Since moving into her midcentury modest house a year ago, Christa has been having a ball updating the inside to reflect its 1961 architectural roots. Now, she’s ready to paint the outside — and has asked for ideas. Note in particular the rock wall — how to work it in? Read on for more background… then share your ideas about what paint colors she should use to freshen up the exterior of this adorable 1961 home.
Christa writes:
Hello Pam,
I’m a long time reader and admirer of Retro Renovation. When we moved in to our 1961 Vancouver Island house last April, your site provided oodles of inspiration for me!
Christa says: My husband Garrett and 5-year-old son, Emmit. Here's one from an evening last Summer, when Emmit set up his toys so that he could put on a show for them
Since moving in, I have painted almost all of the interior, save for the staircase, and completed many small projects to rejuvenate our home with a bit of colourful 1960s flair.
It’s been a ton of fun, and now that we’re cruising toward Summer, I’m anticipating painting the house’s exterior so that the outside will match the inside in pizazz. I have been browsing your paint inspiration collections, Flickr, and my own collections of vintage house magazines, and I’ve got nothing- I need your help!
I’m inclined to incorporate some aqua or seafoam, and/or mustard, burnt orange, pink, even black — really I’m all over the map and coming to a place of confusion in regards to what will actually suit the house. What will help it ‘pop’?
And what do I do with the rock wall? Does one paint any part of it, or just leave it? I feel lost. Any guidance you, or your readers could provide would be SO appreciated.
Yours in thrifty mid century modest-ness,
Christa
Christa, you have a lovely house, it just seems so idyllic. And, Vancouver Island: One of my favorite places in the world!
What paint color(s) should Christa use to add curb appeal to her 1961 house?
And, how should she deal with the rock wall facade?
Paint color for a red brick and wood ranch house 
Retro kitchen paint color schemes from 1953 
Let’s help Veronica with paint color ideas for her 1976 kitchen 
Become a fan
Seafoam or coral! And add some white molding to the garage door to make it pop! And add a couple pink flamingos to the flower bed in front of the rock wall!
I also like the idea that someone said earlier with the seafoam or coral colors with the pink flamingos in the yard!
What a cute little house! I wouldn’t paint the stone, I would paint the rest of the house light tan so the colors blend together. Where I would add some pizzaz is the carriage doors on the garage. Maybe add some trim to make them look like barn doors. Paint the trim on the house white with black accents.
You have a lovely garden in the back. I’m envious!
Crista, your house is so cute! Have you considered a dark navy with a bright red door? I think it would look great with the white trim, existing gray roof and stones.
Please don’t paint that rock! I would choose a color that would really make the rock pop. There are several mid-century houses in my town that are painted a deep rich red with white trim. I have always loved this color combindation (the houses that are painted this color scheme have been this way as long as I can remember). I think with the color of your roof and the color of the stone, this might be just the thing to really pull the exterior of the house together. I’m including a link to a house painted this color scheme, although the house is not mid-century. It seemed to be a popular mid-century color combination in my area – has anybody else foud this to be a combination they see often on original mid-century houses?
http://www.santafetrailresearch.com/research/little-red-house-06lg.jpg
* combination and * found. It’s too early to be typing! LOL.
Christa, I think it would look good to paint the house a dark gray that closely resembles the mortar color in the stone wall. You could then paint the front door and sidelight a really fun color !
I would leave the house gray with the white trim and maybe paint the door red for pop! Dont paint the stone. It looks like it belongs to the gray and blue family.You can always add pop with red door or blue door with a bottle tree with either red colored bottles for the red door or cobalt blue bottles for the blue door. Thats just me.
If it were my house, I would paint the house a buttery-yellow color with white trim, a red door, and a red window box under the window closest to the garage. I am a sucker for yellow houses; they seem so cheery.
Thumbs up for Dianne’s idea. You need a color that CONTRASTS that awesome rock wall. Another gray? It will just get lost, more than it does now in blue.
By the way….love those gardens and pots on the steps!
Hi Christa, I painted my home last summer and I know how you feel. There are SOOOO many colors. I am in the process of testing new trim colors this spring as I’m not happy with the color I used last year. What I have found out is the color that appears on your house can be very different than the little color swatches you get at the paint store. I am on my 5th trim color test. Luckily most companies sell sample jars of paint that you can use for testing the color on your house in natural light. It may look funky while your doing your test but will pay off big time in the end.
Also look into the color combination’s that companies suggest as they have professional colorist that work out these combination’s and have tested them already. Love your home and the gardens look great.
Since your on an island and have Adirondack chairs perhaps a look that says summer cottage?
Good luck and above all have fun!!
CHARCOAL GRAY everywhere gray exists currently, esp. the garage doors…Unification is key here. Do not touch the stone.
For the door….and a long, deep window box on the right- I would use a soft, PALE yellow. (like butter, not margarine!)
I think anything stronger will make the window casings dominant.
Enjoy years of fun in your new home!
I ditto that exactly!!! Gavin is in my head.
Fifth house picture down…the shaded area…..THAT charcoal!
My vote would be for a sea foam (such as Sherwin Williams’ Burma Jade). It’s a great color, adds interest and pop, but is not overwhelming. I would paint the door in a complimentary pale pink/beige. I would definitely add some trim to the garage door as well, perhaps recreating a mid century garage (there are posts on this site to get inspiration). I wouldn’t paint the stone.
I had to google Sherwin Williams Burma Jade and found this great site!
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pdf/color_themes/ext_suburban.pdf
My wife and I love Sherwin Williams. Their paint is really good quality and the Burma Jade is a wonderful color. We’ve used it in our house and on the exterior as a trim color. It’s bright and cheery without being jarring.
I also feel your pain, I painted my house last year and it took weeks to pick out the colors! For some reason our weather up here in the Pacific Northwest makes colors hard to choose, surrounded by green year round and gray skies 9 months a year makes you want to go with bright colors but, then you look at the house down the street……… I made myself crazy!
I would go for a darker color, like the charcoal gray suggested,
The garage door is where you can make a real statement, some inexpensive trim to dress them up would go a long way!
Don’t paint that rock!
Love the stone and agree with all who say to leave it alone. I really don’t like painted stone at all as it looses its true identity. Embrace it don’t hide it.
And, since the stone is so prominent and such a great feature, the house color should compliment it — I even like the current light grey, but think a darker grey, as suggested by Gavin, would be even better. Then, brighten it up with color accents such as the door color and maybe some trim. And, color can be added with landscaping as well.
Oh, yes, a darker grey will also pick up and highlight the great color on the roof.
And, I also like the earlier suggestions to put trim on the garage doors.
One more suggestion if budget allows: Get a new screen door that is wood, not aluminum as this appears to be, with less going on so the new door color will show through.
Good luck! It is a wonderful house and to me, the stone makes it!!
Hi Christa,
I saw the color the minute I looked at your pics and saw the brown adirondack chairs. I think that tone or a couple of shades lighter if you think it’s too dark would look fantastic with the stone (please don’t paint the stone). That color would also go very nice with the white and black accents you have going on in the doors, windows and railings.
I’m at a loss for the house color since I usually gravitate towards saturated colors like aqua and sea foam and can’t tell if that’s what would work here or not. I’m leaning towards a cheerful color and not grey though. I say to leave the stone like it is. It’s really pretty. And paint the door a nice pop of color. You could always get a big piece of plywood or similar board, prime it and then buy some quart paint samples and paint that baby up and lean it up against the house near the stone to see if the color works and how you like it from the street. Good luck and please report back with what you do. Can’t wait to see!
The house I grew up in of 1960s vintage was painted a soft mint green with saturated accent colors – I’m think teal would look good on your house and accent the stone wall.. Do not paint the stone. Whatever you choose I’m sure you will enjoy a fresh new look.
Hi Christa – I played around in Photoshop with a photo of your house and overlaid some of the colors mentioned. It’s something I have done with our newer ranch style (with stone facade) house. I don’t think I can post a photo here, so if you want to see what three combos I’ve come up with, email me jennifer [at] omysoap.com. You may not find the perfect color, but it helps to visualize what it may look like on your house. Good luck! And have fun. Color is a good thing.
Jennifer, I will send you my email address and see if I can post the photos. Many thanks!
Oh, and check out this series of photos of vintage paint charts and ideas (there are twelve or thirteen) from Pam’s Flickr stream. There are some glorious color combinations here!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/retrorenovation/4508921565/in/photostream/
A light creamy yellow sort of thing would go nicely with the stone, and it would go nicely with the house’s roots and history.
We are (going on two years now) still debating that exact question at our house. I wish I could help you, but I want a bright mid-century color like Coral or Burma Jade, and hubs wants a medium beige to make our landscaping look great.
Do try the Sherwin Williams Visualizer (link on my blog post about this very subject last year: http://mulchmaid.blogspot.com/2010/03/which-house-color-looks-best-with.html) It’s a fun online program and would definitely help you make some initial decisions.
One other thing to consider is that it looks like you have white vinyl windows like we do: if so, and if you paint the wood trim a different color, you may find the narrow window and trim pieces beside each other are not strong enough to look as good as if you kept all the trim white.
Oh, and definitely keep the rock unpainted. It’s one of the best things about your very sweet house!
Have you looked at the Mid Century Modern selection of colors in the California Paint line? They are great & really give you the feel. I love their colors & info on the colors! You should check it out!
You could find someone (or yourself, maybe?) who knows a bit of photoshop in order to try out some of these great suggestions to see what you like. It will help decide between drastically different colors such as charcoal vs. yellow.
I’m with Gavin. And again, don’t paint the rock!
Oooohhh- big question! You don’t want an answer from me since I’m convinced I’m terrible with color. Any hints remaining regarding what color it was originally? That’s where my curiosity always leads.
I totally agree with the grey – choose a dark slate grey and apply new grout in the same colour to the rock wall. Then paint your front door red to contrast with all the grey (or black if you want to be more conservative).
Pretty house!
Since we have so many grey days in BC, I would go with a cheery colour like seafoam, aqua, etc, as you mentioned. Or grey (not quite charcoal) with a turquoise front door. Keep the rock white. A bright yellow front door would be awesome! The big pop of colour will make you happy when you pull up on the 84 millionth dreary January day.
christa hi! i say a rich buttery yellow or a rich turquoise with dark charcoal trim.
Ooh, you guys are good!
I’ve used a virtual paint tester with a photo of the house, and though it’s still quite hard to tell how the colour will actually read in real life, I can say that the charcoal grey looked amazing, and that when I’ve tried shades of aqua, they were not so hot, unless it was a very deep, dark aqua, as dark as a forest green (what’s that shade called?). I do love Gavin’s idea of charcoal, with a butter yellow door, or maybe even a red door (and you know I have my eye on a Crestview door!). But I kind of want something that feels a little more exciting and playful, which is where it seems to be a little hard to coordinate with the rock wall, much as I love the rock wall.
The idea of a big planter under the right (kitchen) window is intriguing, too- in my head, I was planting tall grasses or shrubs under it to even it out with the massive living room window on the left, but a deep planter sounds genius!
There are many mini paint cans in my near future- I’ve definitely learned my lesson via interior painting- it’s worth buying 10 sample cans if it saves you from having to repaint, as I did with the living room of our old house. This most definitely applies to house exteriors!!
Thank you so much for all of your input, and thank you to Pam for putting my questions out there to the RR community! You guys are a fantastic help! I’ll report back once we get to painting (hopefully with a nice “after” photo, and not a tortured shot of 8 sample patches on the front of our house!)
I suggested a deep long window box, because I want to balance the right side of your house with the left. I would like to see the bottom of that box begin somewhhere around the shadow line of the eave in the pictures…and ending with enough room to keep those windows operational. One box-the entire lenght of window, plus about 6″ to each side
Am I the only one that remembers 50′s-60′s houses painted an almost black with white trim and a yellow or pink door? There were millions of them and I loved them all…..
You sure you aren’t thinking of tar paper shacks? Bahaha! Sorry.
Yes, Gavin, it’s all coming back to me in a rush. I’d forgotten completely until you mentioned it! I’m remembering a sixties ranch with slightly turned-up eave and fascia boards (so it looked a tiny touch Asian, or Polynesian, maybe) and a small amount of vertical trim dividing the walls, painted deep charcoal with a pink door…wonder where that was?
Yeah there’s a house around the corner from me, with its original cedar siding. It’s painted black w/white trim and a blue ? door. I’v enever seen a black house, but it totally works!
Quick question… is there a way that I could do this too at some point? I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what I’m going to do with the outside of my house as well. I’m usually really good at picking paint colors, I am NOT afraid of color! However, due to the funky brick that we are dealing with has made it all but easy or fun to choose a color. Soooo, I would love some input, but I’m sure you wouldn’t want everyone sending in their “help me” pictures:)
Pleeese let me know.
How about posting pics on your blog, then commenting here with a link to your blog so we can give you feedback?
How about a very pale aquamarine for everything but the rock wall and trim, and freshen up the white paint on the trim? That would look nice, I think.
I’d leave the rocks alone, they’re a neutral color, so whatever you choose should be ok.
I vote seafoam or turquoise with a red door.
We re-sided and therefore repainted our 1968 tri-level in Portland, Oregon last summer – I spent two months torturing myself over paint color. My aim was for a dark greenish gray with an orange door. I researched eichler colors, so that was the design style that inspired my search.
After painting about 6 different sample colors on each side of the house (and driving my husband and neighbors bats) I arrived at Sherwin Williams Thunderous as the body color, Brandywine as the door color and Downing Sand for the trim and the eaves. We absolutely love it! Several people have asked for the color info and someone from city planning actually came out and took a picture – such a compliment after all the torture.
The Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer was a big help in pairing the body color we wanted with coordinating door and trim colors. (However, the color on my monitor was an awful representation of the actual color as I put up samples.) It’s hard to tell, but I think the dark green of the Thunderous would relate well to the grout on the rock facade (please don’t paint that rock!) Brandywine is a nice orange that adds a pop and draws attention to our front door, which is often in the shade. In the pic of your family it looks like there might be some warmth of color to those rocks and the Brandywine and Downing Sand would bring that out. Again, my monitor could be showing color all wrong too
I love the above suggestion of a flower box under the window to the right of your front door – a great way to balance your picture window.
I would paint the garage, doors and trim all the same color, whatever body color you choose with the eaves and roof trim the same as the house. Anything other than monochromatic will distract from the architecture of the house.
Sorry for such a long post. bottom line is I feel your pain… and it’s going to look great whatever you choose!
Leave the rocks alone. A red door is a must. It’s traditionally welcoming… For the rest… Turquoise or slate.
first…………. GET RID OF THE ROCK ! UGH it’s sooooooooooooo fake and ugly. Will take away from anything else you do………… Since it’s a smallish house, I always like to see some fun colors ! Think willow green, accented with deep purple and cream. Designers say a house should have three colors in the exterior theme. Have fun with the colors without going TOO overboard !
I love the rock.
I love the rock too! It’s a quintessentially Canadian thing and very much present in mid-century developments across the country not just in dream locations by the sea with the Rockies in the distance. It’s real chunks of granite that are true blue representatives of their time and place.
Is the rock original to the house? Or is it something more modern and some sort of composite stick-on stuff? Since you ask what to do with the rock, do you like it the way it is? Or do you dislike it? Do you want it to be a prominent feature, or do you want it to fade into the background? Answers to those questions could help you — and everyone else! — with your paint decisions.
All I know is, I love the storm doors with the hearts and curlicues. I would like to see a color on your doors that makes those curlicues stand out more.
I’ve got the rock front on a mid-century house as well and restained all the cedar black, it was a nasty institutional dark brown, last year. This year the doors will become lime green for the ever popular ‘pop’ and, blush, it’s a good feng shui choice as well as looking yummy with the black and gray.
Just before we bought the house the former owner had it repointed to a tune of just over two thousand dollars. If the pointing is good I’d suggest working with it.
Maybe your favorite colour would be a good jump off point….your house, your rules!
If i could hire painters…and do the whole house at once, I too would opt for black. Here in new England, I think it would be stunning in the snow!
I originated down east too, Gavin, and love me a black house. Where I was born the men who worked on the ships ‘borrowed’ a lot of black paint but they also used, brace yourself, used motor oil to the same effect. Can’t think why the big ol’ balloon built cedar shingled houses went up like tinder.
My last house was log and I stained it black, white trim and red doors. And before anyone says it, it was naturally turning black on the south side, wood does that when left outside. Trust me ;o)
There’s nothing original about that rock – or the stucco. Or the windows either, but that’s beside the point. Is the budget unbreakable? I’d lose the rock and stucco and put on some nice w i d e clapboards, maybe a 9 or 10 inch exposure like on a period ranch. Those sidings were usually some kind of masonite or asbestos. Then I like the mustardy yellow color. Oh, and update the garage doors, please. Beautiful backyard. I can see the tomatoes and peppers already.
It’s original to my house, I met the people who built it last summer. I also learned it originally had a pink and black bathroom that the next owner replaced in the 80′s….way to break my heart.
It looks just wrong. Having it take up the left half of the house detracts from the long low look of a ranch – it essentially cuts it in half. And having spent twenty years a s a painter starting in the mid 70′s I have almost never seen a stuccoed ranch, so I think all the veneer work was done later. Especially since the stone perfectly abuts the what looks like replacement windows. That’s my educated guess. But the question is, what does the homeowner want to do – go for a classic early 60′s ranch at all costs or a retro-inspired paint color and save money for other more meaningful upgrades?
I’m no expert, but there’s a lot of original rock like that in my 60s neighborhood.
What an absolutely adorable house! Love the rock. The very cool thing about that rock that I can see from the photos is that it’s actually got a lot of different colors in it. I can see a seafoam sort of color working really well on this house.
i say i pretty little pastel yellow or pinkish red will you do you jus fine!
One more thing…..isn’t there always?
If you go with a dark gray, I would repaint where the “grout” on the rocks has weathered away. It is very distinct by the doorway.
Have fun…and as Pam says “Love the House You’re IN”…as opposed to redesigning the whole facade! Cheers.
Paint it in black (or charcoal) ! And replace the rock wall with horizontal wood…. just like this: http://www.ecospacestudios.com/portfolio/garden-studios/work-pod/
Would add a modern touch!
Dear Christa, I love your house. I also have a mid-century house. I love the rock on your house. Please leave it. I think it gives so much integrity and character to your home. I really like the idea of a seafoam green, sea mist color or a rich aqua. How do you feel about your wrought iron? I’ve lived in my home for 15 yrs. and still haven’t decided to keep it or do something in wood. So, we just give it a good spray coat of matte white every 3 years, someday I’ll decide. Good Luck!
I love the wrought iron. I am working on a follow up post (not sure how fast I will get it up) and it will for sure include discussion of playing up that wrought iron. Keep it!!!!
What a cute house. Please do not paint the rocks, I trust it was one of the features that attracted you to the house in the first place. I never could understand why someone would buy a brick house and then paint it. For those who question its authenticity, here in suburban Phial., PA many post war ranches and splits were built from this type of rock, brick and stucco or a combination. My own ranch is a brick front facade and the rest of the walls are clad in stucco and it is very much original to its construction as it acts as the exterior skin for the cement block that the house was built from. Love the yard! Can’t wait to see the “after”pictures.
Cute house and the garden is wonderful!!
I work in the paint department at a home improvement store and I would not recommend painting your rock. Once it is done you can never undo it. It really makes your house special.
Choose a neutral color for the base of your house that will work well with your roof but not completely match it. I think aqua or coral will look great with the stone for an accent color for your trim. Whatever you decide do the opposite of your trim for the front door for that extra pop!!
I would consider getting new garage doors that will make a huge difference.
Good luck!!
Look at the fouth picture from the top, the shaded area: If you take my suggesrtion with a charcoa paintl…that stonework is going to be gorgeous!
I had to check back and see the progress of comments.
I think that a nice coral or a warm copper color with the white trim and unpainted stone would look great.
Definitely keep the stone as-is don’t paint it!
You could even try a nice muted sage with a buttery/muted gold trim and the unpainted stone.
I think that your house would look great with some sort of warm hue. The grey and charcoal suggestions just seem so cold, and don’t seem like they would be taking you very far in regards to your color dilemma.
Don’t know why I didn’t think about this earlier, but when I was about 14 we lived in a mid-century ranch that was aqua, with slightly off-white trim, and it had those same rocks in a wide swath down the center of one wall (about a six-foot width.) This was in Southern California and it was a knock-out color combo. The awful part is, I have to confess: my father had us paint the rocks white! Aaaack! I’m still ashamed!
I love the gull wing gables! It reminds me a lot of a similar ranch I would pass everyday on my way to school as a kid. That house was painted Aqua and I loved it, so I’d strongly suggest something in the Aqua family.