Reader Allison is excited to jazz up the front of the 1967 house she moved into last summer. She’s not afraid to give the house a bold new look, but isn’t sure exactly where to begin when choosing a new color scheme for her exterior. She need to take into consideration” (1) the coloring of the brick, (2) the prominence of the garage, which sits below grade, and (3) the fact that she plans to simplify the landscaping, which will open up the facade further. She has asked for our ideas to add new life to her blank-slate beige exterior.
We bought this great 1967 Seattle house last summer, and will need to paint it this summer. Pretty much anything goes, though the color of the brickwork accent on the lower front part of the house should be considered.
The photo of the entire front of the house shows mature plantings, many of them topiary, but these will go away when we get to landscaping the yard with low-maintenance native plants. My SO also has asked that I not pick anything too dark, as he is a firm believer that dark paints fade in the sun no matter what type of paint is used. We’re not afraid to do something bold, as long as it’s not so crazy that the neighbors hate us.
Readers — what colors would you recommend for Allison’s exterior?
Kate’s solution: Green dream
My first thought when looking at Allison’s house was: This house needs color. I’ve seen countless homeowners in my neighborhood make the same mistake as the former owner of Allison’s house — painting a house’s siding the same color beige as the brick. This kind of monochromatic paint treatment neutralizes a home’s character, making it feel blah. Since Allison’s brick reads as a versatile light beige, it works well with a large variety of shades.
To narrow it down to one, I looked at Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern paint palettes, which features some fabulous color combination ideas for mid century homes. I chose the Burma Jade color grouping for Allison’s house because the light beige color was very similar to her brick and the green really brightens up her siding while contrasting nicely with the brick foundation. Using white for the trim helps accentuate the interesting roofline and makes the front door feel clean and inviting. Using the beige color for the garage door helps to visually ground the house by repeating the color of the brick at the base of the house. Beige is also used on the front door accent squares, which repeat the square shape from the garage doors.
To finish off this look, I’d add some vintage mid century cursive address numbers from Etsy seller MintyKeennear the front door or above the garage door. If vintage can’t be found, she can have new ones made, like this Home Address Lettering from Etsy seller ModernHomeIdeas, or possibly even find some at a local hardware store. If Allison’s mailman doesn’t mind doing stairs, Allison could get a retro house mount mailbox like this atomic starburst mailbox from Etsy seller EleanorMeriwether to mount near the front door. Allison mentioned that she will be taking out some of the overgrown shrubs and planting new, low maintenance plants this spring. I’d advise adding a touch more color and interest with one nice planter, like this Iris Speckled Planter from West Elm near the curve in her sidewalk. Planting the pot with some cheerful, bright red geraniums will bump up the curb appeal and add even more emphasis to the home’s entry.
Pam’s Harmony House light oak exterior paint idea
Idea #1, above: I know you said “not too dark” and maybe this is. So, consider it a general “idea”. I was originally thinking “caramel”, but in looking at vintage paint palettes found this “Light oak” in a Sears Harmony House brochure from my collection. When Kate sampled it into her photoshop (we do this “live” together via google hangouts), I liked the way it looked. Again, though, you could go lighter — more like coffee with lots of cream. Caffe latte. Over on our Facebook page, a commenter called this “Mocha”. You’re in Seattle, golly, they make their own palette of “Barista Marrones.” That’s Italian for “brown”. As in Chestnut. Haha, now I am having too much fun, I am surely annoying you.
Honestly, you could use many colors with that brickwork as a start. Except maybe stuff that’s too yellow. We tried harvest gold for the paint color, and we did not like the look.
As you can see from the mockup, I also thought it might be fun to continue the raised wood door decoration — the squares — onto the garage door. I would use real wood just like the door (don’t paint it on.) Kate and I tried the square-in-a-squares in a variety of ways. I liked the Charlie Brown stripe (my term, hehe) the best. If you go with this idea, there definitely will be a not too many, not too few, just right solution, I think.
In addition, I asked Kate to beef up the window trim to see how that would like. I like it. But of course, adding more trim around the windows will involve more dough re mi than just paint, and I don’t know how much you are up for that.
Finally, I don’t think that the current bullet light near the front door is doing much for the facade. It’s too small, and I think any light needs to move closer to the doorway. How about something more atomic, like the vintage porch light I found on etsy from ChromeTiki. Note, the mockup makes the fixture look brown — but it should be wrought iron black (like the mailbox) for pop. Note, with the mailbox and the lettering and decor decor, a decorative light might be one thing too many up there. Layer/edit all these elements/ideas carefully for best effect.
Pam’s Get-yee-an-architect to carefully redesign the facade
Idea #2, above: I do not like this rendering — it is not right — but I show it to convey the thought that: That big front section with the garage seems, to me, to be ripe for some architectural exploitation. I suspect the original treatment — all clapboards for two stories — was common in your neighborhood, the choice of the “merchant builder” who built all the houses. If you want to add more dimension… more architectural interest… especially given that long tall front gable set up and the planes and angles (if those are the right words) of the house already in place… I think the answer is to get with a good architect or other such professional to work up some ideas. Back in the day, it was quite common to use different facing materials, often painted out with different colors, to give unique personality to similar “little boxes” all built in a row. For example: Horizontal clapboards on most of the house — vertical board and battens in strategic places — with masonry half-walls and such also carefully designed in. Those three facings combined — in particular — very common.
In this vein in general, I thought of the book, Rob Keil’s Little Boxes: The Architecture Of A Classic Midcentury Suburb *affiliate link. It’s features a number of little houses with different kinds of facade treatments and incorporating levels and garages on the bottom like a split level house. Now, this book is about Westlake Village in suburban San Francisco, and most all the houses shown have wacky mod rooflines. But if you can dish out the dough for the book — which is now out of print and has become pricey — I sure like eyeballing the ideas. If you don’t want to spend the money, check out vintage house plan catalogs. The designers and illustrators of vintage marketing materials like these worked hard to make their houses pretty, and their illustrations can contain lots and lots of great curb appeal ideas straight from the years the houses were conceived.
Good luck, Allison — thank you for submitting your Retro Design Dilemma — and send us photos when you decide a course of action and finish up with your new paint job!
KM says
I say pump up that beatiful terracotta brick with some warm, buttery tones- think Tuscan villa colors. Then trim it in green to bring out the horizontality of the structure. And that garage door needs some love, too.
Diane in CO says
The knee-jerk decision seems to be to paint the garage doors an accent color different from the facade. My advice would be to NOT DO THIS! I like the way it is now, where it blends in with the rest of the house exterior. Whatever color you choose, incorporate the garage door as part of that facade, same color; don’t make it jump out calling attention to itself.
Having a garage door face the street — let’s face it, it’s not the most attractive feature of a home. Why would one want to emphasize and “highlight” it? Keep that facade monochromatic except for trim and/or any shutters etc.
Outdoor lighting on either side or above the garage door — and some way to enlarge the window on that facade would enhance the final product, I believe. Your home is so charming and looks to be well-crafted. Good luck!
Allison Woods says
One more thing: the porch is also wrapped in the terra cotta-colored brick.
Brian T says
I’d look at sage green, with the eaves painted a rusty brown (or burnt orange if you want to go wild).
I have to disagree with the people who want to fancy up the garage door. If you add details like contrasting lines/squares, the garage is destined to be the unavoidable focal point, especially since the front door is smaller, higher up, and tucked away. The wood grain idea might help break up the giant wall without drawing too much attention, but it seems unnecessary. Just paint the garage door one or two shades darker in the same sage green; it will fade into the shadows and help promote a horizontal look for the house overall. Attention to how you even off the tops of shrubs will also reinforce the horizontal, ranchy lines. Save the brighter colors and contrasting details for the front door, which needs all the help it can get to attract attention from that lofty perch. Fortunately the current design of the front door is ready-made for some justifiable detail and color.
Anne L H says
You have a nice blue on the fascia trim. If you are planning to keep that I would recommend building your color palette around the blue. The blue could be used as a window trim. This helps to create more contrast and also slightly alleviate the wall mass. I would also recommend picking two different colors-one for the wall projection/garage and another color for the main house.
The Benjamin Moore website has a nice color gallery and will provide sample palettes. As an example, I selected “old blue jeans” blue based on the existing fascia. It paired it with crowne hill yellow, which would look great on your house.
Good luck!
gretchen says
Buttercream yellow, with trim, including the garage door trim, in forest green.
Allison Woods says
A few answers: Changing the siding is not an option. It is original and in good shape.
The eaves are natural wood and will be left that way.
The new planting will definitely be lower and more interesting. We plan to paint before changing the landscaping.
The house is not a split level, it just sits high off the street.
Nothing will be beige or boring. We want a fresh and modern look, as edgy as possible without getting the neighbors too riled up.
Thanks everyone!
ChrisH says
Meant to say the fascia boards should be darker, rather than saying the eves. I just assumed the eves were the same color. If they are natural wood and you want to keep them that way I understand.
As you see from the “colorized” pictures, the white fascia accentuates the height of the house and makes it look taller and as if it sits atop a hill. Of course, maybe that’s what your want, but if not, make the fascia darker and it will make the house look lower and longer.
Andrew says
While considering paint colors, I’d also consider beefing up the trim on the windows. It would give you an additional detail for contrast, and I always think it lends a more “finished” look to the wide siding. I’ve seen too many houses with replacement siding that visually goes right up to the glass and screams “cheap”.
ChrisH says
Good idea.
RebeccaD says
Apologies, one more thing. I just realized that you live in Seattle. I live in New England where it is often gray, and the rustic red is SO warm and inviting. I really think you would be pleased with how it looks. Don’t use the Sherwin Williams color selector though. The colors are inaccurate. If you are considering a paint color (from any company) pick up the actual swatch. Also, a few times a year, SW has 30% and 40% off sales, which makes the paint much more affordable.
RebeccaD says
SO is wrong about the paint fading. You have to touch up paint every 5 years or so anyway, so it really is not a problem. If you plan to only paint every couple of decades, then I second the recommendation to replace the siding with something that comes pre-colored. If you are going to paint though, I highly recommend Sherwin Williams’ “endurance” line of paint, which has been consistently rated tops for quality and durability for its exterior line. (No, I’m not affiliated with SW, just a fan of the exterior paint.)
As far as color, I think the Sherwin Williams, “Rustic Red” would look amazing with the beige/warm tones in the garage door and brick. I find that reds and beiges look quite rich and warm together, like they were made to be with each other. The red converts beige from boring to elegant. Match the trim to the garage color and it will look super-sharp.
I would definitely NOT go for a yellow. Yellow with beige looks somewhat sickly, as I learned the hard way. I painted my kitchen a beautiful shade of sunny yellow, which looks absolutely dreadful next to the “bisque” appliances.
One more pitch for the rustic red: it looks excellent in both sun and overcast days. Also, it manages to be both traditional and bold at the same time; rustic yet elegant (in my opinion at any rate).
I’m sure whatever you choose will look great!