Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Black and white...

Paint colours are never just black and white are they? The very thought of having to choose a new paint colour for the outside of our house fills me with dread. I'm not. But two of my friends are so this post is for them.

I have always loved this image from Skona Hem...
And then found this beautiful Kiwi version in NZ House and Garden. It just sits so well against green.
And it must have been a heart in the mouth moment when buying the paint for this villa. It's an awful lot of dark, dark paint. 
It's a look you don't see much on the lovely villas here and I don't think I would have had the confidence to do it but it works well. Most, like the ones I have shown you already, are white, taupe or grey. Or like ours, a combination taupe-grey. 
I found this in the real estate pages online.... It's rather a little Kiwi house but quite Scandinavian - perhaps they saw the top image too. 
I like it. It makes much more of what really could be a rather ordinary house if it was plain white or in the dreaded cream. 

What these pictures prove is that black or charcoal with touches of white really needs rather good architectural detail to work.

Good bones. Good shoulders perhaps. Rather like a sharp charcoal grey and white pin stripe suit on a fat City trader. Nothing worse.

(Image 4,5,6 found here)

14 comments:

  1. Those homes look fabulous - the confidence to paint in such bold dark colours has really paid off. ;-)

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  2. These are gorgeous, Ann. Great line up. I wish we had the home and climate to be able to do this, maybe next time?

    I love all the green, especially the rosemary and olives in the first one, they really look fab.

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  3. More wit, Ann! Aah, I love your crisp writing. And I completely agree with you. On all counts. J x

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  4. I agree - the black and white looks fab especially against a gorgeous green lawn!

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  5. I absolutely love charcoal and white and have painted a house this colour. It is a stunning look and I'd do it again. I think a strong colour with white always works. I have done an older post on my blog on this house that we've built. Your pics look great. I love it.

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  6. I love the black & white colour combo and each of these houses does it really nicely. I live in a brick home, but if it was weatherboard I wonder whether I'd have the confidence to work this look?! Lovely post.

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  7. I do like the contrast of the dark and the white but I am afraid...deeply afraid our cottage is going to be painted the dreaded cream! So much easier to sell!

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  8. Lovely houses! I never thought black and white would work so well for exterior house paint. Enjoy a beautiful day, Kellie xx

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  9. I love black and white houses too ...so much that I just finished painting my house this color a few weeks ago (but mine has a pretty new orange door -- and Ipe wood accents for the approaching steps) - I need to find a good photo day to capture how well it came and share!

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  10. These brilliant examples are going to be saved so that when it comes time to paint our house I can quickly produce them to counter my husbands beige argument. They look ever so much more exciting. (And I know that's a bad word play after reading your well written previous posts!)
    And I love the thought of you waving your arms around in the garden centre - I once went in and said my garden was very dry and what could they advise? Can you imagine what they made of my brilliant brown thumbs! Amanda xx
    P.S am making you brownie again tonight for guests tomorrow. Love it!

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  11. I absolutely adore black/charcoal painted houses. These are gorgeous, thanks for sharing!

    Keren
    xx

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  12. Black and white are my absolute favourite colours for a house! Love love love!

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  13. I can't get enough Ann. Feel free to do another black and white post :o)
    Angex

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  14. Nice post and really lovely inspirations you have there to prove your point:)

    Yeah, black and white is always a perfect color combo. After all, what other color combination is made into a song? I think none:)

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Thanks for taking the time to write, Ann x

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