The Dark Side

We tried something new on for size.  It regards the front of the house.  We've got plans for it and if you missed them, you can read all about them in this post I wrote last year.  But, as the planning has gotten more serious and we're closer to actually putting those plans into motion, we've been trying to really nail down details and maybe changed a few things up.

Before I go into details...  

Here's a (blurry realtor) photo to jog your memory on what the house looked like when we bought it.

I wrote a one-year-in exterior update here but in a nutshell, we took down the shutters, replaced the glass in the windows, painted the front door, replaced the overgrown jasmine along the sidewalk with pretty white flowers, laid bricks along the sidewalk, and transplanted a few more plants from the backyard in front of the left side of the porch.  

Getting there.

A few months back though, I was reading an article about the new black house trend and I got really excited.  I love that look.  Love it so much I really thought maybe we should change our plans and go black or charcoal instead of white on the exterior trim.  And so, I made it happen...

With the help of Photoshop, of course.  ;)  

What do you think?  I know it's bold but it screams cozy to me.  Am I crazy?  Anthony thinks so because he vetoed it two minutes after I showed him.  Ha!  I would say I probably lean more towards a white house vs. a dark house in general (because I don't think just any house can go dark) but sometimes I feel like going against the grain - there are a lot of white houses, especially white painted brick houses, popping up around here - so the idea of doing something different is very appealing.   I think some changes would have to happen to make it really jive like, we'd probably swap out the white flowers for something more simple and green.  They're very prim and pretty and the black house is neither of those so they just collide in this instance.  With the cottage feel that we're going for with this house, I think it swing either way - dark or light.  Functionally though?  Our house gets a good amount of full sun during the day so dark paint paired with our dark roof definitely wouldn't help keep all of that heat away.  What do you think about the black house trend?  Like it?  Love it?  Think it's the most horrendous thing to hit the housing sector since popcorn ceilings?  I know it's not for everyone.

Here are a few of my favorite black houses on the net:

Alison's house, with its board and batten is oh-so-dramatic and beautiful.  I would have balked at the idea of a slight scalloped trim too, before I saw hers. 

This black cabin by Mowery Marsh Architects and bonus, there's a before & after.       

Nayjun and Joel's black and wood beauty seems like it could fit quite nicely on any neighborhood street.

The 2017 O'More Showhouse.  I love all of the different materials this house is made with.

Needless to say, we're not going dark in real life.  Obviously, you probably gathered that since we already started painting the exterior trim last month and it's not dark at all.  And really, with the two pictures side-by-side, the white version is more "us" anyway.  It is fun to dream though.

But hey, this paint job won't last forever so there's no telling if the next one will have this front looking dark and dramatic.  ;)

P.S.  Speaking of the front of the house, we are waiting on a bid from a local contractor and are hoping to get this ball rolling within the next couple of months, possibly weeks if he can fit us in...unless the pricing comes back wayyyy over what we were estimating.  Gosh I hope not.  The whole project will likely be a combo of us doing what we can do ourselves - demo, some easy install, and paint - and then leaving the structural stuff to the pro.  Hopefully, we'll have a pretty, open gable by summer's end!  I'll keep you posted!

P.P.S.  Are you tired of me writing about the outside of our house yet?  Sorry if that's true but I've got good news.  I'm moving inside to show you some progress we've been making and some organizing I've been doing!  Keep your eyes peeled!  I've had more time to sit down and type recently so I'll tell you all the things!