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Black House Exteriors

It might seem like my mission is to paint everything deep grey . . .  Can you blame me?  Since a coat of charcoal grey made our dated fireplace look so much more modern, now I want to paint the exterior of the lakehouse a similar shade.  Maybe even darker – almost black.  It would pair so crisply with our existing white trim (and a turquoise door, of course).  Here’s my house now:

The exterior really isn’t offensive, but I don’t love the faux stonework.  What bothers me most is that the side and back of the house, even the garage, have beige siding that looks cheap and totally clashes with the wood and stonework.  A coat of deep grey (on everything, including the guesthouse exterior) could unify the myriad of materials.

Here’s Some Inspiration:

Here’s a More Neutral Vibe:

As a plan B, I spotted this house while walking Szuka and I love this sort of putty brown with the mint door.  That’s super cute too and would make painting the vinyl siding and stone fascia an easier option because this color is readily available in vinyl siding and masonry paint…

Taupe house exterior with mint door

It’s more muted, but I’ve really become enamoured with taupe and bright turquoise.

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15 Comments

  1. Katchups
    December 16, 2013 / 5:20 pm

    I love that first picture, but what really makes it is that garden! *sigh* I totally agree that your house would look great painted a dark grey! Have you thought about maybe painting the faux stone a bright color? Like red? Or is that too lighthouse-y? Would it make your neighbors crazy?

    • Tanya from Dans le Townhouse
      December 16, 2013 / 6:22 pm

      That garden is amazing! My house will never have that, lol.I hadn't thought about painting the stonework a different colour. I'm not sure I could find a bright red if I can't custom tint, but maybe white, for contrast? My neighbors can't see us because we have trees on either side. I can go really nutty!

  2. Ashley
    December 16, 2013 / 7:28 pm

    Ahhhhh please go for it and I will live vicariously through you! I want so badly for all of our trim to be charcoal/black, but I'm never going to convince Mike that anything other than white would be awesome.

    • Tanya from Dans le Townhouse
      December 16, 2013 / 11:21 pm

      Charcoal trim is so daring! You have such a bold vision. Could you convince him that white looks dirty so quickly? Dark trim = less house washing . . . ? I'm reaching.

  3. Dana@Mid2Mod
    December 16, 2013 / 9:32 pm

    I love your idea of painting your house a really dark color. I think you'd be really happy with it.I went from a light tan to a dark, dark greenish gray, and I love the change. People paint brick here all the time with just regular exterior paint, and it stays on just fine, but I don't know how the difference in our climates could affect paint durability. Here, we mainly use oil-based masonry paint for smooth surfaces like garage floors or porches.

    • Tanya from Dans le Townhouse
      December 16, 2013 / 11:22 pm

      I'm happy to hear that not only do you love the dark colour swap, but that brick doesn't need anything but regular exterior paint! The options for masonry paint are less than stellar. I might just take the plunge!

  4. Hayley
    December 17, 2013 / 5:15 am

    I think it would look fantastic!! I have been itching to paint our house darker too, I say go for it!!

    • Tanya from Dans le Townhouse
      December 17, 2013 / 8:29 pm

      Am I the guinea pig, lol?

  5. Carol Bayersdorfer
    December 17, 2013 / 1:51 pm

    Go for it Tanya, I love the look of the first house you featured. Timeless and beautiful. I've seen furniture painted in Graphite Gray and it was fabulous.Can't wait to see what you do with it!

    • Tanya from Dans le Townhouse
      December 17, 2013 / 8:30 pm

      The dark houses that have inspired me do look timeless. I keep finding myself drawn to similar exterior colours . . .

  6. Tawnya M.
    December 17, 2013 / 3:36 pm

    I think the house would look stunning in a dark charcoal! My mind instantly went to painting the stonework white, which I think would look so crisp with the dark wood and white trim. You can take the body of the house super dark and rich without worrying about it being overwhelming that way. And, then when you introduce a fun, bold color on the door or any accessories (e.g urns, patio furniture, flowers) it will really pop.

  7. brikhouse2
    December 17, 2013 / 5:43 pm

    Hope you have air conditioning because the dark might attract a lot of heat in the summer months…but it looks awesome.

    • Tanya from Dans le Townhouse
      December 17, 2013 / 8:31 pm

      That is an excellent point! Apparently the house is rather cool all summer because of the proximity to the lake. Thunder Bay, in general, has only a short hot-summer period. But maybe I should wait until I've experienced a few summer days myself because we don't have AC. Thanks for thinking so practically 🙂

  8. Anonymous
    December 18, 2013 / 6:57 am

    I love your idea of painting the wood charcoal grey with white trim. It sounds ugly in theory but looks so "blue blood". The look is so classy you think Ralph Lauren models will start filing out of the front door. I was researching concrete stain online yesterday and guess what? The stain can also be used for masonry. Check out soycrete which requires less prep and is nontoxic. Maybe you can stain the "stone" a grey that is dark enough to to compliment the charcoal paint. the color of wet limestone would look awesome. Soycrete sells 2oz. samples for $3 each. Mine are on the way! Hope this idea helps. The stone will look more real than if painted and no chipped and or paint worries. I haven't tried this on my ugly 80's brown brick yet. I wish us both luck!

    • Tanya from Dans le Townhouse
      December 18, 2013 / 5:39 pm

      Great tip about soycrete. I hadn't thought about stain, but that might look even better than just painting over it. It would keep some of the "stone-ness" to it, like you said. If you try it, I'd love to hear what you think.

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