Well, it’s not really a secret.
If you were driving by our house, you’d quickly notice that…we currently are sporting a two-toned house. Yup, it’s all the rage.
Looks good, right? HA! You see, we’ve been trying to finish painting the house for some time now, but Oregon’s weather has been anything but cooperative. And on top of our full-time jobs, squeezing in painting the exterior of our home has been tricky. With that said, I’m showing you these embarassing photos in hopes that we will finish this weekend, and I’ll have some serious “after” photos to show you. And yes, we are also replacing shingles. Fun times.
The good news is that the front is painted, trim and all. Here’s proof.
How did we pick the color? Well, we saw the color on a house a few neighborhoods away(shown below in the photo), and we knew it was the one for us. I actually slipped a business card in the house’s mailbox (no one was home) and asked if someone could give me some paint information.
A few days later, the home’s owner was kind enough to call me and let me know the color was Benjamin Moore’s Sharkskin. It’s basically a blend of grey and green and it was love at first sight.
Our exterior TO DO list still includes landscaping, painting the side of the house, painting all the trim (not just the front), replacing a few shingles, and refinishing our original 1925 door. What color will the door be? I have to give you some motivation to come back to Restored Style, don’t I?
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June 24th, 2010 on 6:16 am
Your house is just adorable. It has so much character. My favorite thing I miss about Portland! The first house my husband and I bought, was built in in the early 50′s, 900 sq ft, and a MAJOR fixer upper but it had so much character. Thankfully we sold right before the market tanked and we live in a track home in a new neighborhood now. I never thought I would say this but I miss living in an older home and the older established neighborhood. I love character in homes. We live in cookie cutter land right now LOL. Hopefully I can move back into a cute little ole house someday.
June 24th, 2010 on 11:52 am
Thanks Kara! With “character” comes the need for a lot of love, money and care, but in the end, it’s fun to see how a little elbow grease can really spiff a place up:).
July 8th, 2010 on 1:32 pm
Kirsten, your house looks fabulous! I’m trying to decide on paint colors for my house and this might be it! Can you tell me the color you used for the trim? And the front door…did you paint the door or was it purchased in that color? Love your blog. Just discovered it and am enjoying it very much.
July 8th, 2010 on 7:50 pm
Hi Tracy! Thanks for visiting RS! We used Benajmin Moore’s Sharkskin for the body of the house and Benjamin’s Moore White Dove for the trim. As for the door, it was that color when we moved in, and truth be told, we were going to paint it but I have been getting so many compliments on it that we just might leave it:). Happy color-choosing!
July 13th, 2010 on 7:30 am
Thanks for the color info Kirsten! You’ve gotten me excited about painting my house and given me a motivational nudge to finally get it done. One thing I forgot to ask: did you paint the foundation of your house sharkskin as well or did you use a different contrasting color? Thanks so much.
p.s. yes, leave the door! it looks awesome.
July 13th, 2010 on 5:05 am
So glad to have found your blog! You have a really great house and, since we are undergoing renovations of our own home (a Dutch Colonial) it’s fun to follow-along with someone else’s renovations. In case you are interested, we used Hardy shingles on our house b/c ours were falling apart as well. I was a bit concerned about using them vs. cedar but am really happy we did. The sun beats down on the house but the shingles are staying put.
May 4th, 2011 on 4:54 am
Love the color! After months of searching for the perfect exterior color, I have finally found the ONE on your blog. LOVE your blog and home! Beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration!!
June 5th, 2011 on 6:19 pm
The house looks great! Are you still loving the color? I have already tried 15 paint colors for our exterior makeover and now I’m freaking out a bit.
June 5th, 2011 on 9:24 pm
YES! We love the color. It’s very rich and makes the white dove trim pop!
August 31st, 2011 on 6:29 pm
I love the color – I was leaning towards a grey but I must say this is far better than just grey alone not to mention the white trim stands out as well, thanks for posting it.