It’s time to start picking out the paint for the exterior…the 10+ year decision that everyone wants to get right!
In this case, the house is a combination of hardie artisan, hardie panel, and amazing clear VG cedar you just can’t seem to get any more without paying (two) arms and a leg. We got lucky here (well, tenacity and planning ahead paid off) and found as much as needed on craigslist (I’ll save that story for another day).
Today we are starting to think about how to select my colors to maximize the design we put together to make this our own, and to give it a unique transitional character and feel. I am thinking about texture of the panels vs. artisan, and the amazing cedar. As I scour the web for something similar (relief there is not? Questionable on that, right? :), I’m switching the original thought of an all white pallet to 2 tones (3 with the cedar really). As the house was coming together, it gave me new perspective from a 2-D view, to really showing off the overall look and design.
Here are some inspirations we are working with:
This home looks understated and yet regal and notwithstanding the windows, reminds me of a classic European estate (OK, it is probably the servant quarters if it is on an estate)!.
The subtle warmth of the hue is appealing. If I could build a stone house, I would (but in this market it’s not feasible) so I’ll be inspired by the look which may work very well with the hardie panels, somewhat ‘mocking’ the beautiful stone.
Next up, whites and whites and more whites, but the search for the perfect exterior white is difficult given the size of the ‘canvas’ of the exterior. It’s a large home. It has presence, it requires a warm and friendly welcome, with a hint of “wow, now THAT’S a special home”.
Our home has a dark bronze (almost black) metal hip roof (don’t ask your builder to build one of those unless you LOVE the look and can tolerate the complexity and cost that comes with it). We do love it — anything else would have completely undermined the beauty of the overall design and I can’t tell you how much effort the architect put into trying to convince me to design it otherwise. But that’s another story. The whites look crisp and clean with the dark roof, it’s also simple and understated with a presence.
I have always been drawn to white for the crisp coastal airy feel, and with our black window frames, have found so much inspiration in other people’s design choices as well. I took a chance on being bold with black window trim and given the sheer volume of windows we have, love the drama.
Here, the hue of the white makes you feel like you want to take your shoes off before you even get to the front door. It is a beautiful and welcoming crisp white. On with the inspiration search before I even start with paint samples!
Share your comments below — do you have the ultimate favorite exterior white?
