First of all, can I just say a great big THANK YOU for all of your help and input on what color we should paint the new house? Y’all are awesome. I love how passionate you guys are about your opinions, and you definitely gave me plenty of great options to consider. Between here and social media, I had somewhere around 400 responses, so suffice it to say that I have NOT gone through all of them to calculate a percentage for each, but I did read every one, and if I had to guess, I’d say that the order of preference went something like:

1. Greige

2. White

3. Teal (although, interestingly, depending on which post was being commented on and which social media was being used, this was the MOST popular choice).

Not too surprising, I suppose.

I know I’m in the minority with my love for deep, saturated colors, and I honestly don’t think that there’s a bad color among them.

HOWEVER.

I could tell that some of you were considering the color as it would look on what you know of our new house’s silhouette, and some of you were voting based on which house you liked best of the 3 that I featured as examples of the colors I was considering.

So!

I thought it might be fun to show you all three options in the home designer program we use (which is called Home Designer Suite for all of you who have asked, by the way).

In order of y’alls preferred color schemes:

1. Greige

greige

We use the cheaper version of the program, which won’t let you do more custom details like changing the roof of the porch only to metal or changing the upper portion of those gables to a shingled siding or making the board and batten more widely spaced, but all of those will be the case, if you can squint a little and imagine that.

So, my thoughts on this version: I like it. Obviously, the colors in the program are a little cartoonish/flat, so I can imagine the contrast of the minty door plus the stained shutters popping so much more vibrantly against the neutral background. It doesn’t make my heart sing, though. Not saying that that couldn’t change with a little tweaking, but this one isn’t doing it for me at this point.

2. White

white1

Several of you suggested using the teal on the door of the white version, and…while I don’t think the colors are quite right in this version (I didn’t spend a long time obsessing over getting just the right shade), I was surprised to discover that I didn’t dislike the white on such a large scale. I mean, I love white houses, but I really didn’t think it would work on the size/shape of our house, but…I don’t mind it. My main objection is that I love trim, and the trim just doesn’t contrast enough against the white. Again, that could probably be fixed if I absolutely nailed the color choices, but…I’m not completely sold.

3. Teal

teal

The first time I saw this in the house program, I cheered. I know it’s too much for, well, most people, but it just made me happy. Our trim will have a farmhouse silhouette (so slightly layered and chunkier at the top and bottom), and I love how much it would pop against the dark color.

Y’all did raise a couple of good points that I’ve been mulling over, and here they are:

1) What about fading? Honestly, our current house color is at least as dark as the Riverway color we’re considering. We painted the first part almost 8 years ago when we first built, and then we added on a section about 5 years ago. Shaun claims that he can see a difference between the two (because the paint of the first section has faded a bit), but it’s certainly not anything you would notice unless you stand back and swivel your head from side to side between the two under close scrutiny. All that to say that I’m not too worried about fading.

2) Won’t you get sick of such a trendy color? This one made me smile. It never occurred to me that this was a trendy color. In fact, its deep blue/gray/green seemed–if not conventional–somewhat classic, at least to a color lover like me. I didn’t feel like I picked it because I had seen it around a lot (I actually had never seen a house this color until I realized that I had chosen the swatch twice at Lowe’s and came home to see if Google could show me what it actually looked like on a house). Also, we won’t have any other houses near enough to us to compare or annoy, so as long as I don’t get sick of it (could happen, who knows?), it won’t matter.

I do have ONE BIG PROBLEM with the teal, though. The house of my dreams has shutters like these:

shutters

Clearly, Ashley’s house was a major inspiration for the greige + shutters option that I’m considering (actually, her house is a major inspiration, period; she’s so talented).

But back to the problem: if I have shutters, I do not want the door to be the same color. It’s too matchy-matchy for me. HOWEVER, with such a saturated house color, I think that the door needs to be at least somewhat subdued, without completely disappearing into the exterior since it will be recessed beneath a deep porch. At first, I thought a subdued coral. But that would only work (in my mind) for a single entry door, and I am drawn, more and more, to double front doors–especially on a house of this scale (when a single door might end up feeling a wee bit puny, even with window lights + trim surrounding it).

And I can’t quite get okay with the concept of big stately painted French entryway doors–especially when the ones that we’re considering buying are SO pretty in their natural wood state.

Which leaves me with a WHOLE lot of stained, coordinating wood if I stick with my stained shutters.

See the problem?

Argh. I’ve gone around and around and around on this one.

The more neutral colors that would allow me to have my shutters + a brightly colored door (if I so choose) are all just a little “meh” (at least to me). But then I see my beloved deep teal, and I can’t figure out how to configure my accents so that it’s not just a whole bunch of blue and brown (which is potentially too country for the look that I want).

Suffice it to say that I have not yet fully decided on the perfect combination of elements to create an exterior that does, indeed, make my heart sing.

After seeing the mock-ups in the house program, do you have any further thoughts?
I’m not used to feeling so stumped about such things, since I usually know what I like, whether it jives with anyone else’s preference or not. Perhaps the problem here is that I know a little TOO well what I like and can’t seem to force all of my preferences into harmony with one another.

Hmph.

0 Comments

  1. Our guest room is gray, yellow and teal, but a bit brighter teal. So if you paint the house gray, you could paint the door teal (if you can stand to do that over staining it). Then do the natural shutters and pick a wood with yellow under tones.

  2. Ok love your blog…we just built a large farmhouse and painted it all Alabaster white from SW. We used cedar shutters similar to your photo. The roof is a standing seam metal roof with black gutters to help trim it out. The front door is 3/4 glass and painted black. We also used black goose neck barn light fixtures. So my vote is white with the look and size of it. Use a pop of color on the door and porch accessories. I love everything you do so it will turn out gorg regardless of my opinion 😉

  3. The teal! It is amazing, and it would bring a smile to my face every time I came home if I lived there. It seems to fit your personality better too!

  4. I’m from Massachusetts (though I haven’t lived there in years) and for me the white needs to have black shutters and probably front door, too. Yup I’m pretty traditional. I’m definitely having trouble with your wood shutters. With all that in mind I’m still going with the griege. It is soothing. Although the teal is now coming up second Since you have covered the fading problem.

  5. I look at your color scheme as though it were a Victorian house (I know it’s not, but the coloring and the lines make it seem Victorian-ish). So I think 3 varying colors is the norm for those types of houses. I LOVE the choice of the teal. It makes my heart smile! I think you should save the door for last. As in, paint the rest of the house, then look at it, and really decide what color the doors will work as. You could do a more neutral grey, or a nice deep wood stain, or you could do a fun burnt orange or even a different shade of yellow from the shutters.

  6. This is when you get on Google forms and make a quick survey, and link to it in your post so you can get all the percentages you want! Have you thought about a rusty red with for the double doors with the teal?

    1. Oh, and I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this about white (or even the griege, possibly), but it can get a greenish somethin-or-other growing over large patches on there over time, especially anyplace that is more shady… such a hassle to scrub off. This wouldn’t show on a darker color.

  7. Hi Abbie! I didn’t read through all the comments, but have you given thought to a darker gray house? It’s a bolder neutral, would look awesome with white trim, and a red door for a pop of color? I’ve seen medium gray homes with darker gray shutters and a poppy red door too, that look great!

  8. Teal all the way. Everything else is too plain for you! You love color! I love the white trim on the teal and you can change the color of the door and porch furniture many times in the future if you need a “change”.

  9. Is it possible to set your mock houses with the background of a lot of green trees? That might clarify things a little more for you.

  10. I love the teal. Especially for the size of your house. The lighter colors kind of wash it out. (If that makes sense. What about grey shutters?

  11. I think I would do the Greige with white trim and put the teal on the shutters. Then I would stain my front doors a rich darker color….anyhoo that’s my 2 cents worth. 🙂

  12. Have you considered a colored stain on the door? Line as has a bunch of color options that will let the beauty of the wood grain shine while giving you the pop of color you love.

  13. I just went through the same dilemma. I chose all white mainly for the ability to change out colors as I want. My pops of color will be the cushionS and chairs on my deck. My suggestion is the possibility of painting any deck furniture the teal for your pop and when a new color comes along spray painting furniture is so much easier then repainting a house.

  14. I’m really still leaning towards white. Personally I’m so indecisive but I LOVE color so having a white “background” so to speak lets me change it up whenever I feel like it. Think bright colored flower pots (and flowers) and other outdoor accessories.

  15. Changing my vote… TEAL, TEAL, TEAL!! I love it!! I think a dark wood door or black/charcoal door would look great with it!

  16. 3! Even before I saw the program. I saw Joanna Gaine’s do cedar against dark paint & it made my heart go pitter patter! It’ll be beautiful in any option, but what a show stopper the teal would be!

  17. Loooove the teal house but don’t love ot so much with the wood shutters and black shingles. I agree with you that it’s a hard balance with such a bold colored house. It might look like it’s the first house you built and you got really excited and threw everything on there but the kitchen sink (if you know what i mean)

    1. The roof color in the program is not representative of the actual color it will be. I was just too lazy to change it. 🙂 And while I am confident of the textures we’ve chosen, I’m not completely sold on the shutters with the teal. Fortunately, they can be added/tested, so that’s a pretty low-commitment issue.

  18. I love the teal, and like the idea of wood doors and wood shutters. Do a darker color door and lighter color shutters just like in your rendering. I also would love to see the rendering with the coral doors (or red?) for comparison. I think you’re right that the door is recessed back in the big porch, so a pop of color would be nice and not flashy/gaudy. Fun stuff!

  19. With this mock up I love the teal, but I would still choose greige. I love color but I get tired of it so fast . Obviously you don’t!

  20. Yes this definitely changed my mind. The white is too much white, and the greige looks very blah if you do the wood shutters instead of a color. Definitely loving the teal with white trim!

  21. i love the teal and i think the matching door and shutters would look great. it will tone down the deepness of the teal. i wish you would share your house plan someday! i’d love to see it! 🙂

  22. I had voted Greige but am really intrigued by the teal now that I see it on the mock up. But, as you said the shutters would be complicated as you want them with that house color. I’d recommend white with teal.

  23. A soft grey door would solve that problem! The real looks amazing!!.. I’d go bold on the house, you see more house than door and your gut seems to be leaning that way.

  24. You’ll be unhappy with anything but teal. Imagine all that area covered in a color you don’t love! Besides, Texas girls ain’t afraid of big color! Go with the teal, and your other choices will fall into place.

    Love your blog! Just caught up to you after a long absence. When I followed you on wtww, #3 was a tot! So refreshing to hear someone with several children contemplating future additions.

    Blessings!

  25. Teal all the way…always. Could you do something like a mustard colored door to work both with the real and the wood shutters?

  26. I didn’t comment yesterday either, but would like to tell you, by this post I think it’s obvious that you already know which you want; the teal. I think if you talk yourself into any of the other options you’re really going to kick yourself. Go with your heart! You love the teal, and you love the wood shutters. So do that! Then the only issue is the front door color. And whatever you choose there can easily be repainted if you don’t like it! Why not start with a stained door and live with it for a while and see how it sits with you. If you need color on it, paint the darn thing! 🙂 I saw this pic on pinterest of a teal house with sunny yellow door and think it’s adorable: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/263038434457070299/

  27. I’m going to change my vote after seeing the mock ups. I loved the greige on the example you previously gave but with the stained shutters instead of painted blue it loses some of it’s appeal to me. Knowing you and seeing the gorgeous contrast between dark color and trim on the example today, I now vote teal! It wouldn’t surprise me at all to pull up to your house and see it a deep teal 🙂

  28. I totally dig the teal. It was in between the white and teal for me and seeing the mockup the teal just sings on that big house. I agree with the first comment, how about a black door? Or maybe even going with some industrial styled door with lots of black hardware so it doesn’t seem too matchy matchy with the shutters? Although, I don’t see a huge problem with the shutters and door matching. Seriously though, that teal is so so good. Maybe check out houzz.com for some dark house colors to gain some inspiration?

  29. i love the teal best for you~! i only wish your front door could have some COLOR against the teal paint.(possibly red?) my 2nd choice is the greige, which is soothing and muted, but still within the color scheme that you love! CONGRATS on the new home! Blessings to you guys always!

    1. So I saw a house this weekend that was teal with a tomato red door and it was so pretty! I never would have thought of those two colors together but it looked really nice. It also made me remember that when I lived in Atlanta there was a teal house I loved and it had a dark periwinkle door and it was just beautiful!!!

  30. I didn’t vote yesterday, but with these mock ups I am fully on board with the Greige. Looks great on Ashley’s house and I think it will be awesome on yours. It will allow you to play with all of your “accessories” a bit easier without worrying about clashing the main house color. Good luck with your decision!

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