About Me & My Blog
As an interior decorator serving Boston Metro West for over 20 years, I specialize in coaching homeowners through the maze of decisions involved in home decorating. My passion? Color.
There’s a lot of decorating advice out there, from print media to HGTV to YouTube videos and blogs. Often my clients have a pretty good idea what they’re looking for, but they need me to tweak it a bit. Other times, clients don’t even know where to begin.
As a decorating coach, I listen to what my clients want and help them achieve it. I am also a Maria Killam Certified True Colour Expert.
My Blog: On this site you can find decorating ideas for inside and out as well as answers to specific decorating questions from readers around the globe.
My Fee: $30 per dilemma (siding color? trim color? front door color? interior room color?). You can also hire me for a more in-depth consultation or a whole house color scheme and pay with one transaction. Contact me to discuss at yourcolorcoach@gmail.com.
If you have a question for me, simply click the secure PayPal button below and type your question in a Comment box (or see the Before You Post a Question page). As soon as I receive notification of payment, I will answer your question. To pay for more than one question, click here Payment Options. Thanks! Let’s work together.
Contact me directly at yourcolorcoach@gmail.com.
Your Home & Color Coach 
Hi Barbara, right now I am getting new gutters. But I do have other questions other than the gutters for the exterior. Would it be $20.00 every time I have a question about the exterior. By the way, your site is great.
Hi Anna,
You can ask me anything you want about the exterior of your home for $20. I look forward to helping you with it.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi
My name is Lea Nixon from Australia, I’m very close to repainting my whole house. I want to paint the ceilings & I know from what I’ve read, you go a lighter colour then the walls. I’ve got pale green vertical blinds in 3 rooms, my lounge room is a horror, but I’ve just bought a corner black leather lounge. What would you do, is you had this horror of a home.
Many thanks
Lea
Hi Lea,
If you like the green blinds (or have to work with them anyway), then choose a green that’s just a couple of shades either lighter or darker so they don’t stand out too much. Then you can either choose a warmer color for your ceiling, like a light yellow, or a bright white. Once everything is painted you can add an accent color to your black leather lounge. Bright yellow/orange/red pillows and a colorful rug will pull the room together. Embrace the green…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello,
My husband got the wrong color for our office, we were going to paint it gray (I am in hawaii and he is in orlando getting the house ready) and he went ahead and painted the wall “Firewood” from dutchboy. A really dark brown color. He does not want to paint it again, what color can we use for our office, furniture wise? To make the room brighter. Because to me it is a bit dark for it to be an office/study room. Any help would be great.
Thank you!
Hi Elly,
Try a light blond or ash wood — that will look terrific with the dark brown wall color.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara,
I just found your site and love it! Would really appreciate and need your advise and suggestions on shutter color choice, porch colors and front door color options. I have emailed you a few pictures of our house separately.
We are in the process of picking out shutter style and colors. We have considered black, but think it may be too harsh for the light cream color of our house which is situated on 2.8 acres, is surrounded by natural stone walls and has a very large white porch on the front.
Do you have any suggestions for the shutter colors? Our roof is a dark grey color. The trim on the house is a taupe color.
The front porch is now white and needs to be repainted. Should I paint is white again or warm up the house and paint it a color that will coordinate with the shutters?
I’m lost on these 3 things that need color.
shutter color
front door color
front porch color
I hope the emailed photo’s of our house get to you. Thanks in advance for the help.
Thanks,
Lori Dillender
Hi Lori,
I suggest leaving the front porch white because your gutters and downspouts are white and if you paint the porch the taupe trim color, the gutters, etc., will stand out as an accent feature. (not so great). Plus I do love the white front porch. I think it looks fantastic with your cream house.
The roof on my screen looks like it has some brown in it although you said it was dark gray. So if these colors don’t go with the roof, then write me back and we’ll adjust accordingly. But I think the shutter color should come out of your stone wall in front of the house. So here are a few suggestions: Fairview Taupe (Ben Moore’s HC-85), Texas Leather (AC-3), or Davenport Tan (HC-76). Again, these have brown undertones (with some gray) but see what you think. The door color could be a rusty color, again from your stone. Look at Mayflower Red (HC-49) or Rustique (AF-275) from the Affinity Collection (also Ben Moore).
See what you think of those colors. And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbra!
I just sent you 2 photos of my house. My issue is the house is very boring and outdated. We want to start the updating process. The first step we are taking is to repaint. The paint on the house is very weathered. We have a medium gray roof that will be staying. Unfortunately, the brick work has to stay. 😦 And we will be keeping the white gutters. The scalloped shakes on the house will be replaced with squared off shakes similar to cedar shakes, but they will be painted. One question is what color do I paint the house and trim?? I really like warmer colors. The inside of my house has colors of tan, olive greens, and deep, rusty reds. These colors are very warm and inviting to me. Cozy if you will. I prefer craftsman style homes. I know I can’t make my home into something it’s not, but I just don’t want to drown in the sea of pastel toned homes all around me. I was orginally thinking of painting the house a rusty color with a tan trim I saw in an idea book from Pittsburgh paints. The colors are Burled Redwood and Applesauce Cake. My painter thinks these colors are too dark for the house and the Redwood would end up much too red. I trust his judgement as he’s painted tons of houses and colors. These are the colors I”m attracted to. I’m wondering even if I picked a lighter color the tan trim might show off the white gutters too much. So now I don’t know what to do. I want something that makes the brick not look so obvious. I thought a rusty color would do this. Maybe I’m wrong. Also, maybe the warmer colors wouldn’t look nice with my gray roof. Another thing to consider is that the neighbor to my left has a lighter gray house with white trim and the one to my right is a medium blue green with avacado green trim. I wish they would have emailed you before painting. 🙂 We will be painting the garage and the front door. I’m not sure what to paint these either. The landscaping will also be done soon so I don’t have any flower colors to consider to coordinate with paint. Ok, I think that’s it for now. Please let me know if you need anymore info.
Hi Renee,
Here’s a warm idea: How about Richmond Gold (Ben Moore HC-41)? It would look fantastic with your brick; it’s fine with a charcoal roof; and it would be a departure from the grays and greens on either side. For trim, I would use a cream/off-white, something like either Cameo White or Bone White. That way the white windows will look fine. As for the gutters, if they stand out against the color of the house too much, you can always prime and paint them with no problem. Do it all the time.
See what you think of that color combination. Oh, for the door, you can then use your rusty red to pick up the brick. Look at Audubon Russet (HC-51).
You can always go olive and tan with your brick, Renee, but since those colors have already been done (either by you or your neighbor), I thought the Richmond Gold would be perfect.
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I really like the idea of the gold. Thank you so much. What color though do you think I should paint the shakes where the scalloped shakes are now?? And, also, the garage door?
Hi Renee,
Well, a lot of people like to use an accent color for the shakes in the eaves and that works great on big houses, but frankly I think your house would look better if you paint the shakes the same color as the siding, Richmond Gold. The house will look much bigger and not chopped up at all. (It’s wonderful to add the texture of the shakes, though. That looks great!).
As for the garage door, since you don’t have any wood trim around it separating the door from the brick, I think I would go with the trim color for the garage door. I usually suggest the siding color or a shade or two darker for the garage door (you can still do that), but you might like the relief from the saturated color by using the trim color on the garage. I would wait until the house is all painted before making that final judgment. (You’ll know what to do then… or write me back! 😉
Thanks again, Renee.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
sorry if your getting this multiple times.. it’s coming back, so I’ll try this way:
Hi Barbara, I dontated for another round and here’s why. After watching
the patches I painted on my house all day and talking to neighbors and a
friend, we all agree it is too yellow in the sunlight. It looks ok when the
sun goes, down and the color swatch looks good, but I’m not loving it on my
house. Standing back we all think it doesn’t match the swatch, but
it looks pretty close when you place it against the paint.
In the morning I’ll go back to the Sherwin Williams and look at
golds with a little more brown in them… but I may loose that great
combination of the Stonebriar with the Resort Tan. I will also consider
other combinations starting from scratch. So, when you can and if you feel
like it would you please take another look at the pictures and give me your
thoughts for another option too.
I put in another donation and wanted to do that because it is like starting
over. Thank you! Brendaa
Okay, Brenda. Light is critical to color and how we perceive it. So it’s good to paint a sample right on the house and check it before proceeding. Good to know it’s too yellow — that way we can adjust it accordingly. I’ll take a look at the colors in the daylight when I can see them better.
Don’t give up on Resort Tan quite yet. But we’ll get another set of options for you to consider. Good thing you didn’t try Golden Gate!!
Thank you for the payment. And I’ll be in touch with you in the morning!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Good Morning, Brenda,
I kept the door at Rainstorm (SW6230) and the trim at Resort Tan (SW7550), but I gave you a little more brown in the gold siding color (take a look at Mesa Tan SW7695). And because you said that the Eaglet was stark, I warmed up the cream to Travertine SW 7722. It’s not as white and there will be less contrast with the other colors. I still think the stucco would look great in the Travertine.
See what you think of that palette. Hope that helps and makes the neighbors happy too! 😉
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi! I have a few exterior home color questions, but I just wanted to check that you are still active on your website before I pay! Thank you, I hope you get this, as I am overwhelmed!
Hi Melinda. I am still here! You can post a question here or send photos to my email:
yourcolorcoach@gmail.com
I will look for your question. Thanks for posting!
Hi Barbara,
I’m getting ready to paint my house on the Cape. Its a fairly small house with lots of shutters. The only way I can ask for your help is if I could email you the photo of the house with the color questions. What is the best way to send a question and a picture?
Thank you!
Inna
Dear Barbara,
I am trying to pick colors for an orange brick house with reddish/pink grout. It is Victorian style on a downtown street in Ithaca NY. A friend is helping me work on it ans she is much better with computers than I am. I have sent her a link to your website. Can you copy e-mails to me to her as well? She can send you several photos of the house. Her name is Lindy.
This is driving me crazy, I had no idea it would be so difficult.
I would really appreciate your help!
Thank you,
Tessa
Hi Tessa,
How about painting the windows, gable siding and porch something like Jute (Ben Moore Affinity AF-80) and then pick an accent color like Chambourd AF-645 (a wonderful grape) for the trim around the windows (currently tangerine), the balls only on the porch turned columns, and the corner accent pieces on the porch. And maybe the front door (although it’s dark under there so the Jute might be better).
As a Victorian, your house can have another accent color as well so if you really want to jazz it up, we could pick another color for your gable siding. But see what you think of this palette and let me know if you want more.
Thanks and I’ll email this info to you as well.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I’m planning to repaint my house on Cape Code. It is a natural shingle all around and clapboard is front. I will be repainting just the front of the house. I will need to choose 4 colors: body,trim,shutters and the door.
My biggest concern is the shutters around the second floor windows, they are right next to each other.
Please let me know how I can send you the photo of the house.
Thank you,
Inna
p.s. Donation was made through my husband’s paypal – his name is Ed.
Hi Ed and Inna,
I suggest removing the shutters altogether. All your windows have adequate trim already and the shutters are not helping the house. The ones on the second story are too close together and although you could get narrower ones, I’d remove all of them. You’ll see a huge transformation. As for color, how about Lenox Tan HC-44 for the body of the house and Philipsburg Blue HC-159 for trim (everything currently blue). The color combination will appear updated and yet still very New England Cape Cod. Another plus? It’s easier to paint over the light blue with a different blue than to, for example, re-do all the trim in cream. The color on the trim is very appropriate for your house.
You might consider a full-view front storm door and I would stick with the Philipsburg Blue for the front door as well since your trim is blue.
If you decide you want a completely different look, use Manchester Tan HC-81 for all your trim, currently blue, and either the Philipsburg Blue for the front door only or a brick color to tie in the front walkway — look at Boston Brick 2092-30. A radical departure from your current house. Either palette will work.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you Barabra. I will definitely change the storm door! Thank you for noticing!
I think removing the shutter may be a way to go though I’m a bit worried that the trim around the windows is too simple and shutters add some texture – I checked and you are right that I could get narrower ones. And maybe use a darker tone of body color instead of real dark contrast color…then again maybe I should get rid of all of them….What is your take on that?
With the colors I was hoping to go light-white for trim and body color maybe HC-81 or a bit grayer-tan 859. I love your door suggestion to have it some brick color-do you think I could do dark wood-brown with a hint of brick?
Awaiting to hear from you. thank you!
Inna
Hi Barbara,
We are in the process of an exterior remodel. I will send photos of our home to your email. We will be re-siding the entire house in 4″ double-lap vinyl, including replacing the channel lap cedar on the front. The brown roof and the brick on the front will remain. The color we have chosen for the siding is a “variegated” color called Earthen. I think it has an overall taupe look to it. We are replacing the windows and the new windows will have dark brown exterior cladding like our current windows. We could use help deciding:
1. What color should we use for the gutters/soffits/fascia? Should we choose a color that is lighter or darker than the siding?
2. What color should we use for the new shutters? We are currently planning brown to match the roof.
3. What color should we paint the front door?
4. What color should the cedar bandboard at the bottom of the front elevation, as well as the cedar/post on the front porch be painted/stained? Should we try to match the siding color?
We look forward to your comments!
Hi Sonja,
Got your email with the photo. Thank you. Although I’m not sure what “Earthen” will look like, I suggest a trim color of Litchfield Gray (Ben Moore HC-78) that should be lighter than your taupe siding yet complement the brick nicely. I would paint that along fascia/soffits/gutters as well as front porch trim, bandboard, and the cedar post. It will lighten and brighten the overall look of the house. Brown shutters to match the roof will be fine.
As for the front door, you might consider an adventuresome color that comes right from your brick: something like either Ansonia Peach HC-52 or Soft Pumpkin 2166-40. The door will certainly pop and stand out from under the porch roof. A full view storm door would frame the new door color well. Just something else to consider.
Hope that helps. Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you for the suggestions! Just a quick follow-up about the windows. As I mentioned, the double hung windows will have dark brown exterior cladding. The contractor has recommended that the aluminum trim around the windows be dark brown to match the windows. Would you go this route or use the same lighter trim being used elsewhere? Also, what color would you use for the bay window in the front? Would you leave it dark brown as it currently is, or paint to match the trim color?
Hi Sonja,
I suggest keeping all windows the same color (bay and others) — the dark brown. As for trim around the windows, you can certainly keep the same brown since it’s aluminum and really part of the windows. If you had wood moulding around the outside, then you could use the trim color. But I like to avoid painting aluminum if I can — just less upkeep in the long run.
Does that make some sense?
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
My question is about the exterior of the house. I will email pictures to you. I have red brick salt box style house with some of the bricks painted dark brown, almost black.
We are getting a new roof and painting the door, trim, garages…basicall all but the back of the house. The siding is in good shape. Oh, and the shutters will be replaced.
After reading your site, I figure that since we have pretty busy brick, we will go with either black or a dark brown roof (suggestions please) and black or dark brown shutters. But what about the trim and the front door? Match the shutters? I don’t like the bluish black color that we added to the sunroom in an emergency. I knew it was wrong at the time but it was an emergency.
The picture of the back shows two roof colors currently because of a repair that has to be re-done anyway, so the whole roof will change.
From the back, and the garage side the siding color will stay the same, but the sunroom can change colors as it will get painted.
Got it? Lots of exterior choices, thus we need your help. Thx. (just donated)
Note the pics I sent you don’t have the two tone roof in back…just the original and one I mocked up to be black to make my decision. Just did not want to confuse things.
Hi Patricia,
I like the idea of a dark charcoal roof. I think it complements your brick nicely. I also like the different colors in your brick from which to choose an accent color. Have you considered Ben Moore’s AF-650 Caponata for your front door and maybe shutters/garage doors? It’s a very dark eggplant and I see that color in your brick. Then for the trim I would pick a light grout color like Bone White or China White (or anything a light sandy color). That will highlight the windows and lighten up the overall look of the house.
I’m not quite sure what you meant by painting the sunroom. I would keep the trim the same throughout and the siding the same as well. That will unify the house (because the front and back are already so different).
See what you think. You can certainly go dark charcoal/black with the shutters to go with the roof but the caponata will work as well. And since your siding is light, you can either go with the very light gray-tans for the trim or something more adventuresome — the caponata.
See what you think!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
I sent payment via paypal and I posted a comment/question here and I don’t see it. I paid and posted it on July 31, 2010. Should I post it again?
No need to Lougenia. Everything has gone through the system and you should see your question now.
Thanks for posting and I’ll answer you right now.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi! I am going to be painting my master bedroom this weekend. I chose a medium-dark brown color to match some new bedding. My room is large, 15×20 and I have a tray ceiling. Right now the room is painted all one color(from when it was built 3 years ago). My dilemma is knowing what color to paint the tray and the ceiling below it. I am afraid that if I paint everything the same color the room will be too dark. I know that some people paint the tray a shade darker but again I think it would be too dark. I was thinking of painting the walls and the tray my brown color and painting the ceiling a lighter shade of that color. I had the paint retailer lighten the shade by 50% but when I put it on my wall I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t enough of a contrast. But I am a decorating dunce and really need some advice here!! I donated to your blog and I really appreciate your advice/suggestions!
Thank you!
I know you haven’t replied yet but I wanted to tell you that today I purchased the shade lighter on the color card. I am thinking of painting the ceiling under the tray that color and then painting the walls and the tray the brown. Do you think that would work? I have a hard time envisioning what it will look like when it’s finished.
Thank you for your quick reply. I am very impressed with your feedback Barbara. I will definitely incorporate your ideas into my house. Are you availabe for more consultation regarding my interior? Again, thank you very much!
Hi Brad,
Sure, I would love to help you with the interior! Absolutely!
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello again Barbara – I would like your opinion on which colors are a good fit for the interior of my home. Im hoping the colors you choose for the rooms will complement each other/flow well while giving home a comfortable, more neutral decor.
I emailed you pictures as well. I made a few donations but know this is a more extensive request than you usually get.
1. Entry/Living Room color?
P.S. All the doors and trim will be painted white and new white vinyl windows with white trim will be installed in 4 weeks. The hardwood floors are original, honey/orange color and will be sanded and refinished.
2. Bedroom colors?
These two rooms are on the main floor and quite small (10X12). One will be an office and the other a guest room.
3. Bathroom color?
This is a small bathroom and currently a very bright yellow color. I plan on replacing small vanity with pedestal sink. The tub, pedestal sink and toilet are white and the tile floor is off white.
4. Upstairs/Master Bedroom?
What color would you paint the staircase area? Would you recommend I paint the upstairs bedroom the same color as the staircase area?
5. Downstairs Family Room? The downstairs family room is roughly a 12×30 room and used as a tv room. I recently put recessed lighting in the ceiling and theres a moderate amount of outside light that gets in as well.
Carpet?? The whole house (2 bedrooms, staircase/upstairs and downstairs family room) is getting new carpet. What would you recommend?
Thank you for your time Barbara – Brad
Hi Brad,
Here’s one palette of soothing, subdued hues that go well together but are distinct colors. If you’d like a more neutral, modern palette, let me know. But for your style of home, these colors flow well together. Also, you didn’t mention your furniture… let me know if we need to coordinate better with what you have going in the rooms.
Also if the value seems a bit too rich for the amount of light coming in the rooms, you can certainly back up the paint strip a notch (I’ll put those colors in parentheses).
1. Have a look at Ocean Beach (Ben Moore 958) (Papaya 957 is the lighter version) for your entry/living/dining area. Keeping the same color for those connected areas will make the house feel open and area and not chopped into two separate rooms. You can use the lighter version for the internal hallway leading to the bathroom and bedrooms and the stairwell going upstairs.
2. Try Moon Shadow 1516 (Natural elements 1515) for Bedroom 1. It’s a very soothing green that will make the room feel bigger (cool colors recede) and will coordinate well with any wood furniture you put into the room. For Bedroom 2, look at Beach Glass 1564 (Quiet Moments 1563). That is a soft blue-green with a gray undertone so it is very soothing on the walls and again goes well with your white trim and any lighter wood tones that you might put in the room. Your pick for which is the guest room and which is the office, but both colors (since they are cool) will make the rooms feel more spacious.
3. For the bathroom, I thought you might like too modernize the palette a bit with a warm gray, Collingwood 859. That will look smashing with the white and coordinate very well with any chrome fixtures in the bathroom (or brushed nickel — whichever you choose). Since the majority of the bathroom is white, the gray will not darken the room. It will only make the bathroom look more contemporary than the current lemon yellow does.
4. For the upstairs master area, if the budget allows, I suggest stripping the popcorn ceiling down and replacing it with smooth plaster. That will update the space immediately. Then to accommodate the slanted ceiling more aesthetically into the space, paint the entire area including the ceiling (all of it) a very light gray-blue like Gentle Gray 1626 (or Blue Lace 1625). Again, because cool colors recede, the ceiling will go away (at least a bit) and allow you to feel like the master area is more spacious. Painting the slanted ceiling and flat ceiling white only draws your eye down to the point on the wall where the wall color meets the slanted ceiling and that makes the room feel incredibly small.
The master bedroom color does not have to be blue. Manchester Tan HC-81 over the entire master space would be an alternative if you do not want a blue bedroom. The cool tan will have the same effect, making the whole space feel larger. Since there’s a door frame separating the master area from the stairwell, it’s fine to have the warmer color coming up the stairs and then turning into the cooler color once you’re up there.
5. For the family room, I suggest a rich neutral like Stone House 1039 that will make the room feel cozy and will coordinate well with any earth tones that you put down there.
As for carpet? Choose a Berber for its low pile and ease of vaccuuming. (I’m not a big fan of carpeting because it tends to harbor allergens. Wood floors with area rugs that can be shaken/laundered/replaced easily are preferable to wall-to-wall carpeting. But I understand why you might like to have carpet in the bedrooms, stairs and family room areas.) As for color, a warm neutral blend that works well off your wood floors will go with everything. Not too light. A medium-toned carpet will hide the maximum amount of stains. And the low pile will attract the least amount of dust/dirt.
Hope that gets you started. Let me know if you’d like a different colorway… or any substitutions.
And thank you again for the opportunity to help you create a warm, welcoming home.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara –
Thank you for your quick reply. Once again, your advice was extremely helpful and just what I was looking for.
Again, thanks! Brad
Brad,
You’re most welcome. Let me know if I can help you further! All the best on your many projects!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Confirmation # 6JK69293C4064122b Mar21,2011
Barbara,
Don’t know if you received my above reply so I’ll rewite it as best I can. Don’t know if my typing or the net didn’t get it through.
Here is my secend time if my first didn’t make it.
I have recently purchaced a cedar log house, and had the cedar outside refurbished with a cedar stain. It looks great. The metal roof I plan to paint, a Ben. Moore Forest Green. The two car garage about 30 feet from the house I plan to have the roof painted Forest Green also.
The problem I have, is that the sides of the garage are already painted a dark red and it looks terrible.
What would be the best color the recoat the garage sides?
Please come to my aid,
Thanks,
Noel
Hi Barbara,
(Tried sending pics through this blog, ….didn’t work so I sent it to your yahoo address.)
This is a great site and I’m so glad to have found you. We bought this little renovated orangey/brown brick and stucco Ranch style bungalow a couple of years ago and now we are planning to do the exterior and we need help with the colours and curb appeal.
I’ve included a close up of the brick and grout as the brick is much orangeier when viewed up close yet in the picture it looks brownish. Although the house has a nice cottage feel to it being yellow and my husband likes this colour, I’d like to update it to a more modern look but still in keeping with the style of the house. And hopefully make it stop from disappearing in winter. The neighbouring house in the picture is the same yellow however they are will be finishing the front in a mid grey colour this year, the house on the other side is a navy blue with white trim.
As you can see the trim is dark brown metal clad in the front and the new windows and doors in the back are white vinyl and aluminum respectively, as is the front door. The lights and mailbox are black, a real mismatch of things. I will be adding the battens around the front windows so they are in keeping with the new ones in the back. The back terrace is covered in brown with specks of black stone in keeping with the brown brick colour. I’d also like to take the attention away from the odd shaped garage roof. I’m thinking that if I paint it all one colour even the trim around the door and eave, it will become less noticeable or perhaps disappear. This may be wrong and make it look worse I’m just not sure what to do there. I have to live with the brick but I’m open to roofing, paint, door colour and trim as they all have to be changed it just may be a process of a few years depending on cost. And as I have to live with this for quite awhile and will base my landscaping on the outcome, I desperately need help. I do like warm colours, and I like a monochromatic look but I still like to have some punch as well. I’ve read in your site to pick the grout colour but it looks kind of meh to me. I don’t want the house to be boring but I’d like it to be well put together visually, if that makes any sense. A place that feels welcoming, urban yet homey, with a bit of edge, and as I said well put together. Please help I am at a loss.
Now here’s the second dilemma, the landscaping. I’ll keep the large green ash tree as it provides shade in summer, and planned on removing the three pines in the front yard, as they are too close to the house and have been trimmed up to high. Not sure what to do from there though as across the street from me is an island that people drive around which causes the headlights to shine directly into my bay window. I’d like to create something with curb appeal in the yard that also stops the glare. The foundation plants are low flowering shrubs like peonies (tallest) and daylilies under the bay window and ferns along the garage. They can all be moved as these beds certainly need some pizzazz to make this house stand out.
I’ve deposited my payment and look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for all your help.
Hi Glenda…
Traveled today. I will be back first thing in the morning to read your question and look at your photos. Thank you for emailing them to me.
More soon.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Glenda,
Although this might be a bit of a departure from your mid-century home style, here’s a suggestion. How about replacing the roof (when you get around to it) with a GAF Barkwood (it’s brown). Then instead of the dark brown trim which is a little heavy on the house currently, you might lighten it up with Sail Cloth (Ben Moore Exterior). To add some contrast and pick up some of the colors in the brick, you might paint the stucco and garage door Alexandria Beige (Ben Moore’s HC-77). Although we usually paint a garage door a separate color, your architecture has a lot going on already so using the same color for garage door and stucco will unify that wall and highlight the brick and the trim.
The same goes for the back of the house. That palette suggested above should bring out the different tones in your stonework.
If you’re looking for an accent color for doors, look at Wenge (Ben Moore’s AF-180) as one alternative. Or if you’re feeling bold, go with Masada (AF-220–which picks up on the orange in your brick)
As for landscaping, you might introduce some cream-colored flowering shrubs to lighten up the brick and mix them in with a variety of greens. Just avoid pinks at all cost… that’s the only real suggestion. But when it comes to the front window, just invest in some curtain panels so you can keep out the glare of lights in the evening. I would not rely on shrubs to block the window. But good idea to lighten up the heavy trees in the front — that will make the house look bigger!
Hope that helps. Thank you for posting.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi there,
We just gave the $20 donation and are trying to email you pictures of our home (we are looking for color advice on painting our exterior), but the emails keep bouncing back. We are trying this email address: bmeglis@yourhomeandcolorcoach.com
Our email address is: markalanbaker@gmail.com (or mbaker@whitworth.edu is the one on the Paypal order). Thanks,
Amy baker
Hi Amy,
My color coach email gets full quickly — try bmeglis@yahoo.com for photos. I’ll look for them there. Sorry for the inconvenience of working from a blog without the upload photo button.
Thanks also for posting!
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you so much Barbara, I really appreciate your quick response.
You have just confirmed the palette that I had been looking at myself but I just couldn’t make up my mind. Lack of confidence I guess. When you buy the worst house in the best neighbourhood the last thing you want is it to look really out of place when you finish fixing it.
Just one question though, I tried finding the Sail Cloth colour but the Ben Moore rep was unfamiliar with the it and it didn’t show up on her computer. She thought it might be similar to Grant Beige HC-83, is that correct? Because of this I also tried finding other colours you had mentioned in your blog such as Cameo, China and Dove White…again to no avail. She likened those colours to (Cameo to AF-310, China to OC-19, and Dove to ICI-2128-70) am I on the right track? Can you help with further advice or a description of the Sail Cloth colour as I’m not sure if you were going for a soft contrast or quite a bright one.
As for the doors I love both colours and had samples of similar ones myself. I’m waiting to choose one when the house is done.
Thanks for giving me the courage to go with my own eye. You are a great coach.
Glenda
Hi,
We have a two story home with 2 large white pillars out in front – missing New England (we are now in PA) we painted the house a New Englandy yellow and added black shutters. I feel like the black stands out too much and wondered about painting the shutters this summer. The front door is Georgian Brick – do you have any suggestions for the shutters? Something that would make a nice blend to the yellow.
I have pictures of the house, but wasn’t sure where to put them for you…
Thank you so much!
Bette
Hi Bette,
Since your roof is brown, have you tried one or more of the Ben Moore browns? Like Tudor Brown (ext), or Hasbrouck Brown HC-71? You can rarely go wrong with a shutter color that coordinates with the roof — and by limiting the house palette to two colors (yellow/brown) you bring out the front door accent color — the Georgian Brick. If you painted the shutters yet another color, the house would look too mish-mosh (that’s a technical term for too many colors! 😉
See what you think. There are other warm browns as well — I think you’ll like the idea. Hope so!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We recently purchased a 1960’s brick ranch that needs a ton of work. The only thing that doesn’t need to be done, is the roof which is black. I sent you pictures to your email address so that maybe you can help me. The houses in our neighborhood are all very similar and I’m trying to make ours a little different. I want to give the house a “warm” look. We are about to do our windows and instead of white, Im thinking of doing a colored window. I was recently on the pella window website and they have a nice summer sage, hemlock (light blue) or even a cream color exterior finish. I’m so confused on which color would look best with our brick and then from there, what color siding to do?! I’d appreciate any advice from you! Thanks!
Kathryn
Hi Kathryn,
I think cream windows will look nice and warm and will go nicely with the grout color. Then for siding, you can consider Pebble Clay (http://www.vinylsidingzone.com/vinyl-siding-colors/) with eggplant for an accent color. Take a look at Caponata AF-650 (Ben Moore’s Affinity Collection.)
As for shutters, the current shutters do not fit quite right. They’re mounted too high on the window or else do not match each other. Smaller eggplant shutters would look terrific, though. Don’t give up on them!
You might think about encasing the metal columns on your farmer’s porch with a wood-like material that can be painted. Beefing up those columns and making them feel more substantial by replicating wood columns, will help to update the house.
The rest is just trimming back the rest of the landscaping on the right front of the house. That will make a huge stride toward updating the entire house.
Love your “jade”-colored shrubs. Very upliftine! And terrific with your pretty brick!
-Barbara
Your HOme & Color Coach
We are trying to figure out what color siding to put on our house that we just purchased. It has brownish/grey roof and I would really like black shutters and white trim. I think white is a good color but my husband says something in the brown family but there are so many browns/tans/beiges already in the neighborhood that I thought it would be too much. What do you think?
I will try to post a picture of the front of our house. Thanks so much.
Hi Beverly,
I haven’t seen the photo yet, but how about a green like Ben Moore’s Louisburg Green for your house? That would go with both the roof and the black shutters with white trim. Also, you’d have something different in the neighborhood besides browns/tans/beiges.
Hope that works for you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
We are in the process of having our home painted, and I am unable to decide if we should change the color or not. My husband and I have a single story ranch style home in Houston, TX. We have a brick facade that is an orange red in color. The trim, siding, and detached garage are all white. The shutters, wrought iron columns, and door are black. Very traditional.
I have pondered a color change for a while but can’t decide on a color. My first thought was to change the black to a dark green and the front door to a shade of red. Now, I am wondering if we should go with a yellow on the house and garage siding with all white trim and green on the columns, shutters, and doors.
Do you have any suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am sending pictures of my home to your yahoo email account.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
I like the idea of warming up the white siding. I do like the Peace Yellow but I also like Birdseye Maple SW 2834, a little richer than the yellow. Stick with white trim like you have now. And for the shutters/front door, you can soften the black to a Greenblack SW 6994 or the Black Emerald. That will pull together the house and warm it up a lot. Right now, the black shutters/door are a bit harsh for your roof.
Then instead of all the pink annuals out front (I know you JUST planted them, right?), I would replace them with all yellows. That will really look terrific and will tie in the new yellow/maple siding color.
Does that help? You’re right to paint the white siding though, no matter what. It’s just too white on the back of the house and the garage. You can keep the garage doors white if you want to as they are carriage doors.
Thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
Thank you so much for your help. I will look at the Birdseye Maple, the lady at the paint store mentioned that color as well. I know that I mentioned yellow, but do you have another color for the siding that you might recommend that I’m not thinking about, maybe a gray or something entirely different.
Also if the fascia boards are to remain white, what color would be paint the soffits and the ceiling of the front porch?
Thank you so much for your help!
Jennifer
Hi Barbara,
I have a dilemma. I own 1/2 of a twin home. My neighbor rushed out 6 months and changed her roof color to a light tan instead of the original dark brown and now my HOA is forcing me to match her new color. Is there anything I can do to make the new roof color work? I’m thinking changing the shutter and door colors might help? Attached is a link. Thanks!
https://picasaweb.google.com/112708297307860143324/HouseExterior?authkey=Gv1sRgCMS1vP3L4PGKQw&feat=directlink
Lori
Hi, I paid for a question with my credit card, but my computer has been freezing up often when I attempt to access your website so I sent you my question and pictures via email..I used bmeglis@yahoo.com. Can you please respond to my question via my email? I don’t want to not be able to retrieve your response because of my computer freezing. Thank you! Susan Quinto
Sure, Susan. Talk to you via email!
-Barbara.
Hello again Barbara!
I realize this may seem like a lot; however, I’ve been wrestling with the decisions over my house for a couple months and the kitchen for about three weeks. So, yes, I’m doing them both not quite simultaniously, but close.
We have a very long galley kitchen. The reason it is so long is that at one end is the kitchen with all white cabinets, walls and appliances; hunter green (formica?) marbled-looking countertops and very light faux-wood laminate floors. On the other end of the kitchen is a “dining area” with currently all white walls and white door and window that look out onto the back porch (same flooring).
The reason I’m so frustrated is that I’ve been keeping a few details in the back of my mind while I look around the last month and when I started trying to put everything together, I realized they just wouldn’t work together. I also realized that they just weren’t my style. I’m looking for much more of a modern or contemporary feeling. One problem is that I’m working with a very small budget. We just bought the house in October and the cabinets and countertops are MAYBE 1 year old but the bottom of the line stock items (we’re not looking to replace them).
As you can see from the photos I’ve attached, there is also this very long hallway that extends into the eating area, but I cannot ignore it due to its being a currently misused part of the room (I have considered making this an “accent wall” but unsure of the proper color since we have a brighter green in the living room as an accent color. (one way to get into the kitchen is to walk through the livingroom, but the bright green almost clashes with the hunter green of the countertops).
MY IDEAS:
We are replacing the refrigerator and stove with top of the line stainless steel appliances (that’s why my working budget is small), and we will eventually replace the dishwasher with stainless steel, but not going to happen immediately.
The “yellow” door at the end of the counters leads to the garage and will be replaced, but not sure with what color or if maybe we could just paint this one.
We’re contemplating replacing the hardware on the cabinets and drawers with some brushed nickel or stainless steel pieces… my fear here is that I’ll go overboard with stainless steel in an attempt to go “modern”.
I’ve contemplated the imitation glass mosaic tiles to go all the way around just the actual cooking portion of the room as a backsplash and then use one of the colors from that to paint the walls.
I’ve also contemplated repainting the countertops (I’ve heard that it’s easy and inexpensive)… I’ve also contemplated taking wood paneling from lowe’s that looks and almost feels like brick and putting that along the backsplash portion of the kitchen.
I really am at a loss…I think I have so many ideas that I just feel like I’m drowing.
Thanks again!
Hi James,
The kitchen as it stands right now (with the addition of some color) would make a very nice homey cottagey kitchen. But I know that’s not your ideal.
So… since you want to go more modern, you’ll want to disguise or switch out the most cottagey items.
The cabinets are fine. Brushed nickel or stainless knobs/pulls will help. But the style of cabinet is still going to be traditional, not modern. The fact that they’re white, though, will help in the long run.
The countertop is laminate. I have seen the paint job done on YouTube but I’ve never known anyone who has done it successfully. Lots of research first before you launch that project. You might just put a new countertop on your list for a long-term re-do and hold off on painting. I think you’ll be happier ultimately with a surface that’s not scratchable and more permanent. I’m worried about how well a painted laminate will hold up over time. And scratches will drive you nuts!
To disguise the laminate color, you can paint the walls a very light green (something like Ben Moore’s Old Prairie/Camouflage or Silken Pine/Soft Fern –either the lighter or slightly darker version). But long-term, you might want a soft warm gray like Edgecomb Gray HC-173 (Ben Moore) that will go really well with the stainless appliances/knobs/pulls and give you that modern feel that you’re looking for.
As for the yellow door, just paint it white (like the trim).
You might want to check out a woven Roman shade for the two windows in the kitchen. JCPenney has them. They’re more contemporary than fabric valances on the windows.
You can keep the round table but painting the base an accent color would give it some pop. Then get new chairs — more contemporary short Parson’s chairs — to replace the dark wood country chairs.
New lighting is also inexpensive — match the metal to your knobs.
I do like the mosaic glass tile idea. Very easy to install as a backsplash. And it will brighten up the kitchen. Or you can use white subway tile. Also very easy to install and will give you a very clean finished look. Bring the color in with dishes, linens, and artwork.
Did I cover everything? Believe me — your kitchen has some good “bones.” A few replacement items will make a huge difference!!
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara. I’m so glad I stumbled upon your web site and blogs. Our house is mostly siding with some brick. I am requesting your help in picking out colors for a new storm door and front door we will be purchasing and suggestions for what color to paint the shutters, and garage doors. I will be sending you pictures, but as you will see the siding is a cream color (not white, but not quite yellow), the brick is pretty neutral, and our roof shingles are a shade of brown. The garage doors, front and storm doors, and shutters are all a forest green. I have been wanting to change the color scheme since we moved in seven years ago!
My understanding is that storm doors only come in certain colors so I am guessing this may limit my options? Frankly I would rather do without a storm door, but we livein the Midwest and we need one given all the snow we get in the winter months. Also, I should note that our house faces the West and in the hot summer months, the storm door can be very hot to the touch and my guess is that this is partially because of its dark color. The paint on the shutters have also faded a lot.
I love the idea of the front door a shade of red or blue to draw attention to it. I just don’t have any idea what pre-colored storm door might coordinate (you can’t paint them, right?). I also like the idea of painting the garage door the same color as the house so not to draw so much attention to them, but would a cream color be too light?
See why I need your help? 😉 Thanks so much, Misty
Hi Misty,
It looks like your trim is white. If so, then get a white storm door. If the trim is truly cream, like the siding, then get a cream storm door. Also, paint your sidelight the same trim color (white or cream). For the front door, you can get something really spectacular like Copper Mountain (Ben Moore’s AC-12) or Texas rose 2092-40. That should really draw attention to the entry.
For the shutters, check out both Texas Leather AC-3 and Mesa Verde Tan AC-33, whichever goes better with the roof. Then for the corresponding garage door color, go with either Berkshire Beige AC-1 (with Texas Leather) or Pismo Dunes AC-32 (with Mesa Verde Tan). One of those colors will be perfect with both roof and brick and will be lighter than your current forest green.
See what you think.
And thank you for your patience today!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Just found your blog and I love it! I’m hoping you can help me pick exterior colors for my house…the biggest issue is the roof – it’s blue (the previous owner must have really, really like blue because it’s all over the interior and exterior of the house). It’s not a deep blue but more of a medium blue with a little gray.
I am trying to avoid gray as the main color as both of my immediate neighbors have gray houses. Maybe something in the mushroom/khaki/limestone family?
The other issue is the garage door – we just replaced it and it is white aluminum but I’m not sure about painting it. I’m not sure how the paint will stick to it and I don’t want it to look cheap or weird.
Not sure how to upload photos, please advise.
Thank you in advance for your help and advice!
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
Okay, my immediate suggestion is why not embrace the blue and paint the whole house something like the wonderful rich Van Deusen Blue (Ben Moore HC-156) and keep the white trim and garage door. Then you could pick an accent color for the shutters and front door– take a look at Brookside Moss 2145-30. Your house is very cottagey and I suggest capitalizing on that. No need to look like everyone else — I know earth tones are all the rage, but with your blue roof, the darker blue will look quite stunning.
Don’t worry about the scalloped siding. I would paint the whole house one color to make it look a tad bigger.
If you REALLY want to get away from blue for the body of the house, then try a warm tan like Lenox Tan with … Van Deusen Blue shutters. That will look great.
White trim is perfect!
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I subscribed to Your Home & Color Coach on Aug 21, 2011 and $20.00 was taken out of my credit card acct. at that time. I sent in some questions on paint and never received an answer. Did I do something Wrong? Please advise
Hi Linda, ( posted on the blog on August 22nd — sorry you missed it. I will email you!)
If you go ahead with the Olympic Stratosphere for the accent wall, you might want to change the Satin Weave to more of a cream than a light yellow. What happens when you mix yellow and blue… as you know… you get green. So sometimes there’s kind of a green haze as the colors bounce off of each other in the room. I suggest picking one of the beiges in your carpet and using a lighter version of that on the walls. You can still use pastel yellow, reds, and blues as accents in the room. But the walls will be more neutral so that the color in the room will pop. And because creamy beige is the color of sand, the nautical theme still works great!!
See what you think about that.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Linda,
I sent a copy of this blog post reply to your email but it bounced back. Hope you see the reply here on the blog. I know sometimes they get moved and are hard to find.
So sorry for the inconvenience.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
My paint contractor came over and we discussed the paint. He uses Sherwin Williams. After telling him I wanted something to go with the carpet, he suggested Sherwin Williams Duration Home Matte in Divine White for 3 walls and Kilim Beige for the 1 wall. Still same accents and will use light blue in accent too. How is this?
Linda,
Sorry I missed this follow-up. Sounds great! I will email you to make sure you’re all set.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello Barbara,
I have a typical 2-story 1960s home. It’s pretty boring to look at. It is red brick on the first story (orangish/peachy red I would call it) and white siding on the second. The shutters are a darker brick red. My front door and the surrounding woodwork, of which there is about the equivalent of a 2nd door space, are white. My long term goal is to do something with the overall exterior color scheme to make it feel more contemporary. In the short-term I want to paint he front door. Can you recommend a color that would jazz things up a bit? I couldn’t figure out how to send you pictures, so I uploaded them to a public site you can view at: https://picasaweb.google.com/harper.betty/ColorHelp?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMW0oYn1o8KemQE&feat=directlink.
I love your site!
-Betty
Hi Betty,
How about something like either Kendall Charcoal (Ben Moore HC-166) or Whitall Brown HC-69? Either of those will give you the contrast you need and will bring out the colors in your brick. They will also go with your roof!
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello, I have a question about the front door color for a brick tudor. We’ve been told it’s a “cottage” brick tudor, i.e. it’s fairly small and simple. We currently have a deep red trim and are going to stick with that. We found a tudor style door which we like, but I’m waffling between staining the door, or painting it a charcoal gray or dark brown/black color. I’d like to send a picture but for some reason I can’t get through on the Yahoo address. Is there another e-mail to use? Thanks!
Hi Martha,
The bmeglis@yahoo.com email should work okay but I will email you directly and you can attach a photo. More in a minute!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Martha,
Got your photos. Thank you. Ordinarily I would recommend a beautiful dark stain on your new Tudor-style door. It’s a classic. However, your concrete steps take up a lot of the front facade and using a dark wood stain on the front door will only accent those stairs — an undesirable result. So in your case, I suggest a charcoal that will blend in the steps and at the same time contrast with the brick and trim and stand out as a welcoming entry. Look at Ben Moore’s Kendall Charcoal HC-166 and make sure to use the red around the door trim.
I think you’ll love the result!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you so much! That is great advice. I was so focused on working with the brick and the trim; I never even thought about how the concrete steps would play in to the picture. We will try out the charcoal.
Martha
Hope that works perfectly for you, Martha.
Hi Barbara,
Very confused as to what color to order a new replacement door for my home. The door in the picture was transposed onto my home and is the exact style but not the color (we took the door pic off another home). I was going to go with tudor brown or a mahogany, but the salesman says tudor will look almost black and will do nothing for the house and mahogany may be too red. The storm door will be a full view in white to match windows. All hardware nickel. The awning will be removed. Under the aluminum along side of door is older fluted white wood and header, thinking of either repainting white or replacing with white non-maintenance fluted pilasters of some sort. Also, thinking of adding white shutters to top windows only and having the brick acid washed next year. The long porch will be removed and a new concrete porch with white decorative vinyl railings. Not sure if I should go with no awning, a fabric awning or some pillar roof system. The door salesman is trying to talk me into a Cottage Red color for the door. Please advise as to the best color door to bring out this housefront. Also what do to about the awning – color?, style or no awning – traditional Georgian style.
I also sent this and a picture to your email.
Thanks so much!
Mary
Hi Mary,
Take a look at Hadley Red HC-65 for your door. It has a little more burgundy in it which should bring out the depth of color in your brick. Then I suggest an overhang/pilaster combo (I’ll send you a photo) that will give your guests a bit of shelter without going into a full-blown portico that would involve the rest of your porch.
As for the shutters, I suggest a Branchport Brown HC-72 for all of them, top and bottom. (Or leave them off completely). But I would not do the top windows only on your colonial home.
Another suggestion: mullions for the windows. Top and bottom (6 over 6). They may in fact be there and obscured by the reflection.
Every other change you mentioned sounds fine.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I live in the little ski resort town of Fernie, BC. My husband and I are planning to redo the exterior of our home, and I am looking for some color suggestions. Our home is a long ranch home which wraps around the back yard (the house has a few odd angles). In its design, it reminds me a lot of the prairie style home, which is what is helping to inform our choices as we renovate. The roof is flat with a very large overhang (2-3 feet).
Currently the house is a light grey stucco. The trim is white. We have replaced all of the four sliding patio doors opening onto the back of the house, and these doors are now a very dark brown/black. We are planning to paint the other window casings(is that the right word?) to match. The front of the house has a yellow/tan brick fireplace. The brink is still in fairly good condition. I am wondering what colors we could use that would work with this brick. I will send photos of our house to your email address. I am looking for suggestions for both the house color and trim.
Hi Karla,
Since you do have a lot of snow much of the time, how about warming up your house to a rich caramel like Ben Moore’s Richmond Gold HC-41? Then for trim, how about Cameo White? You will find that the color combination looks spectacular with your new brown/black door color and that the house looks good not only in the winter as it will stand out against the snow but also in the other seasons particularly in the Fall as it will look like another maple tree in the vista.
The color combination will blend with your brick fireplace bringing the pretty big feature down to the scale of your house. The color scheme is also appropriate for a prairie-style home.
Hope you like it.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am having our house painted this week and am having a hard time with the color. It is a Mediterranean style house with a very light grey – almost white roof. The current exterior is a light silvery grey with white trim. I can e-mail you a picture but I’m not sure how to add it to this post. The color that a friend (who has some design experience) recommended is Sherwin Williams Ligonier Tan (SW7717). I did get a sample and on the wall it looks almost like a butterscotch color. I also tried Balanced Beige – SW7037, it does not go too well with the driveway. My driveway pavers are a traditional brick with rusts, browns and golds. The Ligonier Tan does make the gold in the driveway pop, but I am concerned about the brightness of the color. The neighbors are a pink beige and a yellow beige. I need a striking color that will go with the white roof. By the way I am the only white roof in the entire neighborhood! Any help will be appreciated and I will try to send pictures.
Thank you in advance,
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
You can send photos to my email at bmeglis@yahoo.com
I’ll be sure to see them there.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Cindy,
I haven’t seen your photos yet, but from your description of the roof, trim and neighbor houses, how about something richer that will contrast with the roof and make a statement in your neighborhood. This color is also appropriate for a Mediterranean style home:
SW 7702 Spiced Cider
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7702-spiced-cider/
I’ll look for your photos but see what you think of this color.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I painted my kitchen BM#537 “shades of spring” several months ago and I really don’t like it…much too bright with a lot yellow tones. I haven’t put anything back on the walls because the color seems to overpower my wall decorations. My cabinets are glazed white and my countertops are St. Cecelia granite. I would like a different green shade but would be open to another color. Just want a kitchen that looks like it all blends together. The adjoining family room is painted westminster gold (BM200) and is very open from the kitchen. (Might want help on that color later) Will email photos.
Hi Louise,
Well, you’re right. I love your current kitchen color — at least on my screen.
If you’re not crazy about it, let’s pick a color out of your granite. Take a look at Lenox Tan HC-44 or Shelburne Buff HC-28. Decatur Buff HC-38 is another option.
See what you think of those. If you want to stay with green, look at something softer and less yellow, like Fernwood Green 2145-40.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Weive in a little square house near the beach. I do not like the curb appeal at all but can probably only change a bit since it is a rental. The house color is not my favorite but will have to keep it. I’m thinking the white shutters & trim do not complement the goldfish brownish house color. Was thinking of a muted green – fennel green by Martha Stewart. Thanks – Lori
Hi Lori,
Since you’re near the beach, how about a little more color on the shutters? Take a look at Sherwin Williams’ Lagoon SW 6480 or Mesclun Green SW 6724. (I couldn’t find the Fennel Green you mentioned but you can send me a link to it if you have one.) I like the idea of putting some green on the shutters to liven the place up a bit. If you decide to keep the white shutters, add color everywhere else: I see the striped door mat (that’s great!). Add a colorful pot of flowers by the front door; add two colorful lawn chairs; a vase of flowers on the front door. You can definitely add color even if you can’t change the siding/trim.
But if you can paint the shutters, go ahead with a green.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I’m so thrilled to have found you as a resource! I made my PayPal payment this morning and sent my question to you by email. I’m just double checking that I followed the proper procedure or whether it’s better to post my question in the comments section. Thanks so much for taking the time to review my questions!
Meghan
Hi Meghan,
Look at Ben Moore’s Valley Forge Tan AC-35. It’s a warm gray that should serve
as a transition between your current scheme and the taupe future one. You can use
it for the foundation as well as the stairs. Or use if for just the foundation and pick up
the brown for your stairs (they will stand out better against the lighter side color).
The warm gray will also allow you to move into the grays on your walkway. No problem.
See what you think.
Pismo Dunes AC-32 is a taupier gray/tan but it has a slight pink undertone. I would stick
with the Valley Forge for the best long-term result.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Can I send you a picture of my Redwood stained home… it looks almost dark brown… but I need help choosing the shutter colors. Maybe the porch color too!. I have a dark brown roof. I will be glad to pay… I just think a pic is worth a thousand words!
Hi Tina,
Sure! Send a picture to the email bmeglis@yahoo.com. I will be sure to see it there.
You can make the payment right here on the blog’s PayPal button.
Thanks!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I sent you several pictures of my home via email. As you can see, it is a white brick and the roof is a light sandy color. The current color of the majority of the areas that require paint are blue and the trim is a light tannish color.
I am looking to repaint all these areas. With white brick, I am looking for some colors to take away the ‘boring’. I am open to what suggestions you have for color. Please let me know what suggestions you have. I am in the North Texas area, outside of Dallas.
I’d thought about some black or red in small amounts, but am really unsure about what to do with the biggest color areas.
Thank you!
Debra
Hi Debra,
To make your house look bigger, I suggest painting the blue areas a richer neutral — something that will coordinate well with the white brick but add some color and interest. Take a look at Ben Moore’s Jackson Tan HC-46 as one option or Tyler Taupe HC-43. One of those should work perfectly. Keep the same trim color but use it also on your columns out front and any other wood-trim areas reserving the brown for siding and garage door only.
Then to jazz up the house a bit, why not Georgian Brick HC-50 on the shutters. That will add a little spice to the house but not too much — (I know it gets hot where you are!).
You can use the brick color on doors as well.
See what you think.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We like the colors and are going to try them! Should we paint the gutters and down spouts the trim color?
Terrific, Debra!
Yes, paint the gutters and down spouts the trim color if they run along the trim. If the down spouts run down the siding anywhere, then paint the downspout the siding color. The point is to camouflage the workings of the house as best you can (unless you have copper gutters… only exception).
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am interested in repainting (or considering colors for vinyl siding). Currently, my cape cod has a brick front with aluminum siding on the remaining sides of the house. The siding was likely the color of white originally, but now faded to the color of stone from years of extreme temperatures in Michigan). I need help with body, trim, & front door colors. Also, there are some large white spaces below the two front facing windows that I am not sure is the most aesthetically pleasing. You will see in the images I forwarded.
Hi Nate,
First let me address those panels under the windows. I see them everywhere and you’re right — they appear awkward, as if the original windows were large and then replaced with smaller windows and the wooden “filler.” I’m not sure that’s the case. They may be there just to accommodate the longer shutters — to make the windows look bigger.
Anyway, two solutions:
1) Enlarge your windows to fill the brick-surrounded space created for the windows. Obviously a pricey but permanent solution.
2) Paint the panels the house color from around the sides and back. Still a bit awkward but less of a contrast with the brick than the current white.
As for siding and trim colors, check out:
Ben Moore’s Briarwood (exterior) — it’s a warm taupe that goes great with brick, tile, and roof.
http://www.benjaminmooreonline.com/2596.html
Another option:
Ben Moore’s Coventry Gray (HC-169) — a warm gray that goes with your grout and brick as well as the roof and tile. But it’s cooler than the taupe.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/coventrygray
For trim, since you have white windows and a white storm door, you should stick with a white. China White has a gray undertone that will help to “age” the trim a bit and make it blend with the white windows.
Ben Moore’s China White
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/pm20
For shutters/front door, you might consider something other than black. Check out:
Ben Moore’s Caponata AF-650 — a dark, warm aubergine that picks up some of the colors in your brick and steps away from the typical black shutter/door tradition. Just a thought…
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/caponata
See what you think of those ideas.
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
Thank you for your guidance on my previous post. I have had a year to consider repainting or siding the house. The colors you recommended are great, but I am still looking for inspiration.
I was curious if there were another set of colors that you would choose if you were to paint this house. Perhaps something that would look great that has not been recommended or considered.
Keep up the great work. Your work is helpful and appreciated!
Thank you,
Nate
Hi Nate,
Would you have a photo of your current home? I do have a vague recollection but would love a reminder. You can send it to my email at bmeglis@yahoo.com
Thank you and I’ll get right on it.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
I appreciate your quick response & inspiration! Thank you!
As for the windows, I’m investigating enlarging them (a larger window). But if it’s too costly I’ll go with plan B per your suggestion.
The warmer taupe & china white are the way I’m leaning. I’m still considering the door color though.
Is there a rule of thumb for what to paint the garage door? Same color as the body of the house (in this case taupe) or trim?
Thank you!
Nate
Hi Nate,
I like to paint the garage door either the siding color or a shade or two darker, to ground the doors without calling too much attention to them. Then paint the garage door trim the same color as the house trim. Some people opt for painting the doors the same as the trim color, but that usually means cream/white and the doors look unfinished to me.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Thank you! I feel like I’m on the right track with your help and I look forward to improving the aesthetics of my house. I will most definitely consider your recommendations. Thank you for your time, efforts, and experience!
Kind regards,
Nate
Nate,
You are most welcome. Anytime!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
Thank you for the latest recommendations on exterior paint color. They are GREAT! I am inspired to give these colors a go! Thank you for your expertise and efforts!
Thank you,
-Nate
You are most welcome!
Hi Barbara,
My husband and I want to paint the siding and trim as well as add shutters, and perhaps the garage. The white house looks dingy and gray ironically we’ve been considering gray colors (not sure if that is a great idea either but I like gray) from Sherwin Williams because I can get a deep discount on paint. But we have not been successful in identifying a color that goes well with the brick of our older home built in 1967. I have no idea what to paint the window trim, trim on house, siding or garage. I have struggled for several years and now the painters are coming in a few days but I have no color choices. The previous owners included a brick porch on the home but those don’t even match the house bricks. I’m completely turned around and paralyzed on what to do to improve the look of this home.
Best,
Lesley
Hi Lesley,
How about a palette in the gray-green family for your siding, garage door, and trim.
Check this out — it goes very nicely with your brick. Then you can use burgundy/purples/creams for your landscape accent colors.
Siding: Universal Khaki SW 6150
Trim and Front door: Panda White SW 6147
Garage Door and Shutters: Superior Bronze SW 6152
See what you think.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thank you Barbara for the speedy response. I got out the color deck and see where you are going except . . . my neighbors beat me to it, I think, lots of dark tans and browns. Wondering if there might be another option that might set us apart from our neighbors a little more and still create cohesive change for our home? Also wondering where the window trim fits in the color scheme.
Gratefully,
Lesley
Hi Lesley,
Oh well… see what you think of this option:
SW Dorian Gray SW 7017 on the siding
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7017-dorian-gray/
Another more vibrant option is Svelte Sage SW 6164
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6164/
I would use a color from your brick for the siding and not a contrasting shade. You want your house to look taller and not cut in half horizontally.
And for window trim and all other trim, Antique White SW 6119
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6119-antique-white/. You could use the siding color on the front door in a high gloss finish.
See if that works.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi, I would like some opinions as to what colors to paint the exterior of our home. The brick is a pinkish-orange, and the roof is a brown tone, but hardly noticeable due to it’s low pitch. Previous owners painted everything a “bronze” color that blends with the brick. I hate it! I want to paint all of the trim, the garage door, the siding around the front door, the front door, and the shutters. Will e-mail pictures. Thank you!
Hi Heather,
See what you think of this palette:
Trim: Cloud Cover 855 (Ben Moore) for fascia and soffits and window/door trim
Front door/Garage door: Hazy Skies OC-48 — it’s lighter than you might expect, kind of a new look
Shutters: Galaxy 2117-20 — a very dark eggplant, a little bit different again.
See what you think. I’ll email the colors to you and you’ll see them pop up.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks! Your recommendations for the trim and garage door/front door are very similar to colors I had been considering. I wouldn’t have thought to choose the eggplant color for the shutters, but I like it! Definitely going to try these!
Hope they work out!
Thanks for posting!
Wanting your help with all exterior finishes. What would the cost be today?
Hi R Linda,
I will email you. Thanks for your interest.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi not sure if you got my question. I sent you a picture also. I did pay. My new roof is brown and I need new color for shutters and maybe front doors. Help thanks
I would like a nice color scheme for my home. A colonial cape cod. It is an orange face brick. I am replacing the roof along with the peak, gutters, trim, windows and possibly adding shutters. I am removing and not replacing the awning. Thank you so much.
Here are some options, Mary:
See attached:
Both Gaf and Certainteed Landmark’s Driftwood roof options are very versatile and will go well with your brick.
Owens Corning Teak is a darker brown but it has all the brick colors in it.
Brownwood is also an option. But I would not go gray or black.
As for trim, cream will go best with your brick — instead of white if you’re replacing everything. They do make a cream gutter/downspout.
I still like the Fairview Taupe as a siding color with your brick. It’s lovely with it.
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/hc-85/fairview-taupe?color=HC-85
Getting rid of the awnings is a good thing. Shutters? Not really necessary since you only have one small window for them.
Then it looks like you have a wood door behind the storm. But if you want to paint that a brick red or even a dark teal, the door will stand out more even behind the glass.
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/hc-50/georgian-brick?color=HC-50
https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color/2062-30/blue-danube?color=2062-30
See if that helps.
Thanks again.