Jesse, the Idaho Painter, sounds like the painter from Mr. Blandings. "Right now, it's the grays and whites and we'll probably see that for four to five years." And on the inside, what's popular now is the pure white. "Pure white trim, pure white walls, or a gray, some grays with white trim. It doesn't look so good with a whole lot of colors, but the grays look good if all the trim is all white and then you'll have one gray or two to three other grays." "You want to break it up a shade lighter or a shade darker so it's not all just one color."
Cindy, the Paint Diva of New Jersey, thinks the front door is the focal point, just like the fireplace would be in a room. She sells Benjamin Moore, where the go to wall color is "Briarwood" (a gray-green).
Roofs are warm (white, tan, brown, red) or cold (black, grey, green, blue) and contrasting the wall color makes the roof seem separate. That is, a blue house with red roof will look wrong--the roof floats over nothing, the house, farther away, has no roof.
Wall colors are often suggested by the landscaping, the neighboring homes, the natural setting, or the history of the area. Don't paint a Colonial something odd. Darker colors seem farther away--use that to accent features. "Generally speaking, lighter colors will make a house seem larger." Vertical and horizontal color balance should also be considered--it's a composition.
Talking about regional variances, they group Maine and the "lush green" of the Pacific Northwest, saying that colors there are more muted than in Miami or the southwest desert. "Traditional shades mimic the slight blues, dusty reds, and gray-green tones of serene landscapes." Jesse says look at the houses on either side and across the street.
Using Victorians as an example, they say strong, contrasting colors can emphasize architectural features (like the brackets on Johnson), but a palette of similar colors unifies. Considering my house from the street, I'd say horizontal unity is pretty much assured--I need a palette of similar colors (using a single color looks flat, i.e., it lacks depth). Peggy is right, again.
Jesse talks about a big house that looks gray with white trim; he used three different shades of gray.
Then garage doors--because they're so large, they impact the overall effect. Jesse says go a shade lighter or a shade darker from the wall color.
Front door. Jesse says they're going really vibrant right now. Your lime greens, bright blues, etc. The front door is a place to pick up a particular plant color, or a brick or a rock. Match it or work with it like you would a throw pillow. The Paint Diva says it's about making the front door stand out. The house itself should be neutral, based on is the roof warm or cool. Classic red is fine.
Trim. Jesse uses a color called (he says) "Super White with No Tint." The Paint Diva uses "White Dove."
The Sherwin-Williams video turns to interiors and has some ideas based on the color wheel. They suggest using "Analagous Colors"--two colors next to each other on the wheel, like yellow and orange--for interior contrast. Or Complementary Colors--opposite each other on the wheel.
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| From the Sherwin-Williams video--mentions that the trend is cooler. |
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| Also from Sherwin-Williams: You don't have to stick to beige. I thought the trellis on the ceiling was interesting. |
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