The dark gun-metal color will really make your window and other trim pop. I say all one color. I'd paint the front door an intense buttery yellow color.

I can't quite tell from the pictures, but if there's a clear dividing line, you could do one color on the bottom and two or three shades lighter on top. Dark blue would be pretty, and a yellow door would well - something a little mustardy maybe? Aubergine would also look good, and could be matched with pale green. Sherwin Williams has great "restoration palettes" for certain time periods & styles that would be a great resource.

Also, your hominess would be increased with some brackets at the top of the house, to match the ones on the porch, and wider trim on you new windows...

Love the gun metal / ocean floor idea and quite jealous - I live in Dublin Ireland where the winter is too long and gray to get away with using dark colors on house exteriors. It would certainly make the door and windows pop. Would probably try and get a digital mock up of it before committing to it though - changing the outdoor paint color is a bit different than changing your mind with a room indoors. Be sure and post an after pic when your done.

I love glossy black front doors! If you painted the exterior gun metal, all the trim cream like the windows, and then the door black I think it would look fantastic! For the color combo look at the attached link. Have fun, it seems like such a fun project!

http://stagetecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/doors_color_black.jpg

Oooh, or this color combo: gun metal and citron lime!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_86iebNCyfZY/TT88CfIJ-LI/AAAAAAAAAgE/Viy18dCFt_0/s640/Bright+front+door.jpg

I think that grey would be nice but I love houses painted navy blue.

Apparently I'm not the only one: http://classicallymodernnest.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-obsession-with-navy-continues.html.

Haha apartmenthappy, I love that the example you chose is 10 Downing Street! (Where the UK Prime Minister lives.)

The photos are small and really don’t show any of the detail you’re describing. From what I can see, the addition does not reproduce the historic details of the original house. And yet is not modern enough to create an interesting contrast. So it is sort of stuck in limbo. Maybe it looks better in person.

The result is that it looks kind of commercial. (I think that gray stucco is not helping.) But the fact that the gray stucco looks commercial is telling. Don’t paint it gray. Not even dark gray. My neighbors just painted their 1920’s Spanish style dark gray; it looks awful.

My suggestion would be to research traditional Craftsman color palettes. Then, tweak those traditional colors a bit to bring them into the 21st century. And do use multiple colors to play up the architectural details.

Also, your hillside location means you have a lot of unbroken stucco on the down slope (we have the same thing). You need to do something to break that up with plantings, paint, or both.

If you’re uncertain enough to be seeking advice from ATLA, I’d seriously consider hiring a color consultant. Painting is expensive and you want the color scheme to last for a good 10 years. Spending a few hundred dollars on some expert help might be money well spent. The color scheme is going to make or break your house. You want it to be awesome.

Benjamin Moore Charlotte Slate

Please seek colour advice from someone who specializes in preserving craftsman bungalows; often state or municipal heritage authorities can either help you directly, or direct you to the appropriate expert.

I would also urge you to look into making the addition more sympathetic to the original by adding identical brackets and trim to the upper story (it may mean extending the eaves). This will make a positive impact to the resale value of your home, and the proportions will work better.

Good luck!

I don't have a problem with the two different styles (our house is like that, too), but I would paint them different shades of one color. Although I love gray on a house, I agree that that the top is modern enough so that straight up gray will read "commercial/industrial" and I'd opt for something more color-y. Two shades of a gray green might do it...or a warmer neutral.

I agree that photoshopping the color you're interested is a great idea. We did that with our place, and although it's never a perfect representation, it does give you a sense of whether your choice is insanely bright, deathly dull, etc.

Three colours-trim, and two on the body. Blue and green. Like bright blue (the blue on the google index font) and chartreuse. Maroon and yellow. Gunmetal grey, sage, and orange trim. Please bring back the stone or brick on the front porch supports. Please do not paint it any of the band aid colour shades.
Google images for Prospect New Town in Longmont Colorado for ideas regarding interesting colours to paint a neo traditional home such as yours as well as how to break up boxy shapes and bring out architectural details with colour. Here is one flickr library of some of the homes. There are more on line.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joebehr/sets/72157625095580097/detail/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joebehr/412148312/in/set-72157625095580097

And again: (towards the bottom there are a few pics of the town).
http://cedarhousephotography.com/blog/tag/prospect-new-town-colorado-weddings/

The post doesn't say what region you live in, but that's something to consider as well. A black house in a hot, dry climate is different from one in a cold, Northern climate. The intensity of light is different, heat absorption may be an issue, etc., etc. Also, what looks right in, say, New Mexico, could look wildly inappropriate in Maine.

I'm all for the gunmetal. I'm drawn to Skylark Song Blue from BM for the door.

I like the midnight blue idea. Then go for Boston Ivy "Fenway Park" (parthenocissus tricuspidata) which comes in in spring with tender maple-like leaves in a bright, unripe-lemony green and then goes through a somewhat deeper green to orange and red-orange in the fall. Three plants will cover your whole house in about 10 years, or you can trim it back to just the areas you want covered. It will, if you let it, form a curtain fringe over windows. It offers significant cooling in summer, and even a small reduction in heating demand in winter. (How?! Not yet shown.) You'll get all the benefits of a green wall in summer, and still be able to soak up sun in winter. Once mature, it will need little or no water or fertilizer. Water and a little fertilizer is good for the first year, and maybe second and third.

Oh, and creamy grey door.

We live on a corner too and our house is large in relation to the lot. I think going dark us a great idea - that's what we did and u think it helps the house visibly recede a bit. We used wherein Williams thunderous (a dark cool gray-green) on the body, downing sand under the eaves and the trim, and brandywine (an orange) on the door. With a bigger house on a corner the bright door really leads the eye to the entrance that might not be so obvious otherwise. We're very happy with our selections, but ours is a 1968 home and not sure if the colors are appropriate for a craftsman.

I agree with lemonadefish and mschatelaine.
If you want to tie in the addition to the historic character of the first floor, don't use two colors, that may look bad if the exterior materials are the same. (Hard to tell from photo.)
Sherwin Williams has an excellent color palette specifically for craftsmans including some yellows, greens and reds for your door and trim or gables.
I'm guessing you have no historic preservation district color compliance or review board?
For the over-all color, a lighter color would really make a darker trim, etc pop.

This looks like Oakland to me. I would recommend driving around your neighborhood and seeing which color combos catch your eye. Take pictures of the ones you like and then take your inspiration to the paint store. Or if you're ballsy, leave a note for the homeowner asking what color they used.

I'd go with something earthy.

Bungalows tend to have earthy paint colours, as the Craftsman style is an earthy, naturalistic style.

Here is an excellent example of how a second story facing front, like yours (a very atypical way of adding a second story to a bungalow), is integrated with the lower story, colour-wise and with a stylistically-appropriate colour palette.

http://gardengrow.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/a-craftsman-bungalow/

You will note that it is done not just with colour, but with materials as well. While stucco is used on the lower body, the upper story features shingles. This is typical of the style, and I would urge you to look into doing the same with your house.

Unfortunately, builders are not sensitive to these sorts of style issues, and so rarely include these features (tending to be more cost-focussed than design-focussed). But I would encourage you to look into the possibilities of better integrating your addition to the original structure by consulting with an architect who specializes in such projects.

It really will pay dividends when you come to sell, and your neighbours will love you for it.

ChloeSF - I started noticing the black doors when I lived in the UK, and I just loved them! :)

Keep it simple. One color stucco, one color trim, one special color for the door. More than this only works for eclectic houses or really large houses. Dark colors fade in the sun quite quickly and can look funky long before you're ready to paint again; you may wish to choose a lighter version of the color you're considering.

mschatelaine is right on all counts.

In addition to hiring a color consultant, you’d be wise to have an architect help you introduce some historic detail to help mitigate the vinyl window/stucco box look. Like the fascia and brackets on the 2nd floor eaves, for example… it would have cost your contractor about $300 to reproduce architectural detail that would have given you thousands back in curb appeal. It's not too late.

If you are in the LA area, I can recommend an architect who would be a great resource for you (I have no interest in this!).

It is possible to integrate old and new thoughtfully. But you need professionals to help with that process.

Hi everyone,

I suspect no one is still reading this thread. I sent in the question, but I didn't know AT had posted it until I stumbled across it today. Thank you for all your suggestions and comments. To answer some of them...the house is in Oakland, CA. We worked with an architect we adore, and we love the addition. It has great flow and light. I especially appreciate the comments that a pure grey might seem overly commercial, and that plantings will go a long way to softening that largest wall. We're painting in 2 weeks. We're going for a dark blue with grey undertones and still arguing (in a good way) over what color to paint the door. Landscaping comes after that. I'll send in photos when we're done, and thank you again for all your help.