Who doesn’t love a good before/after story? Our exterior paint wasn’t bad to begin with, but it was looking a little rough around the edges, and so I was thrilled to partner with Benjamin Moore Paints on this quick exterior paint makeover.
I was initially thinking of going super modern and painting the whole house black, but my good friend, Ariel, suggested that our home might end up looking like a computer monitor, so we nixed that plan and decided to play it safer with a classic gray.
This was the outside of our home BEFORE we painted:
The color was a muted beige with a touch of green that I liked, but didn’t love. I didn’t want to spend weeks agonizing over color choices, so I brought in color expert Angelisse Karol to help me narrow it down.
Angelisse helped find the perfect, rich gray almost instantly, and also selected a creamy off-white for our trim, which blended into the vinyl bordering of our windows.
She also advised on which colors to use for the porch, gutters, fascia, eves, railings, and bench. Decisions that would have left me totally flabbergasted were settled in two minutes. Three cheers for efficiency!
Ready to see the big reveal? Here is our house AFTER:
We’re thrilled with how it came out, and as my little one, Emilie, said, “It looks like a whole new house!” Even our mailman came over to rave about the new colors.
Thinking of giving your own home a little paint refresh? See below for my top tips, and links to all the colors we used.
Tip One: Paint During the Summer
We were amazed at how fast the paint dried in the sun, and we didn’t have to worry about rain or storms slowing down the process.
Tip Two: Limit the Options
Life is too short to obsess for weeks or months about paint colors. Limit yourself to a few good options and give yourself a short timeline to decide.
Tip Three: Ask the Experts
As someone who had never painted a home before, I deferred to my painters and color consultant to help make choices along the way. They advised on what type and finish of paint to use where, and how to use paint to highlight, and conceal, house features and blemishes.
Our Paint Choices (all colors by Benjamin Moore):
Stucco Body: Bracken Slate (flat finish) // Trim, Railings, and Bench: Navajo White (semi gloss) // Porch Deck and Stairs: Gray (semi gloss) // Doors and Light: Black (high gloss).
A huge thank you to Benjamin Moore Paints for partnering with me on this project and providing all of the paint, and Angelisse Karol who helped make the selection process super easy and efficient. That’s a wrap on Project Exterior Paint Makeover!
I worked with Angelisse Karol to select the Craftsman palette for the interior of my house, and she was a wonder! This was the time when I was deciding to paint out the original dark wood that was making my house so gloomy, and her guidance made all the difference. And clearly she has done a fabulous job for you too.
Small world! She really is the best!
Congrats! House looks really nice; as your daughter said, almost like a new house.
Thank you! We’re really enjoying it!
Can you share the sources of your outdoor furniture/umbrella/chairs? It’s so lovely! Love it all!
Yes! The table and benches are from CB2, the umbrella and planter on the porch are West Elm.
So glad you like!
I need your hat please. Please. Where is it from? You are always so cute!
Great article! Will be painting our brick and this helps tremendously.
Ha! The hat is from Lovely Bird:)
Any suggestions of you were to keep the house colors but add a pop of color to the door? We have a near exact Ben M match to your new home colors and I feel a door refresh would be easy and go a long way!
I feel like a bright yellow would be fun and cheery!
I love our house color and I was excited to try it on my house. I bought a sample of Bracken Slate CW-690, but it is a white/black? Can you please confirm the beautiful blue you used on your home?
Bracken Slate is what we used for the body of our home – It’s a rich gray with some blue undertones. Maybe you can have your paint shop match the images in the blog post if the paint itself isn’t reading right? Good luck! Xx