Tag Archives: exterior paint colors

A Really Big Shoe- Really

This image showed up on my facebook page the other day…

It got me wondering…

why do we think that our own houses will only have ‘curb appeal’ if they look like all the others?

I mean when you look at this big shoe house do you think, ‘horror of horrors! nothing this awful has ever happened to this community!”

NO! You smile, you try to recall the nursery rhyme about the old woman with all the kids, you wonder how many bedrooms and bathrooms are in there (come on- you know you want to know!).

Okay, so maybe you don’t want to live in a shoe. But when did we decide that our homes should be ‘normal’, ‘neutral’, and nice to be attractive? What’s nice about boring, about pleasing your neighbors, about driving up to a plain ol’ house day after day?

Lately, I’ve been driving around mentally changing the color of the homes around me (who am I kidding, I do this all the time and always have). For example…

My morning walk takes me by this quirky cute house almost every day… and every day I think of color combinations that would make this quiet little abode shine, get noticed, feel happy (it’s true, I really think like this!)

I actually don’t mind the quiet color combo and I’m always happy to see a house without white trim (not that there’s anything wrong with it)… but what if these were the colors I walked past every day?

Body- Pratt and Lambert Ashford

Trim (including gutters)- Pratt and Lambert Stetson

Shingle trim along roof line- Pratt and Lambert Free Spirit

Porch Roof- Pratt and Lambert Mica

Front door- of course! Pratt and Lambert Sumac

Actually, wouldn’t the shoe look better in these colors too? (see, it never stops with me)

Stay tuned for more houses that I think are just begging to be painted and see what I’d do to add a little ‘sole’.

Chime in with suggestions of your own! Post a picture on my facebook page of a house in your neighborhood (maybe it’s yours?) that you’ve always wanted to change and tell me what colors you’d choose. Curb appeal, shmurb appeal- this is your chance to consider any color, any combination you want without worrying one bit about what the neighbors will think. See you there!

 

 

 

 

 

What a Little Color Can Do

It’s true, not everything can be fixed with paint, BUT check out the before/after photos of this house posted on the CertaPro site and see that it can almost fix everything!

Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

I was suprised and thrilled when the owners were open to painting their brick house. Now, to choose colors that won't make them regret their choice. No pressure.

Choosing an olive green for the body with cream trim gave the house a much more welcome feel. I chose a black/blue for the detached garage because it's, well, detached, and made of a different material in a different style. Not every building on a property has to be painted the same color.

I suggested a warm yellow door. The homeowner painted her Adirondak chair to match- great touch!

Here's the back porch on the same house. That's not patio carpet- it's red cement... hm, what to do...

Painting the back side of the house in the cream trim color turns this dingy deck into a cozy sun room with a pale gray cement floor and again, yellow star details added by the homeowner. I love it when the colors and color consulting process inspire my clients!