. But maybe a different shade of green — ffpalms gave you several types of green.
ffpalms
last year
last modified: last year
It might be helpful to explore a wide range before honing in on just the right paint combination. Here’s three to start out with.
ffpalms
last year
And another three.
PRO
lisedv
last year
last modified: last year
How about a warm white with black trim and wood accents, and a new railing? If possible, make black trim around the white windows to make them stand out.
ffpalms
last year
I like saturated color, so I did this mash-up to help you visualize your house in this copper color with plantings to help tie it to the landscape.
PRO
lisedv
last year
I also like the cream colour with shutters suggested above by ffpalms so here is the look on your house:
ffpalms
last year
Do any of these colors pull on your heartstrings?

I like this fresh looking green. Most likely quite different than your neighbor’s green!
PRO
JudyG Designs
last year
last modified: last year
For 20 years we lived in a stucco house built in 1911. The stucco was in very good shape. We never painted it. It lasted all these years in a North East climate. If you paint, you won't get as along a life out of the finish.. Your cute American Four Square house looks good; I would have it power washed and paint the trim a bright white. Spend the left over money on updates to landscaping.
PRO
JudyG Designs
last year
last modified: last year
Just an FYI...A mullion is a heavy vertical or horizontal member between adjoining window units. Muntins are the narrow strips of wood that divide the individual panes of glass in a traditional sash.

Your American Four Square was part of the Arts and Crafts Movement; some Craftsman and Prairie design incorporated. There are many different styles of Four Squares, so not all look alike.

Four Squares are typically found in the mid west. Wonder if your house was a Sears and Roebuck? That would be fun and special.
Kate
last year
I would pick a color that works with your stone foundation, but go much lighter, perhaps that Inglenook from the Craftsman pallet. Your house looks very similar to a house I had and we painted it a light taupe color and did a band of off white around the windows. The do that a lot in Germany.
Mallory Gilhooley
Original Author
last year
Love these suggestions. This is such a tough decision.
The Craftsman color in the palette ffpamls shared pulls at my heartstrings for sure! I’d love to do a shade of green. Anyone think that is too bold?
Inglenook is also nice- bluish grey? Very pretty.

We actually had our all but the two front windows replaced when we moved in. So many of them were in a dangerous condition and we have two small children. The original windows only had mullions on the two attic windows and we decided to replicate that in the replacements.

I really appreciate all of your feedback!
ffpalms
last year
Here’s a couple of thoughts if you’re feeling uneasy about a bold color. Judy G Designs suggested a good power wash and painting the trim. I imagine you’d have to power wash the stucco before painting anyway, so that may be the best way to start. If the clean stucco looks good to you, then you can choose a trim color and add a lot of curb appeal with some landscaping. That’s always a good bang for the buck. You can always go bold at a later date. The Inglenook color is lovely-actually closer to green than blue to my eye, and not so bold.
ffpalms
last year
I just came across this photo of a white Craftsman. It looks very fresh and timeless, and would allow for lots of options on trim color, including the same white used on the body-making it much easier to paint! :)

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ffpalms
last year
Also found this one similar to the Inglenook color.

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Mallory Gilhooley
Original Author
last year
I really do love a white house and a green roof 😍
Jilly
last year
Love your house!

Just for fun:

http://oldhousecolors.com