Duuude. We painted our house. Clarification: we painted a few tiny test swatches. The creamy color wasn’t exactly hurting our eyes, but there are a few gorgeous homes in our neighborhood with gray hardboard siding + brick and we love the look, so we decided to give a few swatches a try. Having such a light creamy color on the hardboard siding (it’s solid wood) and all of the trim isn’t doing the trim any favors (it’s not popping at all since it’s all the same color). And the pairing of the light cream with the darker richer brick is sort of jarring – like it’s two houses. So we thought by going with a more mid-toned color (but not reddy-brown since that would be too much of a good brick thing) it might feel more cohesive. Like one unified house instead of a brick house with a big cream box in the middle.
First we held up around 25 swatches and picked three that we thought looked the best next to the brick (which has some pretty great gray undertones – especially in the mortar). Then we got three two dolla (holla!) paint pots from Lowe’s and made three test squares (right above the brick part of the house so we can see how things look when they touch). Note: why yes I did wear my shirt inside out when painting them, thankyouverymuch.
The winner?
The guy on the right. You can see from the photo above that it’s a warm taupey gray. So it shares a lot of undertones with the brick. We feel especially confident about how compatible it’ll be since it’s nearly the same color as the mortar.
It’s Flagstone by Martha Stewart, which we’ll get color matched to some sort of high quality exterior paint – hopefully with some built-in primer (more deets on that when we actually pick up the paint and pin down what brand/type it’ll be). As for the one in the middle, that’s Mushroom by Martha (which we thought was too dark), and the one on the left is Bedford Gray also by Martha (which we thought was too icy and blue).
Of course the photos aren’t the same as the real life effect, but we love the guy on the right because it’s not too icy/cool/light and it’s not too dark. Don’t get us wrong – we love a dark house (with white trim that pops = amazing) but we thought a mid-tone would look best with our black roof, existing brick, yellow door, and the bright white trim that we’ll be adding (black roof + dark gray house = too dark for our little ranch). So we hope our pick is a nice balance of not-too-dark-and-not-too-light (the roof can be the dark element and the white trim can be the light one). Here’s a poorly photoshopped version of the last pic to give you an idea of where we’re hopefully headed:
Speaking of the to-be-white trim, it’s actually really out of order of us to test paint on the house because we still need to demo out the scallops on the porch and paint the trim (painting the hardboard and then demoing the scallops could lead to some paint damage that we’d then have to retouch). So although we’ve pinned down our paint winner, we hope to move on to scallop-demo and then we’ll get to painting the hardboard gray and the trim white (along with framing out the curvy columns to make them look chunky and square like our future scallop-less header).
Hope we can tackle that before it gets too cold for exterior painting (especially since we’re also juggling the kitchen redo). Oh man, but can’t you just picture our happy yellow door with white trim and gray hardboard with that gray-undertoned brick? Hope it’s as lovely in real life as it is in my mind. If not… guess I’ll be repainting (we have gallons of the current colored house paint in the basement).
In the meantime, have you guys painted the trim or the siding of your house? Did you do the whole paint-a-few-test-swatches thing beforehand? Were you nervous? It’s amazing how not nervous I am. Usually I’m indecisive and happy to wait a while while thinking things over, but this time I’m all over it. Seriously, can’t wait. So here’s hoping the colder weather + the kitchen don’t make this a spring project. Come on fall, hold out for a while longer!
beckie says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!! :) Best of luck and hopefully you can get it done before its reallly cold! The color on the right was my fave too.
mike @ the lil house that could says
I’m digging that blue, too. It picks up the gray in the brick…. Butttt I grew up with a blue house like that and it got old very quickly.
+1 for the guy on the right!
Libby says
I love the flagstone! The mushroom might be one for us to try in a sunny room… we have grey in our living room, but it’s very light.
PS – thank you for teaching me about a kitchen working triangle. It makes so much dang sense. Now as I’m looking for a new home, it’s probably the one thing I look for (I’m not as gutsy as you guys with busting out all of our cabinets!). You rule.
DAVE K says
Love that in the midst of a full kitchen remodel, you guys decide to paint your home! I also love that I can now say “well the younghouselove couple are doing _____ & _____ at the same time” when my wife thinks I am crazy for tackling too many projects at once! Thanks again for making me feel sane!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, when you put it that way – maybe we’re all insane! Haha. But we’re in good company!
xo,
s
Thad says
We are definitely going to have to repaint our new place … it is a doozy of a color that the contractors hired by the bank used! (Photo here) But, that is going to be awhile before we get to that … too many inside things to do!
And, I beat the wife commenting … score one for the men!
Jill says
haha – no you didn’t sweetie! ;)
miriam says
Wow, you guys don’t miss a beat! If I had an exterior painting job AND a kitchen reno on my plate at once, I think I’d curl up in a corner and cry. The color is great, though– I love gray with brick. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Mary A says
I think it will look great. Have you considered adding a full view storm door to your current door? It’s one of the best things we ever did. It lets in tons of light and shields the front door from the elements. We keep it open all day long.
YoungHouseLove says
Always a possibility down the line! We get lots of light from the huge picture window, and we like how simple the yellow door is without a frame around it- but you never know!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Oh wow, you guys don’t have too much to paint though. Will you be painting the shutters or leaving them black?
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll have to wait to see how it all looks. The black might tie into the gray siding and look good, or we might want to go gray (or a darker charcoal) on the shutters.
xo,
s
kbn says
We looked at a lot of books, pictures, etc. of colonial color schemes before picking our colors. In the end, we picked a pre-organized color scheme card at Lowe’s. It turned out great. Our house is primarily brick plus some wood, so the bright colors weren’t overwhelming (flax yellow & artichoke green). We did not do test swatches beforehand – we trusted the card. But I still really wish I had the guts to do the pumpkin orange I saw in a book – love that pumpkin orange/sky blue door combo!
Love the gray you picked – it’s gonna look great w/that bright yellow door and brick.
Ashley @ Lewis in Love says
That’s going to look AMAZING. I love the grey/yellow combo.
Chrissie says
Cute! You’re right, the grey balances the red brick nicely :-)
No outdoor painting going on here (or anything else for that matter – with less than three months to go it’s all systems wedding at the moment) but we have bought caulk to reseal our window frames.
We just have plain aluminium frames, so I’m also planning to paint those and mock up faux window frames to go with the cottagey feel of our house. I can’t wait to see how your white trim comes out!
Erin says
It’s going to be gorgeous! On the outside AND the inside! Go, Energizer Bunnies!
waterlooheather says
Hey guys,
Definitely love your choice of colour based on the three you chose. Wondering if you should go a shade darker. You know Sarah Richardson always says to go darker for exterior paints because they get so washed out by sunlight etc.
I think you’re crazy painting the exterior of your house in the middle of a kitchen reno, but I’m jealous that you’re weather will allow it. I want to change the exterior colours of our house too, but it’ll have to wait until spring up here in chilly Canada!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! We figure since we’re starting with such a small area (just the rectangle over the porch) we can always go darker or change something if we don’t like how it looks when we’re done! It’s pretty dark in person so we hope it’ll be just right!
xo,
s
Harinee says
So you’re not planning to paint the back of the house then?
YoungHouseLove says
Just in the next phase (probably can’t get that done until spring at the earliest). Eventually the whole house will be gray and brick with white trim!
xo,
s
annabelvita says
When I was in holland recently I noticed a lot of the windows had black frames and then white trim (like this http://annabelvita.com/looking-pretty-trim) it really made the windows pop and I think having grey siding and white trim will do the same for your windows!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo,
s
Micha says
We -need- to paint our house’s exterior and your post is making it worse …aaaaah! *L* Absolutely agree on the grey you chose; it’s perfect with the brick and against the trim and yellow door!
Mel says
I love gray homes….I think the color choice is perfect. And don’t even get me started on how much I love gray and yellow together.
jess says
Love the color choice! That was my choice too, haha! We are planning on painting the brick on house next Spring, most likely. Winter is hard on a house and I want the paint to cure up good and it’s so exposed to the elements in winter. We’re thinking Dover Gray by Porter Paints but it’s time I start exploring darker grays, like I’ve been dying to do…
Allyn says
We live in a neighborhood with a lot of ranch style homes, and so many people have started to really fix them up. My favorite ones tend to be the grey ones, partially because I’m obsessed with that color I’m sure.
Ours is a rental, so no painting the outside for us. Instead, I’ve painted just about every room inside. The neon salmon/peach walls in the kitchen just weren’t quite us. Weird, huh.
Reenie says
Holy Cow ~ I didn’t realize that you were even thinking about painting the exterior. Is there that much wood to paint. Love the color choice with your brick and yeller door =)
YoungHouseLove says
The entire back of the house is hardboard siding, but that will have to wait. We figure we’ll do things in stages with the front of the house being the first stage (since you can’t see the sides or the back from the street very easily).
xo,
s
Amanda says
I’m a total grellow fan, so you had me at “gray!” Can’t wait to see the finished product – although I’m going to have to agree with everyone about tackling that AND the kitchen at once as being potentially challenging!
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
who needs sleep or warmth for projects right? All in the name of house beauty! lol. Best of luck!
Corie says
I’m impressed! We moved into our house (also a rancher) four years ago and the FIRST thing I said we were going to do was paint the exterior. And we’ve “started” the process by power-washing (2x) and sanding, we bought primer and brushes and all…. and nothing. We don’t even know what color we’re really going to go with yet!! But we’ve painted all of the interior rooms 2-3 times each! It just seems like SUCH a HUGE project, I’m scared to start, scared it’ll rain halfway through and we’ll stall, scared we’ll mess it up and make it worse (even though “worse” might not be possible, it’s pretty ugly out there! :))
So, good for you guys! Sherry, just go out and do it while John works on the kitchen, he won’t mind! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, if only one of us didn’t have a 1.5 year old to watch! Haha. These days we can usually only work while the other person is Clara-watching. Except for at night when she’s in bed but it’s too dark for outside stuff then!
xo,
s
Holly@Loveoflifeblog says
I would have actually never thought of that color but it looks really great. Good job on coordinating it to match the brick undertones! Makes hte yellow door pop even more!
Jessika says
Wow! Great color choice! I agree– better than the bright cream. Our home currently sports a light creamy/mustardy yellow, and the trim/garage door/shutters are almost the same color. Hate it. We’re thinking blue/white trim/gray shutters. But here, the rains have already begun, so it’s a summer 2012 project for us. Whomp whomp. :( Price of living in the Pacific NW.
Sandi says
We started to paint our house then stopped half way because it started getting too hot in the south for paint and never finished it up. Our poor neighbors! Our bricks have a pinkish ton to them (UGLY) and the house was also painted pink it was like a pepto accident. So we choose a bold dark blue and went with Valspar outdoor paint w/weather resistance (it’s suppose to guarantee not having to paint as often using regular paint).
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the Valspar outdoor paint tip! We’ll have to look into it!
xo,
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Love this decision! I also love the gray with the yellow door. Really lovin’ that color combo right now. Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Come on Fall weather….stay a little longer please!!! ;)
Katrina says
Most people have dedicated painting clothes. You have taken it to a whole new level of wearing your painting clothes inside out!
I like the addition of the second light in your photoshopped version to balance out the door. And that color was definitely the best of the three – it’s amazing how different lighting situations can change paint colors!
Larissa says
You guys totally threw me for a loop with this one! But looking at the front of your house there really isn’t that much to paint, is there? Is it just that siding we see on the porch? That’s just a Clara-nap project for hardcore DIYers like you!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, just the siding on the porch, but we might have to sand/powerwash things and then prime and paint (after knocking out the scallops as I mentioned) along with painting the trim so it might be pretty involved! Sadly more than a Clara nap or two!
xo,
s
Ade@FortheLoveofPainting says
Wow…I can’t believe you are thinking about painting your house! This is why I love your blog…totally un-expected! Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Ashley says
Wow, we are doing the same exact thing right now:) only our door will be red. Im still battling which shade of grey is perfect next to our brick. Not only will we have the same countertops but the same exterior hahah.
Leah says
There’s a house in my neighborhood that i run by everyday that is half brick and half siding (a raised ranch)– they painted the siding gray and it looks awesome. (they also have bright white trim, but their front door is black.) Great choice!
YoungHouseLove says
Yay! Love hearing that!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
We painted our house last year (aluminum siding). We should have done the test pot thing! We picked a color from Duron called pony tail, which we thought was a nice beige neutral color, only to discover that it was much warmer and had an orange-yellow vibe going on. It wasn’t what either of us expected. But at $300, we decided to live with it. We added some red shutters to play off the warmness, and we both liked it much more.
One thing is for sure, with exterior paint, spend the extra money and look the other way with the VOC. We are green folk too, but with the influence of weather–we wanted something that would stay put. We did it a year ago and it is still perfect (less the spider webs we need to clean off!!
partyofsix says
It’s going to look wonderful. Your color choice looks great, though I do love that Mushroom color–can you use it on the planters flanking the door? I think something other than white (it’s too matchy matchy with the trim) might be nice. Just a thought.
Were you going to stain the concrete on the porch? Or lay a new layer of bluestone or slate across the whole porch?
And WOWZA, love what you picked out for your garage/addition. That’s fantastic and suits the house/lot!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I was thinking about going navy or even that mushroom color on those planters! As for the concrete on the porch, we do have plans to stain it (probably a deep mushroom color or even something with a tiny of blue like bluestone- so funny you mentioned that!
xo,
s
Criss says
I love the color choice, and you guys have turned me on to the gray/yellow/grellow trend, but do you think the exterior will be too matchy-match with your interior colors (especially your office)? My first thought would be to go with something complementary to gray instead. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
YoungHouseLove says
We just want to use the color that works the best with the exterior bricks and ties things together outside. And due to the mortar and the undertones we think it’s the best possible color for the exterior (we also love other gray and brick homes in our neighborhood, which helps us picture it). All of the colors inside of our house are layered (we have a teal guest room with a green headboard and a yellow rug and a greeny-blue bedroom and dark teal built-ins and colorful curtains and rugs and accessories and light pink walls in Clara’s room and soft gray walls in the dining room/living room/hallway and a grellow kitchen) so the mid-tone gray + brick + yellow door outside will stand on their own I think!
xo,
s
Suzanne says
I love the color! Hope you find the time and energy. This made me wonder if you ever found John a Weed Dragon one of those flamers things for the weeds? I just saw one at Walmart.com and thought about ya! LOL (ssshhhh – Christmas present idea?)
YoungHouseLove says
Haven’t picked one up yet but we actually have zero weeds in the driveway now. Not sure if they died back from the cold snaps that we’ve been getting or if I finally pulled them out well enough at the root to keep them at bay. We’ll have to see come spring how things go!
xo,
s
April says
Looove the paint color! My lower kitchen cabinets are painted Flagstone! Great color!
Elizabeth - DIY Theory says
We just finished having the exterior of our house painted (2 story house on a slightly sloped lot = no ladder climbing for me). I’ve never been more indecisive about anything before. We had 12 swatches at one point on our house (it was a really icky yellow pinky brown color before) and we wanted a gray brown since our roof and bricks were all in the brown family. We went with Eagle Rock by Benjmain Moore. I LOVE IT!
http://diytheory.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/happy-dance/
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous color choice! I love it.
xo,
s
MrsB says
I put up about 15 swatches – some I had to buy a quart of paint ( am thinking of dumping ALL in 5 gallon bucket and paint basement)….all shades of gray.
Ended up with something called Cyber Gray from Sherwin Williams with Super White trim, black ( with a touch of dark green thrown in) shutters and my beloved RED front door. The house was built in 1957 and has cedar shakes that have been painted a million times. It now looks kind of New Englandy in this southern town – but I love it – it sits up on the site, a large willow tree on this corner lot – when I describe the house to folks trying to find me – they know exactly where I am. I like that.
Nancy says
I love it! I love gray. Love it with yellow. Love it with red. Love it. Love it. Love it.
I realize this is your job, but honestly, don’t you all ever get tired?! I covet your energy and gumption!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- yes! I’m pretty tired right now actually. Haha. But I think we get hyper laying in bed plotting our next move. I just can’t get over how exciting it’s going to be to paint the exterior of a house since I only painted the door and shutters and porch of our last one!
xo,
s
Jenn @My Southwestern Life says
Wow! I LOVE the gray. It makes your house look so much more modern.
It’s so funny that you guys just made this post about getting your house painted, because I am getting mine painted this weekend! We live in a 1982 stucco ranch house in Arizona. It’s currently white with light gray trim and a light gray roof. We’re getting it painted a warm taupe with white trim and a plum front door!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good luck! I bet it’s going to be a huge difference!
xo,
s
Lindsay L. says
Ohmygoodness that last picture had me thinking that it was your new vision for what you wanted your house to look like in the future. As in, turn your house into that house. And then I read the paragraph! The gray will look awesome!
Kelly Gross says
Awesome- I love yellow and grey together. You can put it almost anywhere- I never thought about outside!
Justine Wicks says
I love the color scheme! We are currently in the process of picking colors for your house too! (Unfortunately it snowed here yesterday which may put a hold on things until spring!) We are thinking of keeping our main house color creamy yellow and painting our doors navy blue:)
Seriously Sassy Mama says
Gray with yellow. Such a great color combo!
Sarah says
I picked my fave before I scrolled down, and I picked the one y’all picked! I def think it’s going to look awesome – and not just because it was my favorite too. Although, I think it may turn out out a tad lighter than the artist’s photoshop rendering…
Maureen @ This (Kinda) Old House says
I love grey houses also. If we ever can change out our siding, that’s the color we will be choosing. And with a yellow door??? LOVE. Can’t wait to see it done! And some more kitchen updates. :)
Angela L says
This is very helpful! I need to paint my den, which has a brick floor, and I’ve been at a loss to figure out which color scheme to go with. Grey seems like a good idea!
Jennifer says
Too funny. I was JUST talking to hubby about changing up the colors of our red brick ranch. And the color I was trying to convince him of is gray!
We bought the house from his parents who had a very cute tan, blue & brick color scheme going on…but there is some wear on the stucco that covers our block foundation and we have to repaint anyway. Plus, we’re replacing our original windows with white vinyl ones…so I like the idea of white trim too!
Can’t wait to see it done!
Lynds says
We recently painted our little dc row house and used Benjamin Moore Aura paint, it’s amazing! Def recommend you check it out. We had to have painters do it because we were on a really tight schedule and of the 5 companies we got quotes from 3 would only use BM Aura and 1 highly recommend it. Our local paint store turned us on to it. It’s a little pricy but well worth it. Our house looks amazing.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- thanks for the tip! So funny tat three out of five painters would only use it! That’s saying something!
xo,
s
Kristen @ My Covered Bridge says
It’s a great color – I just painted my dining room Martha Stewart Flagsone a couple of months ago and I love it!
http://mycoveredbridge.blogspot.com/2011/08/dining-room-progress.html
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh so pretty!
xo,
s