Suggestions for paint colors on 1960s ranch with stone chimney

last year

last modified: last year

Looking for suggestions on paint colors for our ranch home! I think I am down to two possible combinations:

cream/beige with black windows/trim

sage green (SW Evergreen Fog) with white windows/trim (maybe even black trim?!).

Where I am really struggling is what color to paint the stone chimney?! I am set on painting it but my husband thinks we should just find a color to compliment it. With it being a street facing chimney I think its color is important!

If we paint the house cream/beige I think I could also paint the chimney cream/beige.

If we paint the house SW Evergreen Fog, I am hesitant on also painting the chimney the same color. Not sure why - just seems weird to paint a chimney green. What do you guys think? If not, then what color?!

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!! We are located in Pennsylvania.

Featured Answer

Jilly

last year

last modified: last year

Please don’t paint that wonderful stone with some boring flat paint or limewash color. It’s very charming and adds interest.

I’d have the stone cleaned, choose a soft house color, and leave the windows white.

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Comments (42)

decoenthusiaste
last year
last modified: last year
Hubs is right! Have you cleaned the chimney and foundation yet? That would be the first step so you can select colors based on the true color of the stone. If you take up close pix of the stone that you feel represent the true color, you can load them on the major paint company sites and get some color ideas that work with it.
Heather DeNick thanked decoenthusiaste
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elcieg
last year
last modified: last year
Keep the stone as is...it's great! Agree with Jinx...windows are interesting.
Heather DeNick thanked elcieg
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
last year
last modified: last year
Yep. Have the chimney stone cleaned, then pick a color that blends with it for the house. The chimney is the best feature of your home.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
As others have said the stone is a feature you enhance not obscure. Remove the trellis, replace the garage door and nine light colonial door when you can with something simpler/ more contemporary. As to colors you want warm tones (because stone). Since you lean toward black I would look at urbane bronze or black fox as your accent or everything color. Black itself will probably be too dark (I love black and all my trim is black but with dark brick)
Heather DeNick thanked HALLETT & Co.
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
last year
last modified: last year
Oh yes, what Hallett said and put that cheapo trellis elsewhere.
Heather DeNick thanked littlebug zone 5 Missouri
nickel_kg
last year
Leave the stone alone. Your instinct that painting it a color (ANY color) would be weird, is correct.
Heather DeNick thanked nickel_kg
kandrewspa
last year
I vote for cream/beige (whatever coordinates well with the stone), but no black windows. Please don't try to Modern Farmhouse this house. You could always use the Evergreen Fog on the front door, but the garage door should blend with the body of the house instead of being accentuated. In PA stone walls are our calling card. Don't cover it up. :-)
Heather DeNick thanked kandrewspa
PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
last year
last modified: last year
If to go with beige, then with darker beige, taupe. Evergreen Fog is very pleasant color, would go good with brick, so you do need to paint chimney.
Heather DeNick thanked Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
Heather DeNick
Original Author
last year
Wow, thank you so much for all the responses! I am so glad I asked and although I am a little disappointed in likely not painting the chimney, I just want to do what the majority thinks is the right decision!

The painter will come clean the chimney and house a few days prior to painting it. Hopefully then we will be able to pick a color that compliments the stone! We will definitely get rid of the trellis. I just forgot to take it down :)

What are anyones thoughts on Evergreen sage as the house color? Or do you think it should stay a tan/beige?

Again, many thanks!
User
last year
last modified: last year
I think the evergreen sage would look great! I love the brickwork as-is and would not touch it (besides cleaning). The green color will compliment the bricks nicely.
Heather DeNick thanked User
cat_ky
last year
I agree with all the others, do not paint the chimney. It adds a lot to the front of your house. There isnt anything wrong with the stone. Either of your paint colors will work with it.
Heather DeNick thanked cat_ky
acm
last year
(if you just can't live with the chimney, or you don't love a retro stone, have it died a color that coordinates with your roof -- is that gray or tan? -- and then go from there.)
Heather DeNick thanked acm
chloebud
last year
Agree the Evergreen Fog could be nice, or even a shade lighter with the low-ish, straight roofline.
Heather DeNick thanked chloebud
User
last year
I realize this is a different house style, but look how good that shade of sage looks next to light red/brown tones (similar to your brick). white window frames work well with this color scheme. (I happen to love your casement windows by the way!)

also note how nice a lighter shade of sage looks next to brick too:
Heather DeNick thanked User
Heather DeNick
Original Author
last year
SeattleMCM thanks so much for the idea! Do you happen to know what color the paint is on the house? I think we are going to go with a green color, just not sure what to do as far as window and garage door color.
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
I like the sage green idea with a taupe-y beige trim. Or, I'd also consider a gray-green with black trim. I think you want to stay away from beige for the siding since it's too close in color to the stone. You want some contrast:

Bishops Bay Exteriors · More Info

Quiet Casual Home · More Info
Heather DeNick thanked Sabrina Alfin Interiors
Jilly
last year
last modified: last year
This is a house that gets posted here often … a cream body with brownish-green trim and great-looking wood front door (could get similar effect painting your door in a terra-cotta/rust/burnt orange color).

You have similar colors in your stone.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/front-elevation-traditional-exterior-austin-phvw-vp~327336
Heather DeNick thanked Jilly
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
I think the house needs a more earthtone color scheme.
Heather DeNick thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
User
last year
@Heather DeNick, no, sorry, I just got those images off of google. Just go to the store and choose a few different shades of sage to try, and be sure to try out large swatches. Include SW Evergreen Fog among your samples -- it's a pretty color!

I think your house could look really good with wood doors. Real wood for the garage, the faux wood ones look so fake. If real wood is too expensive, I think it will look fine to mix: wood front door with white garage door.

Since your garage door is already white, you can make all of the other changes first and see how you like that combination.

Are you planning on replacing that door? If you're keeping it, I suggest removing the black hardware, and seeing if the shapes around the windows are removable too (I wonder if they're tacked on, similar to vinyl window grids?).
Heather DeNick thanked User
User
last year
last modified: last year
Here are a few ideas. Note: it's tough because the original photo is not the most flattering light for your house-- for example, I can't really tell what your roof actually looks like.

Anyway, I live in an MCM neighborhood, and there are lots of homes like yours. here are some colors I've noticed around, that I particularly like with the brick/wood combo:

dark teal (not too bold):

soft navy:

gray (slightly warm toned):

pale sage:

slightly darker sage:
Jilly
last year
Seattle, those look great! I’d have a hard time deciding.

I like how soft they look. There are so many severely and starkly contrasting paint trends right now, these are very refreshing.
Heather DeNick thanked Jilly
User
last year
last modified: last year
I have always found that for just about any shade of blue or green, it looks better to add a touch of grey to mute it down. Not enough to make it boring, just enough to soften it.

Although it's just a personal preference. I never liked saturated colors for a home. I know somebody who recently painted hers pure mint, which probably looked pretty on the sample, but in large scale it wound up way too bright. It looks like a toy color. That can work in certain regions (like a beach town), but for the most part I just don't really like it.
Heather DeNick thanked User
Heather DeNick
Original Author
last year
SeattleMCM - thank you so much for those pictures! I have tried to do them online as well but they don't turn out nearly as nice. What app did you use? The shapes in the garage door are removable which we will do. I think we will leave the garage door white and buy new doors. Your feedback is appreciated and helpful!
User
last year
last modified: last year
I used photoshop. Any of the photo/color editing tools are great for inspiration, but it is never quite the same as how a color will feel in real life. So be sure to do big swatches and view them morning, midday and evening (as the color shifts along with the daylight).

As for your garage doors: yay that the window trimming can be removed! Without those faux country details, it is a perfectly good classic design.
Bette P
last year
My house has a similar stone wall and to complicate things, a terra cotta color brick, house is built in 1963. We used Dulux Barn Swallow for the siding on the breezeway, that connects the garage to the house. Our troughs and gutters are the same, and the roof is GAF Weathered Wood.
I’m in Ontario, Canada. The first photo suggestion above from @judiaana20 seems similar.
Heather DeNick
Original Author
last year
We have decided on SW Evergreen Fog for the house (top, darkest green) with white trim (either Alabaster or Shoji White) and SW Iron Ore for the doors (dark gray-top right sample). Now I am stumped on what we should do with the garage door...Evergreen Fog, white, or Iron Ore?? What do you guys think?! TIA!
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
last year
Whatever the body of the house is, so it won’t stand out. That privilege belongs to your front door.
la_la Girl
last year
^^^Yes paint the garage door to blend in not stand out
User
last year
last modified: last year
It was hard to photoshop the garage so it matches the house exactly, but here's an approximation. (I used the mockup I did for you last time so the embellishments are removed from the garage here.)

Honestly... I like the white one best? That's the same color combination of my own midcentury house -- which has a very prominent front facing garage -- and personally I've always liked it.

It's not super hard to paint an old garage door, so you can always try something different if you don't like your first choice.
Jilly
last year
^^^ Yes, I white best, too.
Heather DeNick
Original Author
last year
Thank you all soo much for the opinions and input. I am very appreciative. We went with SW Evergreen Fog, Snowbound, and Iron Ore. And did not paint the chimney! Here is the final result!
Jilly
last year
last modified: last year
OH WOW … that looks fantastic! I love it all!

Great choices on colors, what a wonderful transformation! So glad you didn’t paint the stone.

Thanks for showing us. You must be thrilled with how it turned out. It has off the charts charm and character. :)
chloebud
last year
Nicely done…colors are great!!! I also like how the door color blends so well with your roof color.👍🏻
User
last year
It looks wonderful, congratulations! I really love the vintage door on the right, very cool detail.
Connecticut Yankeeeee
last year
Beautiful! I love your house and the colors you chose.
PRO
lisedv
last year
last modified: last year
You have a nice house! I wouldn't touch the stone, perhaps it only needs some cleaning.

On my 1st sketch, I show a green that a bit darker than the one you were thinking about, it would be a better choice with your stone.

I went with white trim at the roof line, black windows and doors, a more modern trellis, large new black sconces, and improved landscaping with simple perenials or small shrubs.

On the 2nd sketch, I went bolder with SW Urbane Bronze which I think really complements your stone well. Black trim at the roof line, black windows and doors, etc...
Jilly
last year
Lisedv, her house is done. She already repainted using the fabulous green color and posted ”afters” above. It looks wonderful and timeless. :)
wishiwereintheup
last year
Turned out great!! Really looks nice. And thanks for NOT painting the chimmney - it's a beautiful feature of your home.
decoenthusiaste
last year
Good choices; a real winner now!
chloebud
last year
^Totally agree regarding NOT painting the stone. It looks amazing with the Evergreen Fog.
PRO
lisedv
last year
With all the suggestions that were given, I didn't see the pictures of the house already painted. It looks nice, and glad she didn't paint the stone work.