Keep funky craftsman style paint colors or repaint

I'd repaint. There's a little too much going on, IMO, in it's current state. I'd go with a dark sage green for the siding to complement the red brick, then do an off white for the trim, including the posts, window and roof trim. Then paint the front door a dark red to match the brick.

If you upload this photo onto Sherwin Williams website, they let you play with colors on their visualizer. You can keep the body color if you change the trim. I agree with Sabrina that staying with green works. Some photos to help you see it:

Green-blues can work it’s cream / ivory trim as well. Your house is already adorable. It just needs a better color scheme.

Your home can look better

Definitely repaint. Love the greens in RedRyder's post^^. In the SE, I would want cool greens vs the warm colors the house is painted now.

Maybe we are assuming the house is green because it also looks kinda beige….

Find greens that “fit” a Craftsman and get some Samplize squares. Attach them to the house and keep looking at them in bright sunlight, cloudy light and all sides of the house. The right color green will come to you.

Here are three greens to look at. Each photo tells you the exact paint company and color.

Your house is sweet. I like the idea of multiple colors be the current selection could be better. the red bricks are a large part of the color scheme.

To met at is not a craftsman color scheme it even looks like they painted the brick red . I like redryders colors in the last pic but the brick is an issue if it is painted that red.If the actual brick has been left then just paint over the red that is painted Then go to work on the landscaping to really make this home look awesome.

Siding looks to be Sage-ish green, is that correct? If yes, I'd consider keeping it.

Foundation red also looks good.

Paint the window Sashes (just the glass frame) reddish to match foundation. Could also do the front door deep red.

Paint the (now blue) eaves, columns, and corner trim sand. Include the two horizontal bottom boards of the front gable and the brackets with this trim color.

The red brick the only part that seems off to me. I would paint the foundation the same purple as the windows. And then landscape. Adorable house!!

Repaint. Two least-effort options that would be attractive:

1- paint the blue trim with off white.

or

2- paint the red-painted bricks with the same purple-brown as the windows. No ladder needed.

Sometimes owners leave the old cans of paint in the garage or basement. You can take a photo of the color-mix labels and get more of the same paint newly mixed from the paint company.

It looks like the brick is painted. If the brick is painted, I would paint it the color of the body of the house, it's the red that is one color too many.

Love the one @RedRyder suggested.

I agree with apple_pie_order, it's the blue that is wrong. Change the blue to an off white.

Gracious front porch · More Info

You haven’t told us how you feel about the red brick. The photo I posted, that Paul reposted, has the brick painted a deeper red. And it is 3 colors - cream, green and deep purplish red.

If you want this to be simple, start with a nice creamy ivory and paint everything that isn’t green or red brick. That will, at a minimum, give your eyes a chance to “see” the rest of the possibilities. Sherwin Williams has a lovely ivory called “Creamy”. It works with greens. It’s not too white for your trim.

Yours is a wonderful house. The exterior color scheme can turn it into a showplace.

Details matter. Just offering some things to consider.

In your picture:

1. The windows are detailed incorrectly; reverse the two colors. Paint the "casing" a lighter color than the siding (rather than the current dark color); and paint the "sash" a darker *accent* color (instead of the current off white).

2. At the front end of the porch, there is a horizontal (1 x 8?) board, now painted red. It should be changed, and painted either a) same color as porch floor, or b) house *trim* color.

3. House trim should be lighter than house siding.

House trim includes: window casing, corner boards, porch gable horizontals, columns, fascia, eaves.

4. You may want to consider painting the gable brackets an *accent* color.

5. Consider painting the siding of the porch gable, a darker shade of your siding color.

6. Concrete caps atop the brick piers look to be painted, in which case they need to be considered in the color scheme.

Green and red complement each other.

The pic I've attached is the closest example I could find.

Two more samples. Darker siding color(1), lighter trim color(2), and darkest/accent color(3) on window sashes.

Okay, I'll quit now.

This is sagey-green (color1), creme trim (color2), deep red (accent1) window sashes, and a darker trim (accent2) for corner boards and gable detail.

Link to a page of Craftsman Bungalow exterior paint schemes

Hi all, thank you so much for your ideas. The main color of the house is what I would call a flaxen yellow. The brick has unfortunately been painted a harsh red and is not the original color of the brick. We have a painting contractor coming tomorrow for estimates and I am now convinced to just repaint the whole house in one of the lovely green color schemes posted here. The house will also be getting porch railing and be landscaped properly in the spring. I will post an updated photo when its finished.

So many great suggestions here! Please, please, please do not paint it black, which is the current brainwash for ruining cute bungalows here in my neck of the woods.

Yes, repaint in one of the greens or blue-greens, including the brick! Make that brick disappear, and make it all look fresh with white or off-white trim.

Have you walked the neighborhood or others nearby to see how others have painted and what you like best? It is how I brainstormed the scheme for my house. Also, consider the surroundings - are there large trees you can see on either side or in the background of your home? Sometimes sage is wonderful, but sometimes it just isn't right in evey climate or with all vegetation.

It is also hard to see the roof color in these photos and you need to consider that.

I like it as it is, but Sage Green would like really nice too.

I don't dislike it but there may be a better color scheme. The thing I like about this color scheme is that it provides some contrast that accentuates the understated details.

IMO, the house base green is fine. But, the blue, red are not good choices if you want a craftsman color scheme. The red is close on the brick, but off somehow. The blue is just too much. there are many beautiful craftsman on this sight and online.

one more observation, the door and sidelites are very contemporary and not in keeping with craftsman.

@lazidazi. Wow, your diagnosis re window detailing, porch board, etc, is truly awesome. You really pinpointed the needs for the house without prescribing specific colors, so your principles can be applied to various color schemes. I personally would never have thought of these points, though now that you’ve observed them they’re very clear.

Thankyou, @joots07.

I promised an update so here it is. Our painter talked us into a historically accurate for the time period blue with appropriate accent colors as everyone is painting their homes green right now. We really like it and porch railing and new landscaping are coming soon.

@jbangelini you’re right the door is definitely not original and we want to replace it soon with a craftsman style wood door. The sidelites, however, are original with the original single pane wavy glass.

I am usually against painting but this looks great. We have a lot of neighbors painting brick and siding all bright white. Yours is so much better unifying the siding and brick but with a rich color not a stark white. Your bright white is crisp against that blue. What is the name of that shade?

@kathleenmk the white is sherwin williams sw0050 classic buff white. If anyone wants the name of the other colors they are sw0032 needlepoint navy and sw0045 antiquarian brown.

This is lovely, great job!

Looks great! Excellent colors for the house style.

Beautiful!

Great choices! Thanks for the update on your charming cottage.

Good job! So charming. Please come back here when your landscaping door and railings are done

Just a suggestion. The white on the steps and porch is going to look terrible in a week.

Final update. The porch railing and gate went in and we just did landscaping. we planted limelight hydrangeas that should hopefully bloom by July and we found a whole concrete patio covered by dirt in the backyard.

Less pixelated photo

Lovely paint job!

Limelight hydrangea grow fast to their mature size of 6-8 feet wide, and 6-8 feet tall. Give them more room. If you try to prune them smaller they get unattractive spindly shoots.

https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/hydrangea/limelight-panicle-hydrangea-hydrangea-paniculata

It looks ADORABLE! Your painter gave you great advice.

I agree the hydrangeas may need a bit more room, but they will be stunning in front.

Another easy bush to grow is azaleas. You can find colors that will complement the hydrangeas. Lovely, lovely house!

So glad you also painted the brick!

Wow, your paint choices look beautiful!! 👏