apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I like the white - but I'd paint the front door black.

White clapboard in Vermont is a classic. Are you sure you want to change it? Maybe just painting the door bright red or slate gray would do the trick.

Cottage Living Magazine recently had some pics of similar houses. One that caught my eye suggested painting the cement foundation blocks to blend in. I think that would go a long way. If it were mine, I'd add shutters, window boxes. I'd go with a deep green door, shutters, dark walnuty stained window boxes. Depending on your landscaping plans you could probably do the cement blocks a complimentary green or mossy brown. Big brass door knocker and a brass lantern/light next to the door (or black). Good luck! Very cute little cottage.

I'm a fan of colour and I"d go bright - peacock blue, or deep red, or yellow. And then, yes, a coloured door.

i agree about painting the foundation to blend in but I think shutters would look too cluttered. Window boxes would be nice though. Along with a knocker and light.

I third leaving it white, but painting the front door something bold. I'm partial to red, but maybe that's a cliche. Maybe painting some of the trim under the eaves black would pull things together a little more.

How about an ivory instead of white, def. paint the cinderblock to match and then a charcoal front door. Sounds pretty to me!

If the paint job is still good for another couple years, I'd just leave it as is until it needs to be done. Our old-style farmhouse was white when we moved into it, but when it finally did need repainting, we went with a beige color with grayish-green trim that complemented our roof. I do agree with the suggestion of painting the cinderblock foundation, though. We did that too and it made a huge difference. And yes, something fun for the front door! Anything goes with black & white!

I like the idea of painting the foundation and am actually edging toward a dark green to give some color, but also suggest landscaping. Dark green is also a good traditional New England color.

I also vote for the door to be deep red or grey-blue - and maybe give the door's trim a black coat to match the windows? I don't think shutters will work because of the spacing of the 1 3 windows to the left, but window boxes would be charming.

Another vote for white... it's part of Vermont's charm.

Although I think you should repaint the windows (horrible work, I know) -- they should be white too. Now the door, either red or greyish blue.

I agree with the red door idea (looks like you have a side door in red already...am I seeing that right?). And I'd either leave the house white and paint the foundation, or paint the siding a warm grey (still go red on the door).

I also agree with the suggestion to address the landscaping. And some hardscaping to make the entrance steps more dramatic would look lovely.

I don't think shutters would be a good idea. Shutters only look good when the size of the shutters is appropriate to the size of the window (i.e. they would actually cover the window if closed), and given your window spacing I don't think you could achieve that.

Oh, and definitely leave the black window trim. It looks great! It looks like that one window toward the back of the house has white trim though. I'd paint that black to match.

Oh, and if you paint your front door red and leave the window trim black, it would look great to go with black front door hardware.

I definitely would paint the black trim on the new windows. At present they look wrong for the house. Cream for the body color is conservative but good- a bit warmer, friendlier than the stark white. The trim could be a slightly deeper shade of cream. I hate strongly contrasting trim, because it looks like an outline drawing of a house. Then have fun with the door. Bittersweet? Eggplant? Sage? Whatever you love. A great light next to the door. Skip the shutters- not enough room. Maybe a new front door, though, with some upper glass.

I like the black trim on the windows with the white. I'd leave the house white until (like someone else suggested) it needs to be repainted. A kelly green or bright blue door would look great, and if you decide you don't like it, it's easier to repaint one door than an entire house. Good luck--adorable house!

I vote for a fresh coat of white paint unless you are totally itchin' for something new, in which case I'd go a light neutral, bright cream, pale yellow or (at most) a light taupe. Leave the moldings/lintels/corner details white.

I think the house needs shutters, which I'd paint classic Colonial black-green/green-black.

The front door is yours to play with, anything from a bright rust to a deep eggplant to brick red to a deep dusty slate.

I'd also look at veneering the cinder block with a stone or stone substitute.

I agree with anmar. I have a house similiar to this all white and I want to paint it with black trim and a red door. That is a good combo!

I like the white. I also agree with above posters, paint the eves under the roof, the door and the cinder block foundation a dark color to tie it together. Accessories are always good too. A light fixture or two, door knocker and window boxes. All dark like the windows. But definitely like the white house.

I vote for white - it looks great!

Or barn red - the red you see in new england that is red but almost neutral...

There is something missing around the door - maybe lights on either side? Maybe an overhead cover/proch? I can't quite put my finger on it...

better put a railing on either side of those stairs, for icy winter. as the longest season is winter, and the most glorious is autumn, something to think about. i also like the white, but colour is so warm. red or dark green door, yes. try http://vtpaint.com/content/view/36/51/ -- there's a "what colour to paint your house" event on Nov. 15

I vote white. With a welcoming red door! Maybe paint the trim Black. it needs accent details. But I like the classic white, with black trim and a few touches of red like the door and mail box?

Good luck!

I live in NH, so the neighborhoods are probably similar.

Our house it a teal green (close to forest, but a bit bluer), with black trim (and shutters) and some white (mostly on our window frames). Our front door is black (with some glass). A similar house nearby has pretty much the same scheme with a cherry red door, and that looks nice too.

I think as much as anything, I'd suggest NOT matching the houses either side of you, and choosing a color for the siding that you like a lot and that works with the flavor of your house's interior. (Our house is traditional in design but more contemporary in decor -- one reason we chose the teal.)

A color nobody mentioned (or as least that I noticed) might be a nice medium sage green. I've seen that combined with a darker sage for trim and a lavender door, which looked amazingly nice, especially with blue hydrangeas around the door!

Oh, and only paint the window trim if it needs it -- our old place had wooden windows that were painted shut, never to open again, by incompetent painters. Our replacement windows were vinyl -- you were stuck with the color you chose, no painting allowed. MUCH easier to adapt your color scheme to include the color you have than to replace your windows!! Cheaper, too!

Thank you for all the comments! It does need to be painted- we just replaced the windows & siding. The white mullioned windows will be painted to match the 'tuscany brown'- which totally reads as black. I have since painted the door tuscany brown and I think it works. I am glad to see so many votes for white- but I would like it to be warmer. Does anyone have specific paint colors for soft whites or creams that don't look dirty? Oh, and window boxes are definitely on the list for spring. -Mahara

Window boxes would be a sweet touch. At first I thought you should definitely have shutters, but like a previous post said that there just isn't enough room and I would agree. How about Benjamin Moore's Coastal Fog with an Eggplant door?

Wow, what a great little house and boy is this right up my alley. I’ve helped thousands of people just like you develop pleasing and appropriate color schemes for their homes.

While it is true that white is the quintessential Vermont house color, I believe it is more true as applied to federal style colornials and Greek Revival homes such as you might see in the town commons. What is hosing it for me here is the black windows. You have a tiny house and the one thing which makes any home look smaller is contrast…it has to do with the way your eye processes color and value. Since there is nothing we can do about the windows, my goal for your home would be to reduce contrast by using a body color other than white. Please stay away from the red door, in your instance a red door on the white house w/black trim would look like Santa’s Workshop which I believe is over in the neighboring state of NH …to be serious though.

I like an Americana look for your home which I believe would be authentic to the setting and to the style of the house. My choice for body color would be HC-66, Garrison Red, and the door to be 1658, Lakeside Cabin, both Benjamin Moore colors. The reason for also choosing a red body is because I’d like to paint the foundation. Painted foundations in red are a traditional look and evoke a reference to brick work. Since you have cinder block, the reference to brick will elevate your home’s appearance a bit. Use a latex porch and floor formula on the cinder block and for the body and door choose a flat finish for an authentic colonial look. Should you decide to upgrade the sheen, choose nothing higher than a low luster…you really don’t want a formal look for a house in the country.
My website, Exterior House Paint Colors will be filled with some good information to help you make a solid choice. Good luck!
Rodd

Oh please don't paint your foundation! That can cause all sorts of damage to the cement -- it needs to breathe. It's better to do some low plantings (no big shrubs, though!) to hide the foundation. You'll want to keep the plantings away from the house to avoid moisture getting trapped and causing your new paint and siding to peel.

I'd go for an earthy beige or ochre color for the body of the house. Look at the Benjamin Moore historical colors (they all start with HC) for something you like, maybe Princeton Gold (HC-14) or Dunmore Cream (HC-29).

Actually, if you paint the inside of the foundation on the basement side with Dry Lock it'll help the house stay dry.

I second the white. Do a fun door. But you badly need landscaping. I'd get on that first. A cute stone path, some beds and voila!

I'd keep it white and have a dark blue or black door (if there are no paint colour rules where you live).

No paint color rules, no neighbors. I should mention I am going for a slightly shakery/modern look- hence the black. I know, its a cape. It was a very traditional cape before the reno, and it worked just fine, but it is a little family home now and we wanted something different. We added an 8 ft. slider and a mahogany deck off the south side- which sort of pulls together the new look (don't know how to add a picture at this point). The foundation is poured cement with really cool graining from the handmade forms. I like the idea of painting it, but I dont want it to stand out. I agree that landscaping will help a LOT. It is very shady, so I'm not quite sure what will hold up well year round? I LOVE ornamental grasses, but I am pretty sure they need sun. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Some grasses will work in shade. Ask at your local garden centre. I'm in Canada, and not sure if our zones are similar, but hostas work well in the shade and they look great. You can get them in a variety of colours and sizes. So even if you stick with them to start, you can still get some variation in your garden by choosing a selection of different ones. Plant in masses though. That's the best way to make an impact. Hostas and grasses would look nice in the garden together too.

Mahara:

I don't know where in Vermont you are, but why don't you head over to visit Emmett at Fine Paints of Europe in Woodstock? He will be able to guide you to the right colour, and their paint IS THE BEST (I swear by it). They advise on colour schemes and provide the paint for the key historic home paint jobs. They know their stuff!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/colortherapy/colortherapy-an-interview-with-emmett-fiore-067876

http://www.finepaintsofeurope.com/contact.aspx

Are the new windows wood or vinyl? They are unfortunately, the wrong colour for the house. They should be either white or a medium grey, not dark brown, if you stay with a white for the body of the house. If they are vinyl, you are stuck with the colour, and so will have to change the colour of the rest of the house to try and make them work better. Emmett will help you find the best solution.

Good luck!

If you are still checking back after all this time, why not try Boston Ivy on that foundation. This is the ivy associated with universities. Fenway Park is a chartreuse one and will lighten up the darkness and hide the concrete, though it is a little slow to get started. As for color, if you pop any feature of the house the look will be " cutesy" or "adorable" so stick with colors on the same strip that are only one up or down for your body color choice. I would love a warm, buttery, pale yellow since your white seems very cold, but the black windows are the problem, so reducing contrast with the black should maybe be the goal as a previous post suggested. Painting choices are easily fixed, so why not try different ones, starting from the palest to the darkest. Lighter trim colors are more modern, by the way. Sweet home.

Hi Mahara,
We just did exactly this to our house-- creamy white with dark windows! We softened it up with a blue porch ceiling. Here are the photos of the house (they *just* finished this week!):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25131060@N08/3035171809/in/set-72157604262326172/

Click on the whole set on the right to see more views.

We ended up using Linen White from Benjamin Moore- we tried a bunch. This was creamy but not too yellowy.

Here's an earlier AT post about blue porch ceilings:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/outdoor/blue-porch-ceilingsboston-053535

Good Luck! You have such a sweet house.

BTW, regarding the post on painting and "breathing", latex paint breathes, oil paint does not. Painting your foundation will not inhibit its ability to breathe.

Hostas are a great plant for our climate. I'd look for an assortment of leaf sizes (they range from tiny to huge) and plant a bunch of them. Impatiens are the most popular shade flower. Lots of wildflowers do well in shade, too. I'd get some shrubs and some lower plants, witht he shrubs in the background.

But you can go to any nursery or home center and get shrubs and other plants that do well in shade. Some of your choices will depend on whether it's damp or dry shade, but I had a whole shade garden at my last place, and it's probably the same planting zone.

Landscaping will be great. However I am pretty sure that in Vermont it is too late to plant, without risking that it will all be killed off before getting established. Spring would probably be a better bet.

Hostas will love the shade. Grasses would be nice. Look into shade gardening- there are actually a lot of nice selections.

Don't plant Ivy - it will climb all over and can cause a lot of damage where it attaches.

Hi!
Great looking classic cape! Very clean lines. My advice is to make some definitive decisions on a few items and then the remaining ones will more naturally fall into place.

Windows / Sash - Love the Black; classic & interesting

Trim- You have what appears to be some nice trim detailing that is painted the same color white as the exterior walls. I think you need to accent the trim, which seems natural to be of a white color. Which begs the question, then what color for the walls?

Foundation - this should be painted because of the amount exposed on the side. Landscaping will help to cover...and also the snow! ....but I'd love to see more Black to anchor the house to the ground and balance out the heaviness of the roof...it will also tie nicely into the sash.

Front Door - LOVE the idea of a RED door....it screams cool! (or Hot depending on how you look at it)

Exterior Walls - For a more subdued I'd go with a pale gray to offset the white trim and complement the black sash, foundation, and roof. Also the red door will look great against it! .....However, if you really want to let the house pop against the summer green and winter white I'd paint the entire house Barn Red with White Trim and go with a Black front door.

Have fun! ....it's only paint!