What would you do with this house,? What colors would you choose?

Question

This is cedar siding and we plan to clean and re stain but not sure what tone to use or what to do about the trim, I do not like the brick color but do not want to paint, I would like a trim color to be noticed but not scream at me...

Miss Pooslie · Answer

I would say defiantly do not paint the brick (it looks nice at first but then looks bad after a few years and you can never get it back to the brick). as for the trim, i would get paint chips from your local home store that you like (maybe a buttery yellow, a slate blue, sky blue, sage green--in several brands/shades/cool/warm versions) then stand in the yard, hold them up the the house and see what ones go the best. Since it is a rustic style house, a sage green would probably look real sharp. :)

Marion Nesbitt · Answer

The brick is nice. There is not much contrast between the brick, the cedar and the roof. It makes your home look gloomy. The cedar is the problem as it's between the brick and roof. I would paint the cedar to avoid staining every few years. Maybe a light shade for the cedar, and maybe a cream colour to make the trim pop and to highlight the interesting roof angles. The house is large enough to have another trim colour on some parts in addition to the cream.

Helen Stockwell · Answer

I would get a chestnut and use that

Sandy F · Answer

Why don't you try one of the painting apps or interactive painting?  With a photo of your house, you can 'try on' all kinds of colors and combinations.

Louise Perkins · Answer

Wow what a beautiful house! First problem I see is that your brick and cedar are of two different shades/tones or sides of a color wheel; they clash. I would stain the cedar a more red color to coordinate with the brick.
The trim, plus columns and I see you have some decorative trim above three windows. You may want to add some decorative trim above the windows with the brick facing to balance the visual weight. Include the down hanging parts in the trim work as well. With color for the trim you have two chooses, use mono tones which would be next to the brick color on a color wheel or pick a color that is on the opposite side. The key to picking colors in stay in the same tone value of all colors you apply to the house or any project.
The white glass door frame I would paint it the same as the rest of the door set.
Enjoy the project and make it your home!

Kaseylynne · Answer

Either conform the elements on the outside, or paint all one color to look like they conform. Very unbalanced look. Enlarge windows on the left side.

Bodiedk · Answer

I would stain the ceder a darker color and then decide what trim to use.

Pam Shepard · Answer

There is a stain that will match the brick at Lowes or Home Depot, and I would go with a dark green for the trim. (Our home is a similar style and that's what we did,)

Virginia · Answer

try to take a photo and if you have photo shop play around with colors and tones to see what you would like

Susan Cinelli · Answer

Sage green shutter and flower boxes

Katie · Answer

Hi - There are many trim elements going on. You might consider coordinating and simplifying the trim a little more by removing the pieces that angle off from the centre on the section above the large window on the right as well as all the saw-tooth trim that hangs down from the dormers. You could then think about painting all the trim a soft sage green as @Susan Cinelli suggested. As for the front door, red is great welcoming colour but the shade you've used doesn't POP enough. Consider a very bright cherry red or green in the same family as the trim (but not the same shade). The next time you have to re-shingle your roof, you might consider lighter shingles or variegated colour as the darkness of them has the effect of pushing your home down toward the ground. FInish off with lots of flowers!! :-) The only other suggestion I have would be to consider changing out the red mulch or brick chips you have at the front for for pea gravel or a natural mulch to provide another bit of contrast. You really have a lovely house. All it needs is a little lift. Have fun!

Susan Kutzbach · Answer

I like Susan Cinelli's idea for color. Maybe then do the door in a darker shade of the green

Cheryl Pfirrman · Answer

After you get the paint colors figured out, some landscaping would brighten things up too.

Sandy Moore · Answer

Match with the color in your trees so your house looks like it belongs to your landscape.  I love the color of your brick and would not change it

Linda B · Answer

Linda B   Washington, IA  The color of the brick is hard to put another color with. In the photo it looks like an orange tone. I wouldn't use white on anything. It cheapens the look. You're going to need to consider the roof color too, that could clash. You really should bring home 
 some paint colors to hold up to the walls and roof, to blend colors. You will have 3 colors to consider - the brick, the wood and the roof. Are the small windows on the left on your garage? I don't think they should be changed. The flat front of your house doesn't help the look, but you can't do much there. Some new landscaping would help tremendously. I would plant dwarf size shrubs, some small trees like Japanese Maples in the front of the 2 small windows. They're nice and airy looking. I have a brown stained house with a dark green front door and it's beautiful. Our stone front porch is also a brown tone that blends but stands out. The bottom stone that is about 3 feet high around the house, is painted a darker brown and the trim is the same dark brown. You don't want to get too much difference between the house and the trim or it will stick out too much -- just enough to notice how pretty the two colors look together. Go to a GOOD paint store that know their colors and paints. Some stores even have a decorator to help for free ideas. Best wishes in whatever you decide to do. Have fun with your project and you will love it. I noticed your furniture in white or pink. Dark browns, or Dark greens would be so much better with the color of the wall they are against. I would also change the color of your mulch to dark brown or black. Sometimes it's just changing the little things that make a big difference. If I were you and had the money to do it, I would change the brick color that is hard to match, and leave the upper brown wood as is. Then have a dark green front door, and also still change the furniture and shrubs and mulch. You'll have a new and beautiful house! If you want, I could e-mail you photos of the front of our home. I would only need your e-mail address. I don't know how to add photos here.

Roseann Marsett · Answer

Paint the trim black, add shutters and flower boxes in black also. It sounds gloomy and dark but it actually has the opposite effect. It brightens up the entire rest of the house.

Brenda Heller · Answer

Beautiful house! I hope we get to see the finished product!

Buster Evans · Answer

(well I was in the middle of a post and it vanished)
 I would NOT try to paint or change the brick at all... The wood on the upstairs you could pressure wash and RE-stain back to the same color or a shade or two darker than the original stain. and bring that down to the rest of the wood on the front of the ground floor.
 It has a very earthy feel to it if done right, and would look really nice with the new stain and match the trim with the edge color of the roof and the posts.. Then try to match the front door color with the color of the brick to tie it into the overall scheme.
 Its a beautiful place with a lot of character!

Rosemary Kelly · Answer

Sherwin-Williams has a great color visualizer: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer/# You have a beautiful home! There might be some combinations that you haven't considered. Play around with it. ;)

Ane338002 · Answer

Get some contrast on the trim somewhere

Colleen · Answer

Painting cedar siding can be a pain in the butt. When was the last time the cedar had been staine/painted? I don't like the idea of painting brick, so take a close up px of the brick and select a color from the colors of the brick. If the brick looks 'orangesh' select from a color wheel a complementary color. Black trim will go with just about anything and it has a way of stablizing the eye. Whate ever you do keep us up to date!

Kevin F · Answer

oil stain the cedar just the color they are and maybe use a dark walnut stain for the trim.. this would blend with the roof making it more rustic. A Beautiful Home .... keep it soft yet bold in the trim.

Deborah M · Answer

if you use oil stain you can't use a latex over it

Deborah M · Answer

I would move all the stuff you have on your deck area to your grass area. I would also do a focal point between your 2 big windows

Pam Bolton · Answer

I would a power wash and cleaning of the cedar and trim, followed by a semi-transparent, high-quality stain for the cedar in a light to mid-tone brown.  Paint the trim a warm beige.  Be careful not to use a pinky beige.  Then a teal blue or a dark orange for the front door.  Freshen your landscspe and your porch decor.  Good luck and let us see what you decide.

Jenny@birdsandsoap · Answer

I would choose a shade of green on the siding. Either a dark olive or hunter green stain. Then, I would add shutters flanking the tiny windows that are on the brick walls to bring both materials together. I would also rip out the evergreen bushes along the brick wall to the left. I would construct a large trellis between the two small windows and put a climbing rose in a color that pops. The trellis would add height while breaking up that large, stark looking space to create a focal point and add interest.

Candace Henson · Answer

I would use a gray/olive stain on the cedar. I would not paint the brick. I would add shutters to the small windows in the brick wall. I would paint the door and shutters and trim a burnt umber or dark brown depending on what looks better with the stain on the cedar. I think bigger porch columns and better landscaping. And remove the storm door off the front.

Faith R Georges · Answer

each owners has their own preferences and budget, I'd ditch the ceder siding and replace with a clean creamy off white/gray vinyl. then follow up with painting the brick and update the so-fit with the a lighter color as many people stated before the addition of shutters dark charcoal or blk against the white would make those windows. pop. The two window areas to the far right and in the middle would have a nice stone added to keep the rustic or natural look. then clear the mix match seating and add a porch swing to enjoy the view. if your going all the way do you have a side walk to this side of the house that is easily assess-able for guest? once your access is established you can add a pop of landscape on the curved walk to your front door. New carriage light flanking the front door would be nice if you go with a light color then keep those bronze black tone, add a couple concrete urns on each side of the door for touches of seasonal decorations

Cheryl Newman · Answer

It is tricky to coordinate paint color to brick. I would pick a tan color for the siding, since it looks like the mortar is tan. I would use cream for the trim, and dark green for shutters and front door. I think craftsman style porch columns would look great
There are brick stains you can use if you really don't like the color. They are supposed to be more durable than paint. I used masonry primer on our brick - no paint - and it is holding up very well

Terry.94 · Answer

Confused, is this a front or back of the house? If the back, paint the trim, make a patio, plant some trees, etc. Minimal cost. Front of house - a walkway! planters
The windows do not match or co exist. Different sizes, arrangement is strange, peaks of building do not look like they belong together. Good luck - let us know what you do.

What would you do with this house,? What colors would you choose?

Suggested Project Book

14 Topiary Techniques That Are Insanely Popular This Fall

Other

More

What would you do with this house,? What colors would you choose?

Suggested Project Book