Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Color Struggle

Well there is not much new to report. I mean, there is a TON going on...much nothing that has evolved enough to really confirm in this "super-official" blog. But, I guess I will fill you in on some things that we're working on....even though they are all subject to change!

COLORS---you might think that this is the part that would excite me the most...or even the part that I might be good at. It's true, I LOVE colors. I have always lived for the brighter side of life--which, in my little world, involves colors. It would seem to be the softer, friendlier side of a construction project. Well, this all SOUNDS great but the truth of the matter is...colors and I, well we have a love/hate relationship. I think it's my problem though, you see, I have trouble committing. Yep, me, the one who knows what I want and almost always finds a way to get it. Some might call this Bratty. Me, I prefer to call it Driven. :) Regardless of what you call it...the problem is that this little character trait of mine is flawed when it comes to COLORS. We're talking mostly exterior now. (Interior, also a difficult decision but much easier to change so I am not worrying about it yet.) But exterior colors are sooo permanent. Especially because now we are back to thinking that we might have to put siding up over the old wood. I know, I know I bragged all the way up and down this blog about us saving the original wood. But...I guess I bragged too soon because now there is about a 75% chance that it's not going to be possible. So, we're looking at cement board siding--thus, the color we choose is even that much more important because it has like a 25 year warranty on it. Which means that we'd be crazy to paint for 25 years! So as you can imagine I am freaking out thinking "holy cow I have to live in the same color house until I am 56 and a half??" Ok, ok, so we could paint over the siding if we wanted to and just forfeit the warranty. That's always an option...and the warranty might actually be more like 15 years instead of 25. Those are little details that I don't pay much attention to at this time because to me, even 15 years sounds like an eternity.

Ok, you must be thinking--"Abby, get to the point already!" So here it goes. Currently (when I say currently I mean THIS WEEK) we are leaning towards siding the house in a color called Iron Gray. (it actually looks like a very dark navy/slate color.) The trim would then be a khaki color, black shutters, and a mustard (or what I like to call "curry") colored front door---just to give it a little PUNCH!

You see, I am not telling you the whole truth here. It's not that I didn't have any clue as to what colors I wanted. I knew exactly what I didn't want. (which was also a problem for a while because the only thing I didn't want was White.....which of course was Taylor's first choice.) But now we have come to agree that a dark color will look best on the house--especially if we have to put siding on. We feel that the siding looks most like authentic wood if it is in a dark color. So there, that narrowed it down quite a bit. And, then, if you look around our new neighborhood you would see that some beautiful dark colors have already been used. So...by process of elimination--a dark navy or slate color is probably our best option. Also....I am quite easily influenced and respect the opinions of experienced individuals and both my mother-in-law and her friend Judy think dark gray with black shutters would look good (and it was them who gave me the idea of the mustard door--which I have now stolen and call "curry" just to put my own spin on it!) But Taylor and I think that maybe the khaki trim would be a nice compliment, just to freshen up the look a little bit. But you see, we've never painted a house before so we don't really know what is going to look good. And it's not like we can test drive a color (especially a siding color.) So...we might just close our eyes and J.U.M.P.!! and hope that the color turns out!!

So I don't really have pictures of the complete vision, but I am showing you a couple pictures of our current inspiration. The town house picture is new construction in downtown G.R. and it is sided with James Hardie fiber cement board (which is the product we would use.) The color is Iron Gray so it gives you a good idea of the base color we are leaning towards. However, the picture doesn't represent it perfectly. In real life the trim is olive and the windows are a dark red vinyl window. Again, we would do khaki trim, black shutters and a curry colored door.




The other picture is a little shop in Saugatuck. It is a wood structure and it painted a similar color but has a little more navy in it. The trim is a light khaki and the shutters and door are like a faded olive.
So...any thoughts? I would love some feedback. Don't be offended if I don't take your suggestions. I like to gather up all of my options before making a decision...but just know ideas ARE appreciated! This is the current question. Will the curry door and the khaki trim look ok together? I think the Iron Gray house with Black shutters and a Curry door would look great. And I also think that a Iron Gray house with Black shutters and Khaki trim would look great. But will they all look great together? And then the next question is what color should the garage door be??? Black or Khaki?? Oh brother!
One more quick thing---the James Hardie siding would be a 5" reveal which is exactly what the wood siding on the house is now...so it really would still keep the character of the original 1865 home. Hmmm...I wonder if I just wrote that to reassure you---or myself?? (I am not sold on the idea of siding. But I am told it is probably our best and most practical and energy efficient option.) I think this whole discussion deserves another "OH BROTHER!"

6 comments:

  1. I love, love the siding color- love it! I'm wondering if maybe you would want to go with a lighter shutter color? Like something more neutral. It's hard to picture a curry door- maybe you could post the color! Love your ideas!

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  2. I love the darker of the two pics you posted (the shop in Saugatuck). I love the darker siding with the khaki trim. But the more gray siding looked good, too. I think the curry door would look better with the darker siding... and I definitely think khaki for the garage door. :) You asked for opinions! Here are mine. But undoubtedly anything you choose will look fantastic. You have style oozing out of you!

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  3. I love the idea of black shutters, khaki trim, iron gray siding, and the curry door! LOVE that idea. I think it would look great. I especially love the pop of color on the door and the black shutters. It sounds really classy but with a unique twist!

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  4. im a little too obsessed with color too so i went back and inspected the pics again! i also like the darker siding and agree that the curry door would look even better with that! i think the garage door should be black since the garage will prob also have khaki trim on it anyway right? then the black shutters will make even more sense. ok i'm done!

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  5. This is a comment for your noncommital side. The shutters and door can change color easily! As long as you can live with your siding and trim color, you are going to be fine.

    Regarding the garage door - Isn't there something about contrasting colors attracting attention to the space? I think your choice should take into consideration how much attention you want your garage door to have and also whether it and the front door are visible together. Traditionally, one focal point visible from any angle is ideal.

    This is just mho. We painted our 1885 Greek Revival farmhouse this summer and it is all fresh in my mind. I talked to Sherwin Williams. Bought sample paints. Painted color combinations all over the back and side of the house. And still changed my mind when the professionals started putting paint up. Luckily I was committed to the side and trim - it was accent I had trouble with! Anyhoo, because it was the accent color they didn't quit.

    Good Luck with your color choices!

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  6. Consider using Hardie siding products for your home. They can help you save money, time and reduce your need for maintenance throughout the years. See more http://sidingincalgary.com/hardie-siding.html

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