Last week, I helped a client with exterior paint colors for her very cute house. While I did not take pictures of her house (sorry, sometimes, I get so busy with the task at hand I forget to snap a picture), we did come up with a beautiful schedule.
The house is a ranch style combination of brick and sliding. Also, the front door is set back into a covered area. The current dark color on her front door makes the entire entry way blend into the house and go completely away.
To make things even more interesting, the client has a bit of a dilemma - she really wants to paint the entire house (brick and siding), but it's cost prohibitive at the moment. The siding and shutters are in need of painting, so they must be done now. Also, her brick is a bit tricky. It tends to make any beige/neutral turn peachy.
So, we came up a plan she could implement in stages. First, we selected a color for the siding and shutters. We selected colors that work with the brick color but could be used (at a later date) as a whole house color, should she decide to paint the brick.
For the siding, we pulled BM - Sag Harbor Grey. It has just enough grey to hold it's own next to the brick (no peachy here!).
For the shutters, BM - Dragon's Breath. It's one of my favorite go to colors for shutters. It is dark, but yet soft and sophisticated. Just perfect for most applications where you need a black. Also, in our case, the roof has a lot of brown, so a stark black (like BM Black Jack) would not have worked.
Lastly, we selected a bright fun color for her front door. Yelp. That would be yellow. This will brighten up the dark covered area and draw your eye to the entryway of her home (which, btw, is lovely and should be highlighted).
BM - Sunbeam
Now, I know what you're thinking?! Don't be afraid. What sounds crazy, does not look crazy. I promise. Here are a few inspiration images to give you the idea.
This is very modern home which looks nothing like my client's house; but the front door is set back in a dark alcove like that of my client's. Notice how the bright color works to lighten that spot and makes the front door pop. This is the idea.
Here is another example of a front door that gets lost without a pop of color. Yellow does the trick to instantly make it the focal point.
I'm not suggesting that every house needs a yellow door. But in some cases, it's just what the doctor ordered. Especially, if you want to make a house sing! M.
