Trees House: Exterior Paint Rationale

Seemingly hundreds of colors, test painting, and two Sherwin-Williams color consultant reviews have led to here. Some kind of gray with Pure White trim will be fine for the sides and back of the house. A light gray, such as Gray Screen, is blinding on the south side--it's practically white.

Green-gray with an accent color

On the front side, we want "color blocking" on the garage and breezeway--everything, including the brick, painted with the same gray color. It will seem a shade or two darker because it's in shadow. Our choice of a gray is bounded: Gray Screen (LRV 59) is way too light, but Web Gray (LRV 13) will be dreary on the front of the house.

Pure White will tie everything together: fascia, soffit, window and door frames. Except--we don't use white trim on the front breezeway and garage doors. White trim on both BR3 windows.

Single Color

Two colors side by side is "odd" in Broadview. I only know of one house that attempts it and it is low-contrast, so I think it was just the result of leaving the old color on some walls.

What color? Regardless of specific shade, we have only a few categories that seem to work (in order of LRV):

Black or near black (Tricorn, Greenblack, Naval, Cyberspace) 3-4
Dark Blue (Salty Dog, Granite Peak) 5-14
Dark Green (Laurel Woods, Pewter Green, Retreat) 12-21
Dark Gray (Web Gray, Homburg Gray) 13-15
Medium Blue (Storm Cloud) 23
Medium Green (Evergreen Fog) 30
Medium Gray (African Gray, Earl Grey) 31-32
~~Light Blue~~ - looks awful!
Light Green
Light Gray (Mineral Deposit, Knitting Needles, Comfort Gray, Gray Screen) 43-59

I considered Glitzy Gold (a SW expert pick!), Moroccan Spice, Porpoise, Canvas Tan, Amazing Gray--all outside my comfort zone.

Black vs. white. Black can work, but I don't think it's right for this little house at the edge of the woods. Very light gray looks good, like the full-sun example at 910 120th, but if you squint it would make Trees House look all white.

Gray vs. green. On the Breezeway, I am seeing African Gray next to Escape Gray. Forget the names: it's green-gray (as in the example above) against battleship gray. The intensity seems right--not too dark, not too light--but I think I lean green.

Evergreen Fog is emerging as the choice. It's one shade darker than Escape Gray (as suggested by the first SW color consultant). It was the 2022 color of the year. One shade even darker (LRV 30 down to 21) would be Dried Thyme, which has the same LRV as Retreat.

Evergreen Fog (LRV 30)

Dried Thyme (LRV 21) one shade darker than Evergreen Fog

Retreat (LRV 21) (Note: fake grass gives green tinge)

Hero Corner

This leaves what I'm calling the "hero corner"--the main house from breezeway around to the brick at the living room window. I want that to contrast with the gray. I considered Tricorn Black (LRV 3). It's edgy, as hoped, referencing Shou Sugi Ban, or burnt cedar siding used in Japan. The problem is standing on the porch surrounded by black. Even with a Pure White door and white door and window trim, I think it will feel gloomy. I mocked up using black with the dining room wall a light accent color, but that just seems too busy.

Hero corner: Laurel Woods; House: Earl Grey; Door: Down Pour

The dark blue on the lower part of the house now seems somewhere between Storm Cloud (LRV 23) and Granite Peak (LRV 14). The blue seems even darker on the south side, in the sun. LRV more like Cloak Gray (LRV 11) or Grays Harbor (LRV 12). This suggests that the hero corner color--the house accent color--can have an LRV between 16 and 20 without seeming impossibly dark. Lighter than 20 and the gray part will seem darker, which will draw attention to the garage.

Hero corner: Sea Serpent; House: Earl Grey; Door: Daisy

Possible accent colors are blue, green, or neutral. I think neutral colors (such as Peppercorn) will conflict, rather than be set off by, the gray house. Blues include Sea Serpent (LRV 7), Salty Dog (LRV 5), Naval (LRV 4). Greens include Greenblack (LRV 4), Laurel Woods (LRV 6), Isle of Pines (LRV 8), Pewter Green (LRV 12), Cilantro (LRV 14), Dried Thyme (LRV 21), Retreat (LRV 21).

Hero corner: Cilantro; House: African Gray; Door: Daisy

I analyzed SW grays and created a table in order to find one in the LRV 21 to 33 range. (Acier, already on the east garage wall, is LRV 32.) Earl Grey (LRV 32) is light and cool, with charcoal and green undertones. Classic French Gray (LRV 24) is warm and was recommended by the SW color consultant. And African Gray (LRV 31) is the most neutral gray I've found. I considered those tiny samples on different walls on a sunny day.