5 Guildlines in Selecting Exterior Paint Colors

Hi Christine,

I love your comments about house colors and think you could help us out. We just bought a house in Minneapolis that we plan to remodel. We want it to be a welcoming home that will look good in summer and also with snow. We prefer warmer colors, and want to choose something appropriate to the style, which we are calling Victorian Craftsman Transitional, built in 1913. The current colors are the opposite of historically appropriate. We are thinking of taking colors from the stonework. Any suggestions?

Bonnie

Hi Bonnie,

Let me tell you what I would do.

1.  Leave your wood shingles wood.  Do not paint them. You probably weren't even considering it, but I'll throw that out there just in case.  Unless there was something really wrong with wood shingles, I like keeping them wood.  I did kind of wonder what it would look like to cover them in a light gray wash...  but I don't know enough about that to give you good advice.  It might be a maintenance nightmare.  (Or it might be super pretty)

2.  Lower Contrast.  You have too high a contrast in your upper shingle portion, and lower stucco portion.  Your trim color is what brings the two halves together, but with such a high contrast, I feel like it's hard to come up with a good trim option that is really great on both sections.  Paint your lower portion darker to have less contrast with your shake shingles.  I feel like stucco should be a neutral color.  Green and blue stucco seems so wrong to me.  I would consider a shade like SW 7504 Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray as the field color on the stucco, and then a lighter trim like SW7506 Loggia. 

3.  When the trim is not heavy, use only one color.  You should use a single color on your trim instead of two colors.  Doing this  looks beefier, more substantial, less frail, when it is all one color.  I personally like a white or off white trim next to the shake, like in this Alan Mascord home below:

4.  I would replace the front door.  The front door is the focal point of most architecture, and yours is weak.  I would stain it the same color as the shingles, or paint it a darker color, like the door below.  Maybe 7505 Manor House.  A new front door not only looks great- but it also feels great as you hold it, and open it.  It really is the first impression of a home.

(Doors by Decora)

5.  Always use sample quarts, I really can't select specific paints without being there.  Your wood seems to have cool undertones to it, and I went with that, but try several different shades, especially on the lower portion- also try 7508 Tavern Taupe 7513 Sanderling. A lighter trim color option would be 7517 China Doll.  You want the paint to blend well with both the stone and the shingles. 

Comments

[Jill]

Hi Christine,
We recently purchased a transitional home built in 1913 & it is great need of an exterior paint job. It is currently all white & I find it to be very boring, but on the other hand, I'm so scared of color. I don't want to choose the wrong color. Can you help me?

[Bonnie]

Thanks for such a detailed response. I actually just read it today, after we have already done some painting. I am glad to say it fits with your recommendations. We are holding off on changing the body of the house until we do our remodel (same for replacing the front door). We used Sherwin Williams historic color Vellum and their Mahogany Brown for the storm windows. The shingles are already painted a very dark brown. I like how the stonework comes alive now.

Photo sent to your email

Bonnie