Exterior Paint Debate

A couple months ago we asked you guys on Facebook an Instagram how crazy it would be to paint our house red. Verdict = not crazy. At least not too crazy. But Husband still feels a little like this about it:

Not an ideal response, right? So we're still flipping and flopping on a color scheme. But the more I look at the siding, the more I think we may need to paint it this year rather than next. It's time to get serious and make some hard choices. I don't want to put it off and make a frantic decision I regret for the next 5-8 years. So last Saturday we spent the morning hardware store-hopping (it was our cheapest Lowe's trip ever) and I grabbed another stack of paint chips to try out. This time all more neutral colors.

And now - after all this time - I might have made a teeny bit of progress. This feels like such a big decision because we are NOT going to repaint the whole house if I decide I hate it (so yes, we'll definitely be buying a few sample cans). But I think I'm starting to get there so we want to hear your thoughts again:

What do you think would look best on our house?

These pinterest houses are some of my favorites at the moment. I love using pinterest for things like this - I just save anything that really jumps out at me, then as I scroll through my pins I can start to see patterns in what I like. So I've narrowed my scope to gray, white, and three very specific colors.
Okay, let's get started.



The Darker Grays
First question: Is gray the right choice just because it's more neutral? Am I less likely to get tired of it over the next several years? Or will we love something more unique?

We'll start with the darkest gray. Deep and rich. But will it work with a gray roof? 

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Next is a slightly-less-dark gray with crisp white trim. (bonus points for a beautiful wooden door)

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And one more along those same lines. Love the black accents with this, too.

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The Lighter/Medium Grays
I'm loving these lighter, brighter brothers of the dark gray. They feel a little more cheerful and welcoming to me. But I also realized these are all much smaller houses, and I wonder if the lighter shade would read more washed out on larger surfaces?

This is the first house I pinned almost a year ago and it's still one of my favorites, which seems like a good sign. 

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Similar but with a bright yellow door! I think I also love all the greenery around these houses, too. We have lots of trees and will likely add a little landscaping around the front for a similar feel.
 

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And one more. Also pretty much the same (+wooden door). I must really like this one if I saved three that are almost identical, right?

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The Taupe-y Gray
I haven't been crazy about brown or tan, but this mix of taupe-y gray might win me over with its warmer hue.

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White
Confession: I don't know if white is a real contender or if I just like these specific houses. I feel like a white house needs visual interest in other ways (like architecture, windows, or a beautiful setting) and I'm not sure our box of a house has enough to offer.

They are all white houses with white trim, but this one has stunning windows.
 

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Another beautiful, old white house. This one is packed with details and character.
 

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And one more that is a simpler design, but still dressed up with window boxes and and picket fence. 

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The Only Blue For Me

Be. Still. My. Heart.
Fact: Blue isn't my favorite. Unless it's a deep navy. I painted over all the blue in my house, and I don't even buy blue clothes. So I ruled out a blue house before I even started looking. But then I found this. It's cool if I runaway and live here, right?
 

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The Palest Green
My feelings for green are the opposite of my feelings about blue. It's easily my favorite color. And yet when it came to green houses... Meh. They may not be my jam. The only one I fell for was this super pale barely-green.
 

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And this one that's a slightly cooler tone. 
 

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Okay okay, I did just come across this one darker green that I might also love. I'm undecided.

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Red
Husband thinks he knows how he feels about red... but has he seen it in the snow??? It's like an instant Christmas house.
 

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And I'll just leave this here....
 

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So what do you think?
The boys think we need a pirate ship helm on the deck. Done. 

Let us know what you think! Have another color we should consider? Drop a link to your favorite pinterest homes in the comments and we'll check it out!