Happy Monday, y’all!
Hey, remember when we painted the back side of our house Simply White and Kevin’s parents painted their barn Caliente Red?
And did you know Benjamin Moore chose Caliente Red as their 2018 Color of the Year? Yep! I’m sure it was that photo of the barn that inspired them. 😉
Well, we’re finally having the front and sides of our house painted this month, and I can hardly contain my excitement about it. Here’s a look at the current color:
I’m not sure what it’s called (because we bought it as a foreclosure and none of that info was available), but I snapped that photo shortly after we moved in. 5 years ago this month, believe it or not!
We’re removing the shutters to simplify the look and cut down on maintenance- they keep falling apart. The painter asked me what color we wanted to paint the porch floor, stair treads, under skirting and ceiling this weekend, so I took a ride around the neighborhood looking for inspiration. I settled on gray for the porch floor and steps, Palladian Blue (Benjamin Moore) for the ceiling, and Caviar (Sherwin-Williams) for the under skirting.
I’m waiting for one of our neighbors to get back to me about the exact shade of gray they used on their porch, but it’s very similar to the grays in these inspiration photos I found on Pinterest:
Another idea I’d love to explore is sanding and staining the beams that hold up our porch. Like these folks did:
I guess I’ll have to decide on the front door color pretty soon too. Hmmmm. Thoughts? 🙂
Layla
Am sure it will look great! Love the idea of removing the sutters. Also, now thaty you mention it, I think ithas been a while since you mentioned anything about hte barn addition. Is it finished? Are you inlaws moved in? Would love to see how things have turned out!
I love a red front door so you could certainly bring the Caliente around to the front. But my favorite red for a door is B/M Cottage Red – it’s the best. Other than that you’re wide open with opportunity – eggplant, navy, burnt orange….. I’m over all the turquoise doors but I know you love blues so maybe a variation on that?
i’d paint the front door caliente red to get a hint of what is around the corner.
If you are stripping and staining the wooden beams, I would follow thru staining with the front door to be cohesive. I like the look of a stained front door with the gray on the porch floor also.
I vote for Caliente Red for the front door!
Love the look! And the classic gray porch floor will be beautiful. As to staining the support beams for the porch, I have to say that I think that would re-clutter the front of the house and be distracting from the classic look you are doing. It has that effect for me in your inspiration picture. A Caliente front door would be a focal point, or my preference would be the stained front door. Let the barn speak for itself.
Interesting! I had the exact opposite reaction to the wood beams. Funny how we all respond to things so differently! 😀
Ha! My first thought was don’t lose the shutters, it gives texture. but after I saw other pics, it will look fresh. I have to admit I did vote for black windows, but really think all white with the stained beams would look great! As for the door color. … stained dark like the beams ??? Presto it 🙂
I agree with th red front door. Also not staining the beams because the decorating of the front porch can really stand out and be changed easily for the seasons. It will look great however you go. Excited to hear about the barn addition also.
I’m with you on both points. My first thought was Caliente for the door; and I like the clean look of the front porch posts in white.
I think an inky blue door (SW 6237 Dark Night) or a sage-y blue (SW 6211 Rainwashed) would be pretty for the front door.
Love all the colors you’ve decided on!! And love the simple look without the shutters. Great idea!!
We just painted our front door Provence which is an Annie Sloan chalk paint color. We even did it with the 4 oz jar and 2 costs. It’s a shaded porch so we’ve decided to not put a poly on it for now to see how it weathers this winter. See link below. I will send you a pic of our door. We love it!
Looking forward to your reveal after painting!!
OH I hope you can stain the posts and supports! I vote a stained door if the posts are stained. Would you do the railing white? That would be my decision. Also maybe stain the treads on the steps? Removing the shutters is a good idea for your house. Another idea would be to bring the red in front with big flower pots and other decorative items. If you have a mailbox on the porch, that would be cool in red. (even if it’s only decorative, I like the mailbox by the front door.)
I’m afraid I missed something. So what color are you painting the house, the bulk of the house? Or is this post suppose to leave us in suspense? 🙂
She is painting it Simply White to match the back as stated in the first sentence.
I was also wondering if I missed the “reveal” on the barn addition! Would love to see how it turned out. Caliente for the door.
I love the beams to stand out. They MUST.. If you can see the red from the barn I would do the door the red. If not, a pale blue or navy blue. Patriotic. Come 4th of July you will look grand. Light blue would set off the beams nicely.
I can’t wait to see the after. I love your color choices. Have you thought of just having the beams clad in cedar that you could stain? Whatever you decide I’m sure it will be beautiful.
Love the red front door idea but, if you have a screen (? A northern thing) and leave your entry door open you have to think how the red will look with your interior. Also, how does a red door go with seasonal decorations you might be using down the line? Just things to think about. I ended up with a neutral timeless black door. Not earth shaking but always in style and easy to work with. Lots of decisions! Sure your home will be lovely.
My thoughts exactly, Sarah. I love red front doors, but we’ll definitely be going with a different color on ours.
I’ll be different and suggest maybe the caviar for the front door or maybe even a shade lighter than caviar…but something that coordinates with the gray on the floor.
Also, do you mind sharing what materials were used for the board and batten on the barn? Was it hardy boards? We are seriously thinking of residing our home in board and batten and we are currently gathering information.
Thanks for all you do to brighten our lives around here. 🙂
Thanks for weighing in, Lisa! I’m not sure what they used on the siding (I don’t think we were here when they installed it?) Seems like it’s some kind of panels with strips of wood attached to them? Sorry I’m not more help! 🙁
Lisa, on the Hardie web site, they show that they use a vertical siding along with Hardie trim boards for the battens, to create the board and batten look. If I can ever get my dream house, it’s going to have white board and batten siding! And I love the Hardie siding because it’s so durable and keeps the paint job looking crisp for so much longer than it would on wood or pressboard siding.
stained front door looks great with the white
Palladian Blue is the color of my sewing room…LOVE IT!! Love your blog and following you…such an inspiration in so many ways. BTW I’m the one who sewed your pillows for your reno in Georgia. What a wonderful experience!
I love our front door color…Stratton Blue by Benjamin Moore. https://pin.it/1DF0yqQ
I love a wood-stained front door. I can’t believe you’ve lived there for 5 years already! It’s going to look amazing when it’s all painted! 🙂
My thoughts 🤔 Classic look Painting beams White. Front Door black to match the dark color you’ve chosen for underneath home. Keep White around windows! 2. A Bolder Look? Red Door. White beams. Black around windows.
Stained beams would be gorgeous. And I like the idea of black for the front door. Simple, classic, and would be amazing if you went with black window frames.
I love a red front door, but saw your comment on passing on that, so, I’ll go with a slate blue/grey or something like a navy blue . I’m sure whatever you choose it will be lovely and I can’t wait to see it done!!
I would paint the front door the same color red as the barn addition. White houses with red front doors are so classic and have been my favorite combo since I was a little girl and still going strong! And yes, my house is white with a red front door! 😉 <3
We finally got around to tricking out our Dutch colonial’s porch, + I couldn’t be more pleased! Our plans included a pale blue ceiling, but the natural wood was so beautiful after G.O.’s stripping it — so natural wood it is! Everything else is white + gray, with a black door!
I LOVE the look of a stained wood door and black shutters with white siding. It looks so classic and timeless especially with the elevation of your home.
I would do a red door only if you didn’t have the barn. Does that make sense? No red door for you. Stained or black would probably be “best”, or something fun and unexpected, like sunflower yellow or light pink! I’m one of few people who like your shutters, I guess. But then there’s the problem of what to paint THEM, and that’s enough to convince almost anyone to simplify!
Oh, the shutters might be okay if they weren’t falling apart and so hard to keep up with because they’re so high. :-/ They also bang against the house when it’s windy. No fun when you’re trying to sleep! 🙂
What ever you decide to do it will be beautiful, because it flows from a heart that is full of love for her home and family.
Love your color palette! It will look so pretty once it’s finished.
If you go with stripping and staining beams (or even cladding them in cedar as one commenter suggested), I like the idea of a stained wooden door to match. Otherwise, I’d go with black. The caviar that you’ll have on the under skirting would be more cohesive than using a different black. It’s gonna look so awesome whatever you choose. So glad it will be almost all white! I can’t believe it’s been five years. Time is flying!
P.S. That first porch photo you show has a wooden door with everything else white, including the beams. Look how lovely that looks!
We are also thinking of adding an in-law suite to our home. I was just curious about the square footage of your addition. Also, have your in-laws moved in yet?
Not yet, but hopefully before Christmas! 🙂
I agree with those who think the stained posts would be distracting. I’d keep them white with the gray floor and steps, and paint the front door Caliente. In terms of decorating you can’t go wrong with a red door for Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Can’t wait to see what you do!
Kevin’s parents barn looks lovely ! We shared it on our timeline on Facebook 🙂
Hey, Layla! If you want an opinion, I definitely have one! :). A red door would look nice, but it’s not my first choice, even though it would tie it in to the barn. I’d go a few shades darker than the porch ceiling for your front door. And I’d definitely paint the beams the same color as the ceiling. I think stripping them would just bring too many different colors into the mix. Whatever you do is going to look beautiful. I love the barn addition, as well!
I know you’re a fan of Lauren Liess so maybe you’ve seen their previous Cape Cod. Removing the shutters can look beautiful but also keeping them and painting them black can look very classic, not to mention timeless. I vote for white beams and a black door and 🙂
Have you gotten this done? Will you post an update? We want to get our house painted and our color scheme is exactly the same as yours! I would love to see how it turned out!
Love, love, love it! Um, but maybe I’m missing something…what color gray did you end up using for the porch floor? thanks:)
It was called Platinum! 🙂