Exterior Colors Gone Wrong

This was an incredibly long, cold, wet spring  in lower Michigan that delayed exterior paint projects.  With anticipation of helping clients find new or different or updated exterior colors for their existing, remodeled or new construction home I used the uncooperative weather to 'window' shop and see how local homes were trending.

We have many inland lakes in the area, so on some drives I found quite a few different home styles with color combinations that really work.

 

Commerce MI

West Bloomfield, MI

     

In the North / Mid East there are some colors that do not belong aesthetically on a home's exterior.   Some colors do not work for technical reasons: drastic light reflective value (LRV) changes; for example very light siding color to two or three shades darker.  Some colorants, therefore some paint colors, do not handle UV rays even though the exterior paint bases are significantly improved to handle fading and nature's elements.   Home Owners Association Rules are often scoffed at, but they really do prevent hideous colors from popping up in a neighborhood.

    

Some stores have home items.  Homes are not stores and can look eye catching without bright and saturated hues.

IKEA

This subdivision purposely painted repeated colors.  Some are deep tones, but none are saturated and overly bright.  

Canton, MI

Please keep in mind that you cannot close a door to an exterior like you can to the bedroom, den or basement that you gave creative colors.  Your exterior doesn't have to be 'builder beige' but its color should represent the neighborhood well.

If you are really stuck, color consultants, such as myself, can help you navigate the barrage of color choices and color placement.

    

Not Just A Door

Who's that knocking at my door?

Picture a sun bleached & faded gray, metal, cold, less than happy, tired door as your entry to your home away from home ~ work. Blah! Just a week ago the employees of a local restaurant/brewery that is full of life, warmth, fun, excellent food and service were trudging up to this uninspired entry I just described.

However, now they are greeted with a fresh coat of paint on the exterior walls and a new warm gray door, in Benjamin Moore's Silhouette AF-655. 

Employee Entrance

The painter had approached me for help on what to do with the tired, faded door.  Patrons do walk past this door if they park in the West side of the parking lot, so he thought the door could 'disappear' as the employees know where it is, but patrons wouldn't notice it.   This works great in areas that have a lot of angles or non-primary doors that make the space look chopped up if every door jam and door are not the wall color.

Since the painter was meeting with the owner the following day to make a final color selection I suggested three options:

1. Paint the door the same color as the walls to make the door disappear. 
2. Paint the door a shade (darker version) of the wall color.  I picked out a brownish orange color so it didn't read dark orange. 
3. Paint the door a gray.  That's where my color expertise came in. 

A traditional metal gray would have felt cold and more strongly contrast with the warm orange wall.  A stone gray would be warmer, but may not stand strong next to the amount of orange. I found a gray in-between these characteristics that looks gray, but warm, but not too soft. 

Before I got to stop by for the 'after' picture the painter called me to say my color choice "gives the door a designer touch".   I'll take that complement :0)

Hopefully the employees feel a welcoming to their home away from home.

Have door or angled architectural details you can't decide if you want to accent or make disappear?  Contact me for a consultation and I will ~Make Color Personal~ for you!

Best,

Jill





Gray could look Blue, Purple, or Green--Why?

Trying to find a gray but it looks blue, green or purple on your walls instead? That is because in basic Red-Yellow-Blue (RYB) subtractive color wheel terms, complementary colors make gray. Mixing blue and orange; red and green; or yellow and purple (violet) in equal amounts will make gray. 

These complementary colors also make each individual color look stronger if paired together. 

If your lighting is pulling the 'wrong' gray, you may need to change the hue of the gray to make it perfect in your space.

Contact me for a consulting appointment to help find that 'perfect' gray.