Cool Trick: Rollover the image to see what the paint looks like in the sunshine.
We are getting down to the wire here, I / we / mostly ME need to commit to a paint color for the house. I think I’ve got it narrowed down to two.
First, let me say, picking exterior paint colors totally blows! Interior colors are easy because they don’t cost a million dollars to change, duh. If painting every interior space of your home cost a few G’s per room, how easy would it be to pick a paint color? Blah blah blah, you get it, this is hard.
The painters are scheduled to come in a week or two, I need to decide on something soon and you guys gotta help me. I’ve painted around the trim on the back of the house. One of the shades is a very dark teal called “twilight” from Benjamin Moore, the other is called “lead gray” (also from b.moore aka B.M. (ha, gross!)) and is the paint color used on my inspiration house. I like both, but I think I am leaning towards the bluer “twilight” color. I am so scared that once the color is up on the house it will look like a big old fat blueberry. We have a crazy neighbor lady who just painted all of her trim Vikings purple and the neighborhood is talking! I don’t want to be known as the “crazy lady with the blue house who lives next to the crazy lady with the purple house.”
There are other color choices that need to be made as well, bah. Once we pick a exterior color I need to pick a color for the foundation, a trim color, and a color for the storm windows. I NEED HELP, like in a serious way.
Any exterior color pros out there? If you choose a dark color for the house do you paint the trim in a bright white, or an off white? If I want to paint the storm windows black do I choose a true black or a dark charcoal, and what’s the deal with the foundation; do we go light or dark?
I am helpless and almost hopeless. H E L P, (but not in a Beatles sort of a way.)
◊◊◊◊ Thanks to Katrina over at puglypixel.com for some major blog inspiration. I’ve been digging on her post rollovers lately and had to give it a whirl.
I am no expert so I can’t help with trim and foundation choices BUT I love the blue. I think it looks best in both the shade and sun photos. DO IT!
I LOVE the twilight…and I think with white accents and a colorful door (like your inspiration pic), it will look so beautiful! The gray is not bad either and probably what I would default to because I fear being daring and always retreat back to gray or beige. Be bold! :)
Twilight!!!! My sister-in-law just painted her house this same color with white trim and it looks SOOO sharp. If it were me, I would paint the foundation the same main color (TWILIGHT!!). You don’t want to draw attention to it. My fav white is BM Swiss Coffee. It’s a little off white and not too bright, but will totally read as white next to any color (except bright white). I just used it in my dining room. http://www.janelletubbs.com/at5053/2012/04/30/goodbye-coral/ For the storm windows…are your shingles gray-toned or brown-toned? I wouldn’t match the shingles, but keep it in the same family.
Can’t wait to see it finished!
So much great information!! Thanks Janelle. It’s so good to hear that your sister-in-law did it and it looks great! I will have to go grab a sample of the swiss coffee and see how it looks. The roof is a grey green, but someday will be a dark gray, so I will use that is my guide. Thanks again for all the tips!
I love the Twilight color too! I think it would look totally sweet on your house. And WAY WAY more awesome than Vikings purple. Seriously? I was floored when I found out the purple wasn’t just primer, but actual paint. :)
Excited to drive thru the old ‘hood sometime soon and see your newly painted house!
The purple looks slightly better with the siding but it’s still PURPLE.
You guys gotta stop by sometime!
Hi,
Do you have any heating, a/c or circulation issues in your house? If so you might want to consider that a dark colored house absorbs a LOT of heat and lighter colors reflect heat so it’s cooler inside. If you have super high heating bills or have trouble keeping the house warm in winter, the dark color is good. If your house is hard to keep cool or your a/c bills are sky high, maybe consider the lighter colors. Here’s what I was reading yesterday.
http://www.heatusa.com/energy-conservation/home-painting-roofing-decisions-affect-heating-cooling/
I love them both but would veer towards the Twilight. Bright white trim or possibly a very pale grey/beige colour. Good luck with making a decision. x
I love Twilight. I wanted a similar color when we painted our house a few years ago, but ended up going with something lighter because of the issues that Susan brought up. I’m still sad about it, so I hope Twilight works for you!
I initially liked the gray color (in the shade), but after seeing the “sun” pictures, I would say go for the twilight. The gray, in the sun, looks a bit too glimmery and more like silver. I vote twilight.
What did you go with? I’ve seen recent photos and it is beautiful!