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Paint Before & After Exterior

Exterior colour palette

last year

last modified: last year

Hi there!
I own a long duplex with a narrow frontage, mosty taken up by the garage. The front yard area was sloping and not particularly usable, so I recently installed a basalt/bluestone retaining wall and steps, and horizontal aluminium slat fence above it in Monument.I'm now having trouble deciding on the exterior colour scheme. The roof tiles were recently sealed in Basalt grey.
The neighbours exterior is painted Teahouse grey, and looks very nice - but a test patch I painted on my side is just not appealing to me. It may be because my side gets alot more direct sun, and the monument fence just doesnt look right next to it. I also have a massive double garage door that I need to decide a colour for.
I initially wanted a dark exterior, but now I'm not so sure. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Featured Answer

bigreader

last year

You already have Basalt and Monument. You need to continue using those colours otherwise your house will look like a patch work quilt. I wouldn’t add another colour and would continue the Monument. You could soften the fence with extra plantings inc a climber/creeper.

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Comments (13)

flickett
Original Author
last year
flickett
Original Author
last year
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flickett
Original Author
last year
Will post better pics from a distance later. In the 2nd photo you can see the Teahouse grey test patch on the left of the garage.
Julie Herbert
last year
Love what you have done so far, looking forward to seeing your photos.
Julie Herbert
last year
Agree Basalt and Monument look wonderful together, soften the look with a light creeper, dichondra around rock steps to instantly lighten the look, looks fabulous against the dark colour scheme, paint garage door Monument.. gorgeous
flickett thanked Julie Herbert
flickett
Original Author
last year
Thanks alot Julie & bigreader. I was actually thinking about painting the garage door monument, as well as installing a new side gate and fence in monument. And I do have some spare basalt paint, so I'll paint over the Teahouse test patch this evening. Just thought it might be weird with both the roof and the exterior painted basalt. In saying that, its such a narrow frontage that more than two colours will definitely look 'busy'.
flickett
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
I have some dichondra planted on the right side of the steps, doing very well! Definitely will plant more. I absolutely love how plants 'pop' against monument, thats the main reason I chose that fence colour - what kind of light creeper do you recommend?
Julie Herbert
last year
You could try Virginia creeper, Boston ivy, or single star jasmine grown up a vertical wire so it spills over top, but be vigilant keeping them to a narrow shape, don’t let them overtake the fence, keep it simple, minimal and beautiful against your black fence .
flickett thanked Julie Herbert
flickett
Original Author
last year
Gorgeous ideas!!! Thank you. And will still allow for airflow between the slats :)
User
last year
I like the new fence and those basalt rocks . Like the others , I'd be interested in the new pics -- if it was as per the first pic , I'd go monument on all the trims and the garage door , and the right hand side fence , but with the new fence , that may look too dark and overdone .

I still feel it needs something Wow though -- with the dark 'new' fence and my suggoestion of the other RHS one also Monument , maybe a bright Lipstick Red for the garage door , or an amazing ( probably basalt/bluestone based ) letterbox ? Maybe just your street numbers 80cm tall painted that bright red , and attached to the new fence ? It doesn't look like you'll have room to do gardens or big colourful or subtle pots , but without pics , thats just surmising .
bigreader
last year
I don’t often go for pottsy’s bright colour suggestion but this time I’ve listened. A pop of colour across a Monument base would look great. If you added a climber like Julie’s picks that had red foliage at stages and match the background of the house numbers to the red of the foliage, you’d have a well designed look with a point of interest.
bigreader
last year
Add a letterbox in a matching colour.

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