My clients, a young family referred by another much-loved client, had lived here for a couple years. The roof was relatively new and would not be changed any time soon. Oh, how I wish the previous owners had made a better selection for roofing material! But, you see the color they chose for the body of the house, as well. Clearly there should have been a Color Intervention.
But anyway....this is what we had to work with!
A green roof really ruled out most other "color colors" so we looked toward neutrals. And I figured I'd turn up the fun with a little accent color in just the right places. We also decided to get rid of the shutters since they were really just decorative add-ons, and sometimes less is more. (My advice is usually to take stuff down--window treatments, shutters, extra details--and see if you miss them. More often that not, clients prefer a cleaner result.) So, here's the after shot, taken on this glorious October day! We chose a stately gray, Gauntlet Gray 7019 from Sherwin-Williams, to be exact. The trim is Sherwin-Williams Pearly White 7009, a warm gray with a lot of tone. You really don't want to use a bright white for exterior trim as it almost always looks artificial and just too stark against most house colors. Notice how I also specified a darker color for the foundation, to help the house feel grounded. (And, yes...scroll back up for a second and check out the yellow foundation on the before pic! Someone had actually painted the pointing darker! Eeek!!)
We accented the porches with a soft teal, to play nicely with the green roof and added some cooling greenish blue to the porch ceilings. That second-story porch is one of my favorite things about this charming house! I hope my clients have many happy and peaceful moments sitting out there on a breezy day!
