What colour shall we paint our new house?

[Mumswang]

Our new house is a 1920s ex local authority greyish / brown box of rough render, not quite pebble dash, hideousness.

The only thing we are going to have time to do before I have a baby, due 2 weeks after we move in, is to paint the outside, to ease my pain every time I approach it.

So...it's elevated, surrounded by greenery (lovely beech hedge at front and side) the front faces South (slightly west). The windows and door are upvc

I very much don't want a yellowy cream, and using Farrow and Ball colours as a guide I have picked out:

clunch - too dark?
Great White - bit blueish?
White tie - bit pinkish
Slipper satin - bit like putty?
Strong white - bit ummm white?

Or just go with House White because its name leads me to think it might be a good bet

Does anyone have experience of using these colours on a big expanse of outside wall and can offer any pros / cons?

[7to25]

clunch is not too dark
Like Great White
White Tie has flesh tones
Slipper Satin seems pink to me
Strong White is good.
House White? Does this not have the yellow tones that you were avoiding?
Outside Walls can usually take quite a depth of colour. be a bit bolder!
Are you attached and what colour is the neighbours house? Your colour will read differently if it is next to another one.
Good luck with the new Baby!

[Mumswang]

Ooooo . It's so hard

Next door is unfortunately going with the retro browny grey theme. We're hoping to start a trend and inspire them!

I'm worried about bold. My current next door neighbors went for what I expect they though would be a subtle blueish white and it's turned out a bit violent

[7to25]

Nothing violent!
I was thinking blue gray or stone White with a picture gallery red front door if we are still talking in Farrow and Ball
I am wanting your UPVC White windows to pop a bit more. if the windows are indented into a "recess" I would paint this White. ou may be waiting a long time to inspire your neighbour! In northern climes, we have a very blue light, so I am not surprised at your current neighbours faux pas.

[Mumswang]

Oh now I do like stone white. And it wouldn't get grubby so quickly

But would it look A bit....I don't know.....sinister?

And unfortunately the door is plastic too so no red for us there

[7to25]

thought that might be the case about the front door! I can dream can't I!

[QuintessentialOldMoo]

pink
or baby blue

I am serious.

[QuintessentialOldMoo]

lovely pale pink, offset by plants out front, and the white upvc will pale away...

[DisparityCausesInstability]

clunch - too dark? nope looks good
Great White - bit blueish? looks like mushroomy pink and needs a bigger contrast than white to carry it.
White tie - bit pinkish - just looks like a pale yellowish cream to me
Slipper satin - bit like putty? too cold
Strong white - bit ummm white -like putty ?

I'd choose White tie, james white or clunch

[WindUpBird]

A house in our road has been painted a lovely pale lilac colour. It's an Edwardian detached and every time I pass it I love the colour. A very pale, very subtle lilac. It looks very clean and classy. I too have a pebble-dash house and wonder what colour to paint it one day!

[conculainey]

I would check with your local planning office and council first to see what colours you are allowed to paint your house.

[DisparityCausesInstability]

I ddn't think the planning were interested unless you live in a listed building or a conservation area.

[conculainey]

Planning may possibly not have any intrest from a regional point of veiw, though my local planning office made me repaint a newly renovated house (N.I) in a colour they insisted on as I had not applied for permission to paint the house even though the colour was not that indifferent to the neighbouring houses, possibly a regional thing but best to check first.

[Gonzo33]

conculainey is right, there may be a caveat to state that you can only paint a certain colour.

[Mumswang]

Oh lots more replies

We've checked and there are no planning restrictions. Most other houses in the road are a variety of White / cream and variations thereof.

We don't want anything bright or standoutish

Hmmmm not sure about pinks and lilacs and I think itll take more than a lick of pain to make it look classy

[conculainey]

Rule of thumb, a light colour will keep you home cooler in the summer (if we get one) and a dark colour will absorb the heat making the house warmer in the summer months.

[DisparityCausesInstability]

I like the sound of lilac more than cream - you could start a bit of a thing, depends how brave you are.

[teta]

I'm afraid i am very conventional here and would only ever paint my house white or cream.Unless i live in a seaside village where all the houses are painted dolly mixture colours.I drive past a pink house near me and it looks disgusting [i can't imagine lilac].Its all very well standing out-but i think you will stand out for the wrong reasons.I love F&B paints internally but would never contemplate external usage as the longevity would be questionable.But this is just my personal opinion tbw.

[7to25]

I think that to paint one half of a pair of semis a blue/lilac/pink in anything other than a Cornish village would cause bad feeling.
I presumed that the F&B Colours were just a reference point and that exterior grade paint would be used.

[WindUpBird]

The 'lilac' I am talking about is a very nice lilac It's hard to describe but it's almost grey rather than purple! Agree that on a semi you're probably best sticking to a creamy colour though.

[Mumswang]

I am not at all sure I could get DP to agree to paint our house lilac

And being an ugly box of a building I do want it to blend and harmonise, rather than stand out

Thank you for all your suggestions it's certainly given me a starting point to work from

Just one more question, what concerns me is deciding from a small of square of colour how it will translate onto a whopping big wall

I guess we need to get sons samples and paint sone big squares on the actual house and see how it looks in different lights, but I'm not sure even this will be able to give a good overall impression. Does anyone have any other tips on how we can get a good idea of the end result?

Oh and F&B do exterior paint. It might be a bit of a waste of Our decidedly unlovely house, but I love thir colours and it seemed a good starting point

[noddyholder]

White and put white slatted blinds in the windows and the upvc will disappear