Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Help Me Pick Paint Colors!

I've been planning on painting the farmhouse for a while now. When we first bought the house, the paint was in good shape, I just wasn't crazy about the colors (the green felt dated and the white-on-white main field and trim caused a lot of the Victorian detail to get lost). Now, the paint is really chipping off and the house looks a little, well, dumpy. The last time the house was painted was probably 20 years ago, so I'm hoping that with good preparation and quality paint, this paint job will last another 20.

 Here, you can see some of the details on the house... I'm also working on new landscaping, so stay tuned!


The front of the house... I'm hoping to put a front porch on the house in the next few years.

The roof is dark green, which kind of limits the colors we can use on the house. But that's okay, since I really wanted to include some green on the house, anyway. I've tested a bunch of colors on the house and I think I've finally narrow the choices down... but I need help! Here are the three color schemes I've decided on - would you be so kind as to help me choose one? Thanks!

So, here's how the palettes work: The upper left color is the main color on the house. The upper right color is the primary trim color (mostly on the window trims and shakes in the gables). The bottom left color is the secondary trim color, going on window details and other architectural trim. The bottom right color is the accent for the Victorian arches in the gables, the doors, window boxes, and some detail around the bay window. (Heads up: The colors read a bit darker on the screen than in real life).

Option One:


Option Two:


Option Three:


Whaddya think? The colors definitely read differently here than on the house, but I think you'll get the gist. As excited as I am to paint the house, I'm not looking forward to the grunt work. Thanks for your help with the colors, and if you have other ideas, please share!

8 comments:

  1. I love the victorian colors! How about option 2 but yellower and redder?
    I live in a bright yellow house and it is so cheerful when you drive by!!!

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  2. For me, option 2 is better than the others. I like the color combination.

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  3. I like option 3 but would love the option 2 blue with the other option 3 colors. :)

    We are painting our formerly white farmhouse as well. I am grateful our metal roof is gray so it did make it a little easier for us.

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  4. OPTION 1!

    We have a house in our neighborhood that mixes the oyster with greens and hits of purple. Everyone talks about how awesome it looks. I vote for option 1.

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  5. All of these comments are so awesome!! Kelly - I was thinking purple for a long time, but then I saw a house with blue... it's so hard to decide! I guess the nice thing is that it's just paint, it can be easily changed!

    Thanks again for all the comments, I really appreciate your help!

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  6. I would vote for number 3, although I have found that colors typically look much lighter outside than in the samples. I painted our house trim 3 different greens before I was happy. I have found that the greens with some gray undertones look nice. I really like the blue combined with green in 2 and 3. Good luck!

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  7. I like no. 2 the best. However, I would switch out Fashion Week for Wedding Bells. I love the look of layered white and creamy colors. Makes it look very warm and inviting.

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Hey there! Thanks for reading - and caring enough to leave your thoughts. Try to be nice, but if you can't, please direct your anger at me and not other commenters :)