When Nicole moved into this house in Bucks County, PA three years ago, she hired me to help her come up with a conceptual plan for finishes and colours inside as well as exterior colour.
I’ll show you the interior befores and afters in another post, she reported that her house sold within three hours of going on the market!
We both immediately agreed that the no more than two colours were necessary in the new colour scheme. Especially because most of the casings were not very wide.
The colour transformation of this house is so big you have to look twice to make sure it’s the same house! And it’s the same for the inside!
These are the real estate photos, love the IKAT purple and white cushions!
This is the back yard. Siding BM Midnight Blue / Trim OC-85 Mayonnaise
And their pretty patio! You can see the separate garage on the right. It was white vinyl siding which is why it wasn’t painted the same colour as the house.
Getting your exterior right has such a dramatic impact. Don’t you just love this before and after?
If you need help choosing colour for your exterior or parts of it, choose from our Exterior Colour Solutions here.
xo Maria
Related posts:
5 Best Ways to Choose your Roof Colour
Amazing how changing the color transformed this beautiful home. LOVE IT!!
Wow! That looks great. What colour is the stain on the deck?
OMG, what a difference! Gorgeous now. Can’t wait to see the interior too.
I really wish I could say it was me that bought this beautiful home. And I haven’t even seen the inside. I have a feeling I wouldn’t need to.
You’re right, it doesn’t even look like the same house, really want to see the inside !
Nice home, lovable architects designing.
Love it! I’m curious, if the house had shutters, what color would they be? And is the front door the same navy blue? I can’t tell from the pictures…
Well when the body colour is this dark your only option is a bright colour because white shutters usually have a cottage look and feel. So I would not have chosen navy if the house had shutters.
thanks!
Love this! What color is the door?
This is spectacular Maria! Another great example of the benefits of hiring a professional. I am sure the homeowner was stunned the house sold in 3 hours!
I did exactly what you said, I looked back at the first picture to make sure it was the same house. It is truly beautiful! I wonder why you called it a navy blue exterior, though. Isn’t navy much, much darker? Oh, well…it is a lovely transformation.
Beautiful and a perfect example of the power of paint!
PS And hiring Maria from the start!
Absolutely stunning! xo
LOVE everything down to the purple IKAT pillows!
Will our favourite colour detective please play Color CSI with us?
>Did you select the mayo/creamier TRIM to match the fixed element of the vinyl-sided garage THEN select the dk.blue MAIN color using oversized samples of warmer/greener blues:)
OR
>Did you select the warmer dk.blue MAIN first (bc of fixed elements-grass, decking and brick) THEN the creamier white TRIM to make it pop?
>Do you know the source for those IKAT pillows?
That looks amazing, Maria! What an incredible before-and-after!!
Absolutely stunning transformation! You didn’t mention any architectural changes to the house before they painted so I can only assume that what looked like a big bite out of the right side of the house under the roof and to the right of the three windows was the awful shadow created by light reflecting off the drab paint color. Of course, the pix weren’t taken from exactly the very same angle and probably not at the same time of day or even the same time of year, but it’s still amazing what the right paint colors can do. It’s totally my dream home.
beautiful! I love the blue and how the white brings out the trim.
Very unappealing before, gorgeous after.
The color doesn’t look to me like navy blue–not nearly as dark and more like a medium blue-gray. Is it my monitor? (which is normally very accurate).
Looks beautiful in its setting! I lived in Bucks County for 6 weeks when I first moved to the East Coast before finding my Manhattan apartment. In fact, I visited the same friends the whole time I lived there, and I’m not surprised it sold so quickly. Brava!
The house looks much lighter than the Midnight Blue. Did you use a low luster? I’ve seen lots of navy here and unless it’s the right navy & sheen it can look dead.
My client said it has faded slightly in 3 years. Maria
But better for a navy blue to be slightly lighter than a reddish brown fading to purple which happened to one of my clients who called me to choose a new colour 🙂
absolutely gorgeous! I also had to go back and look at the before picture to see that it was the same house.
Congratulations Maria …
You’ve nailed it!
Beautiful! But I’m super stuck on the color you paint the door on with that siding. Can’t see the door but it doesn’t look white. Would you mind sharing the door color and maybe the justification?
Very Nice!
It just goes to show how much lighter colors look with exterior applications. Yes there is fading but sunlight and just outdoor light washes out dark colors. Love the architecture of this house w the gables. Rooflines simply make or break a house. The color is right on trend! Lovely
Beautiful transformation, Maria! You did it again! 🙂
First picture I think gray and white. Only when I go to your postings of color and find out it is midnight blue do I go whatttt. I am so glad that you give the colors as it is soooo helpful! The house exterior looks fantastic. Can’t wait to see the inside!
Wow! What a beautiful transformation!
But I thought the new colour was grey, not blue. Do you have to use blue paint for it to turn out looking grey or do I just not know the difference?
Beautiful job, Maria! How much the architecture was enhanced by this color choice(s)! I’m guessing that the door is mahogany…..like the color of the front deck.
You certainly worked your magic on this one Maria. KUDOS! ☺ -Brenda-
We also painted our house navy w/white trim 3 years ago. I do still love the look. A couple of things to keep in mind if you’re considering navy:
Go dark. As someone has already mentioned, sunlight and large expanses will make it look lighter and brighter. If you have a single-story house or lots of trees, it might not matter as much. I painted our shed with SW Naval to try it out, and, whoa, it was way too bright. Did a darker custom mix for the house. I think this looks classier, as does a creamier white like the “Mayonnaise” that Maria chose for the house in this post.
Navy is hot! We live in Alaska, so I love the feeling of the heat radiating off the front of my house, but not everyone will appreciate this “bonus.”
Navy will wear faster than a lighter color. Dust and cobwebs show up more and the sun is fading it a little.
Wow. Wow! WOW! That is an amazing transformation. Very impressive work! Here’s the link to the BM Midnight Blue color:
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/midnightblue
Maria –
GREAT transformation!!
WOW!!!! Fabulous! You’re right; it doesn’t look like the same house. The trim looks much more substantial and the color scheme is just beautiful. Yup, I can see why it sold in 3 hours. Talk about curb appeal.
I adore navy and I think this house is perfect! If we did not have a brick house I would want a house with siding this color.
This past weekend we visited our daughter and her family in the Cleveland, OH area. They are in the middle of a DIY bathroom project and of course are trying to use taupes because they are the “perfect” neutral colors. I hate taupe! Son-in-law Henry was sent to the paint store by his wife to buy a gallon of taupe paint in the lightest shade possible. One coat on the wall and they had a barfy weird purple wall. Mom to the rescue! Since the vanity was small and not yet installed we loaded it up in the car and off to the paint store we went with a section of the flooring. Have you ever seen Travertine with a violet undertone? http://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMASTER-Take-Home-Sample-Allure-Ivory-Travertine-Resilient-Vinyl-Tile-Flooring-4-in-x-4-in-10042915/100353912?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal We really needed to tone that purple down. I still don’t know how we did it but after trying 5 different color swatches we decided on a shade that did not cuss at the flooring nor at the vanity. After a coat of Killz and a coat of the new paint we had a combination they could live with and that did not make me cringe. I can’t wait to visit again in a few months and see how they have finished the room, accessories, etc. I’ve always been aware of undertones but since I’ve been reading your blog I am much better at recognizing what works and what doesn’t.
THANK YOU and please look for Jordan Distad to be a new subscriber soon!
Karen
Interesting that the before picture leaves out the white garage which never went with the earthy browns of the original house colors. Now, after your color choices, the garage and house look compatible. Well done.
Maria,
You are a color GENIUS !
Wow, wow, wow! Huge difference! Just love it! If the paint started out navy did the fading turn it a little on the purple side? It would be fun to find that exact paint color that it is now. I love the whole combo and the patio is also so well done! Great job, you are a genius!