Here in the South, I see a lot of plain white houses. They capture my attention, because from the part of California I am from, I have never seen houses that stark before...
Specializing in Curb Appeal, now I understand that people often defer to "plain white", also referred to as, "off-the-shelf white", or "ready-mix white", when re-painting a house. It's slightly cheaper than a custom white, and you don't have to decide anything.
I find that it's also virtually charmless and difficult to keep clean (the accent colors are.... mildew and dirt). What I see in my area too often is a Victorian home painted "plain white." It's almost painful to see such a beauty with authentic turn-of-the-century detailing, dressed in sack-cloth.
White houses can be stunning, when you give the white a little twist in the right direction.
Warm Gray with Taupe Trim Whites with a Sage Undertone Whites with a Shadowy Purple Cast
All the houses above could still be defined as white, as in, "Look for the white house on the left side of the street," and people would drive right to any one of these houses.
Whites with a Neutral taupe undertone, a grounded shade of limestone with a gray-yellow cast, cool, shadowy purple-white with a gray undertone, all are just some of the options that you can tweak a white over to.
A "tone-on-tone" look is sophisticated, timeless, and it pays homage to the American Dream that lives within us all (make that "Canadian Dream" for some of you!). It just doesn't have to be flavorless.
Next time you are faced with a plain white house, tighten that white! Take it past ready-mix, and customize it to accentuate the positives, and guide the eyes to the elements that give the house it's own personality.
Sue Eldredge
www.curbappealfordummies.com
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