I love touring under construction homes when they are freshly framed. At this stage of construction, it’s like stepping inside a sketch. The views are framed, ceiling heights determined, and rooms are identifiable, but there remains wild potential. A part of me is ever dreaming of our next nest, and I don’t know if the dreams will ever cease. (At age 98 in the nursing center, there I am jockeying for a room where my bed can face feng-shui-friendly East.) Let’s parade unforgettable façades and discover their paint colors. We’ll absorb architectural excellence, traditional style, and color stories to borrow.
Discover a handful of exact paint colors from a few of these beauties too!
Unforgettable Façades & Paint Colors to Inspire
Homes/Photography: Sotheby’s Realty, unless otherwise noted.
This Spanish bungalow above is still capturing my followers’ attention! Here’s another:
Instant relaxation for my spirit!
Traditional White House Exteriors & Painted Brick
Tired of seeing white painted brick homes yet?
No exhaustion here yet!
In fact, I just saw a post from Martha Stewart providing a ton of “good things” about painting your brick.
We don’t always know the history of such design decisions.
For example, we may assume that when a particular look is trending, it is a new idea and not a historically appropriate gesture.
Here are tips from Martha.
It is doubtful we will ever whitewash our own brick house. Since a painted surface means transitioning from an essentially maintenance-free surface to one with a bit of maintenance, it is sensible to weigh the cost.
Also, there are contexts more obvious than others that paint will improve the look of the home.
What’s your opinion? Do you admire the look of traditional red brick?
The Warmth of Stone
Ideas for Paint Colors for Siding, Doors & Trim
I love it when designers share exact paint colors, and you’ll discover a few new-to-me colors in this collection that follows.
The gate and shutters on this Palm Beach house are James River Gray:
While I thought I knew every white paint color in the Milky Way…nope. Here’s one to sample called WHITE ICE which you see on the stucco above:
White Ice has a light reflectance value (LRV) of 83.79 so it will reflect a ton of light. In fact, for an exterior, it may feel too bright. With its blue undertones, it has a quality similar to Benjamin Moore White OC-151.
You may remember I painted our former home’s interiors OC-151.
White Houses That Aren’t Actually White
The thing about white painted exteriors is that a color we perceive as “white” may actually be a light grey paint color.
Even the facade above which appears white with contrasting light grey shutters could easily be a light gray such as BM Classic Gray.
Do you like a no contrast look when a designer paints shutters the same color as the facade?
One way browsing house exterior inspiration helps is you begin to notice what your eye favors: high contrast between trim and siding?
Low contrast or no contrast?
It’s interesting to note how much darker the Pashmina swatch looks compared to the painted doors on Villa Flora above.
Keep These Paint Tips in Mind
Exterior colors will truly be washed out so don’t be surprised if you choose a color that appears very dark in the can!
No matter what color palette you choose, make sure to sample sample sample before you ever make the final decision.
Because it is one thing to stand in a warehouse under fluorescent lights viewing little cardstock swatches of color…
and quite another to see a color in natural light in your unique location.
It’s one of the reasons peel and stick samples from Samplize are such a brilliant innovation.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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