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Friday, December 7, 2012

Decisions, decisions...of the paint variety

My house used to be the only one at my end of the block that's painted a light tan. Now there are three: mine and the houses on either side of me. It looks like everybody who loves tan called each other the night before like middle-schoolers and then bought houses together...or, worse yet, that some weird tan-loving cult has created an urban compound within which to plot nefarious deeds...or even worse, that three dorky families with no sense of style or originality lunkheadedly copied each other's paint schemes.

Well, all that's about to change. I've been wanting a new paint color since the homeowners to the west of me painted their house tan a couple of years ago, but when the owner of the house to the east of me painted his house tan a few weeks ago, my plans moved into high gear. The painters are outside scraping the house as we speak.

Now comes the hard part. I have a roof that appears a soft, muted brown if you're just driving by, but if you stand in the yard and look closely, you'll see that it's a subtle combination of grayish brown with a touch of rusty brown. I want the house to be a dark grayish green with brown undertones. With an orange door. My parents had friends in the mid-1950s with a great mid-century ranch painted those colors, and even as a child, I thought their house was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

Luckily, the door paint wasn't difficult to choose. I'm going with a color called Copper Mountain. But do you know how many dark grayish greens with brown undertones there are on the market? There's Rosemary or Thunderous or Cast Iron or Eclipse; there's Dried Thyme, Messenger Bag, Garden Gate or High Tea. And about a bazillion more.

What will it be? Stay tuned, because these guys work fast!


10 comments:

  1. Dana... I love that Copper Mountain! Is it that color sort of towards the bottom of the pix? I have been thinking I want a green door, but no, I like that orange... Our house is going to be due for a painting soon... It is painted in a shade similar to what you are talking about. I have been trying to decide if I would do it again or go for tan or white haha. I think I would do it again. The Color is called Woodlet 8685D, by Frazee, may be out of business. Here is the chip here http://www.materials-world.com/paint-colors/millennium/millennium-color-34.htm ... probably more Taupe then you want but still a touch of green. Here is the side of our house, the bathroom addition and you can see the color. The trim is standard Oxford Brown. http://www.midcenturymodernremodel.com/2012/09/landscaping-mid-century-modern-home.html
    Sorry for the long comment! :) But it was critical.

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    1. I love your house color. It's just a tad darker than my house is right now, and I think my current color has a little more yellow. I've finally narrowed the search down to two colors, and the painters are going to let me see both of them on the house tomorrow. I'm going with a slightly darker shade on a narrow piece of trim right at the roofline...and the orange door.

      The color at the bottom is the Copper Mountain. It's actually a little darker than it appears on my screen. It's a muted pumpkin orange, with just a little brown in it.

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  2. What a fantastic colour combination; love it!

    Since we will be moving in a couple of years I've decided to be a bit wild with the shutter, door, and trim colours; it should be mauve-lous!

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    1. I've decided that fun-colored doors make the world go 'round. :)

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  3. You will not regret an orange door. It will make you smile whenever you open it. We have a warm almost pumpkiny orange now but we have had a dark green house with a burnt orange/red door. They are fab. Love your colors.

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    1. I loved your orange door in one of your recent posts. I'm looking forward to coming home to something that cheerful. My door is black right now.

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  4. I love the choices...especially the orange!

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    1. I'm really excited about the orange. Choosing that color was easy, because I fell in love with it the minute I saw it.

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  5. Don't you just hate it when everyone else does the SAME THING! Good for you Dana... you're breaking free, lady. I love that! Time to stand out and be different. Watch... in a year everyone will start copying you. HA HA HA HA! Trendsetter!

    I love the colors you chose but don't get me started on how crazy it can make you when choosing. The far out names and slightly different hues can make you pull your hair out. With your great taste I already know how fab it will be. And like everyone here, I have to ask "orange you glad you choose this color?". I'm a big fan of the perfect shade of orange. Can't wait to see the final pictures!

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    1. I mean, seriously, why would anyone paint his house the same color as the one next door? The real irony is that the owner who just painted the tan house to the west of me is the previous owner of MY house. He always regretted moving away from this house, so he just bought the one next door, and I guess he's trying to replicate the house he sold. I kinda feel like he forfeited this color when I moved in, but apparently he doesn't agree.

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