CURB APPEAL

UPDATE FOR OUTSIDE

So you have probably heard a lot about curb appeal in terms of selling your home - making it inviting, welcoming, well maintained.... etc., etc.    But its also the first impression visitors have of YOU when they come to your home - when you are NOT selling - when you are living there.  What does your home say about you? 


I received an inquiry from a reader about updating the outside of their home - and it opened a whole world of possibilities, including some I didn't know about.  I found it extremely interesting - and I hope you will too:

Hello, I just recently stumbled upon your blog.  I have learned so much about color from the little bit of perusing I have done already!  Thank you for sharing!  Would you mind helping out with an exterior paint recommendation?

My husband and I bought our house a year and a half ago and have wanted to repaint the outside trim since the first day.  I have attached a picture of our house and as you can see it is a brick, tudor style house with a few dormers.

client's home

We would love to update the green trim (and probably the white, too) and have been wracking our brains (and the internet) to come up with a fresh combo that would bring the house into the current century.  Mostly what I have seen as I've looked around is the dark brown trim and white, which I don't mind but it feels a bit too traditional for us, or the lighter brown-green combinations, which I don't like at all.

I feel pretty confident in finding a specific color that will complement the brick once we can find a good direction (since I know brick varies so much and it may be hard to recommend a specific color that will work with our brick) so your help in finding some general options for color combinations would be awesome!

If it's helpful, colors that look great with the brick we have are Martha Stewart 'Burl' and Benjamin Moore 'Stormy Sky.'  Thanks so much and let me know if there is any other info you would like.

-Ashley

Hi Ashley,

I love your house.  The gables are so charming, it gives it a sort of storybook charm!   I have a few suggestions for your red brick home.  A soft gray/beige  (Bennington Gray/Benjamin Moore) is a good

 choice to relieve the heavy dark green.  I would still go dark with the front door and the shutters, window and gable trim.

I love Stormy Sky for its gray-ness and I'm sure that gray and charcoal are probably the way to go with the red brick. Throw in a shiny black door, and you will have a winner! I would use something along the lines of Sandy Hook Gray on the white trim areas, and the darker charcoal color (Kendall Charcoal is also good) on the green areas.

My favorite look is this one below.  I love the pop of white as trim color around the windows and gable and door.  The door should be black or charcoal, as well as the trim and shutters

I also love this color palette with the red brick... (white, black or charcoal with Hampstead Gray - Benjamin Moore)

If you get tired of the limitations of the red brick, you could also paint the brick.  That opens up a whole other world of possibilities...

It's a little more costly..., but look how beautiful...

White and charcoal

Beige and Gray

White and Gray

Tan, Gray and White

Darker Gray

Cream and Sage

And while looking at the painted brick options I found another option for painting brick I hadn't heard of, but I kind of like this.  Its a Southern thing... white washed brick. 

white wash, or lime paint

with just a little of the red brick still showing

as if time worn...

Most importantly - make your door stand out

glossy paint and a color that makes a statement

 and good luck!