Reader's Design Dilemma {Exterior Paint Choices}

Last week I was contacted by one of my reader's. I love getting an email that has some sort of design question or dilemma. In this case Denise was having difficulty choosing an exterior paint color for her home:

Amy, I think your so talented. I was hoping you might give me a minute or two of your valuable time. I have re-sided my home and the painters are standing by while I stand dumbfounded at the chip wall, I have no idea!

I need to co-ordinate my roofs green and blue grays and I'd like the new shake to stand out a bit but have no idea about the trim, body door and shutters. I saw the colors on your latest flip and thought they were so gorgeous I'd take a chance to see if you had an idea about the direction I so go.

Thanks in advance, and thanks even if your too busy to write back. I love your blog and all the inspiration we get from it.

Denise

photos - 1) house, 2) roof, 3) shake, and 4) new window trim

I've added staggered shake to the gable and will be adding this window detail and beefier posts

What an adorable home! I was pleased to hear that she is going to be adding some larger posts to the front porch as well as beefing up the trim around the windows and doors. This will make a huge difference for the curb appeal of this home. 

I sent Denise three options (although I could have sent her like 10!). I am anxious to see what she decides and hope that she will send all of us some updates along the way. 

Option 1:

Since the roof has a fleck of green to it, I thought Crownsville Gray would be a great compliment. It also has hints of green, brown and gray. The posts and trim would really stand out with Simply White and be such a fabulous contrast to the darker siding. And I just thought she needed a Navy blue door. You know my love for the dark regal blues. 

Here is a little idea of where this color scheme is headed:

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Option 2:

We have actually used this color combination in a couple of our flip homes. These colors feel a bit fresh and cottage like to me. The door color would really stand out from the street and adding Chelsea gray to the shakes would create another element to the curb appeal.

Here is an example minus the front door color. This was a flip we did a couple of years ago and used Sandy Hook as the main color, Chelsea Gray on the shutters and Glass of Milk as the trim. 

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Option 3: 

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This color palette was pulled from one of the blogs that I currently follow. The color combination is a bit lighter than the previous two, but still plays on the green shingles making it feel cohesive. I also love the idea of adding a little color to the porch ceiling. Very cottage like indeed!

Here is the example of Dixie Delight's home painted in this color palette:

Thanks Denise for sharing your home with us today! In my opinion, Denise can't go wrong with any of these paint choices. 

Tell me....What option is your favorite?

If you have a design question or are stumped on how to organize a certain space...email me at: eatsleepdecorate(at)gmail(dot)com. I would love to help you with your design dilemma's!

Flip Home #5 Reveal {Before & After}

As promised from yesterday's post and this weekend's teasers on Instagram I am happy to share that our Flip House #5 is complete and up on the market! I listed it on Sunday night and we have already had 6 showings and a possible offer coming our way! Let's cross our fingers it sells quickly. It is in a great location and with almost 3/4 of an acre who wouldn't want to live in this little cutie?!

If you missed the before pictures on this place, you will want to go Here. It was a fun little project that took about 8 weeks. I enjoyed working with our business partner picking out colors, flooring, counter tops and adding those sweet little touches to make it feel like home.

This little beauty is around 1600sqft with 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a good size family room with fireplace, eat in kitchen with french doors leading out onto a large back deck that overlooks a fenced in yard.

And I couldn't leave you today without a couple of before and afters....

Now...on to finding another! Stay Tuned!!

The Details:

Kitchen:
*New Appliances
*Painted Cabinets White
*New Vinyl Floors
*Sprayed hardware
*New Granite Countertops (Venetian Gold)
*New Paint (Sherwin Williams-Wedgewood Gray)

Master Bedroom:
*New Paint (Sherwin Williams-Bungalow Beige)
*New Ceiling Fan
*New Carpet

Bathrooms:
*New Vinyl Floors
*New Countertops
*New Sinks
*New Fixtures
*New Tub and Surround

Interior:
*New paint throughout (Bungalow Beige (sw 7511))
*New Carpet in living room and bedrooms
*Stained railings in entryway
*New Light fixtures/fans

Exterior:
*New Landscaping
*Power washed & Stained back deck
*New Paint on siding, trim, doors & shutters (main color: Amazing Gray (SW 7044)
*Removed wood rot from siding/replaced some siding
*Brought in a load of stone for driveway


Thanks for all of your wonderful comments and support on our flip homes! We sure love what we do!

Have a Fabulous Day!


Linked up at: Thrifty Decor Chick

Front Porch Updates {Before & After}

This past weekend was beautiful! I spent the whole weekend sprucing up the porch so we could do some serious front porch sittin this Spring!

I am really happy with how it turned out. It is amazing what a little pop of color can do. I found the colorful pillows and rug at Target. The pots were from various nurseries as well as Big Lots & Home Depot. The rest of the items I had around the house. I love re-purposing items from my house, it is like finding new items for zero cost!

The Sisal Pouf (found at Home Goods) was originally in the Hubs office, but it happens to move from room to room a lot. I love how it gives this vignette a little texture. (The kitty is an optional touch as well.)

Door is Calypso Blue..painted a couple years ago. You can see the before and after pics Here. 

You can check out my DIY Spring Wreath Here and Welcome Mat Here. 

Me and kitty have really been enjoying some front porch sittin!

So have you been outside getting ready for nicer weather or are you still stuck inside with cold temps and snow!? 

And...you know I couldn't leave you without a couple before and after pictures. Thanks for hanging in there, it has been quite the picture overload today. My apologies! :)

Linked up at: Thrifty Decor Chick

New Flip Home #5 {Before Pictures}

Happy Hump Day All! Hope you are having a productive week without too much fun! :)

I am happy to announce that we have closed on our 5th flip home this week. We have already started tearing off rotted siding, pulled up gross carpet and started patching holes in the walls. I spoke with the neighbor yesterday and he said this little home has been sitting empty for about 3 years! Isn't it crazy how long foreclosed homes sit before the bank does anything about them!? We are happy that this little home is ours. We are going to make her shine and then give her a new owner to love on her!

This little beauty is around 1600sqft with 4 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a good size family room with fireplace, eat in kitchen with french doors leading out onto a large back deck. Spaces fenced in yard with just about three quarters of an acre. Sounds dreamy doesn't it? You Just Wait!

Are you ready for the BEFORE pictures? Just brace yourselves...they aren't pretty.

You can see I am shooting toward the front door. There are a lot of items that need to be done right here. New light fixtures, New Paint, Carpeting, touch up all molding and doors.

Don't look directly at the walls, but this is the family room. The fireplace is in great shape, which is a plus. This room will need new paint, carpet, light fixture and new screens for the windows.

The family room opens up into the eat in kitchen/dining area.

Doesn't look that appetizing to cook a meal in now, but just hold your horses! This kitchen is going to get a full face lift with bright white cabinetry, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, tile floors and new light fixtures. This is where we will spend the most money, which is important because a kitchen is the top space that sells a home!

Even though there isn't a lot of counter space, this kitchen is actually quite spacious and the new owners can even opt for putting in an island. The small door to the left is a good size pantry. The doors leading out flow right into a laundry room with a side entrance from outside.

Your master bedroom looks like this..does it not? HA! Pretty gross. Hope you aren't eating your breakfast right now. The master will also get a full neutral paint job, new carpet, wallpaper border will be gone and a new light fixture is in order!

Someone really liked to faux finish walls! This is the master bathroom. The tile floors are hard to see, but are actually in good shape, so we are going to keep them and just clean them up a bit. New paint on vanity, new counter tops, fixtures and framed mirror are priority in this space. Behind the door is a full tub/shower. I didn't take a picture of it... because to be honest, that is the worse part about the house. I think we are going to tear it out and start over. I have no idea how a bathroom gets to the point of no return...if you get my drift.

You can kind of get a peek of the shower through the mirror. Doesn't look that bad from this view. Some people will like the fact that there is a shared bathroom downstairs, some won't. But, there is access to this bathroom from the hallway as well as the master. Nothing we could change about this layout with the budget we have. We will see what buyers say when they walk through the finished place.

There were some really creative people that lived here! This is the second bedroom downstairs that would actually be a great office space facing the front of the property. New paint, carpet, fixtures are a must!

Upstairs are two good size bedrooms, a full bathroom and walk in attic space.

The second full bathroom is surprisingly not as bad as the master downstairs.

The tile and bathtub are in great shape. We will just add some new fixtures, toilet, paint the vanity, all new hardware and frame out the mirror.

As you can see we are already in full swing of fixing up this place. Workers were on the roof tearing some of the rotten siding off yesterday. I love the backyard. It is fenced in and so private and peaceful. I could see a family really enjoying time back here entertaining with cookouts and games.
The exterior needs some siding replaced, new paint on siding, trim, shutters and doors. The deck needs a few boards replaced, a good power wash and stain. There are pieces in the fence that need to be fixed. The front porch paint needs to be scraped and re-stained. This beauty also needs some landscaping around the front to make her pop from the street.

There is a lot of work to be done, but I love the journey and seeing where it takes us! I will update you along the way. We should have this up on the market the beginning of April!

So tell me...does this place just disgust you or can you see the beauty underneath all the dirt?

If you missed our four previous flip homes you can click Here to see some before and after pictures.