When it comes to exterior paint colors, we’re admiring deeply saturated shades including green and gray and blue because of the magic they work on a surrounding landscape. Of course, this doesn’t mean we’ve abandoned black….
Gothic Green
When architects Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown remodeled a former farmer’s cottage in Rhinebeck, New York, they embraced its Gothic roots.
Photograph by Alexa Hotz.
The Blackest of Black
In northern California, the formerly white facade of Sir and Star restaurant gets a modern, sleeker look with Benjamin Moore’s Black Panther paint.
A Touch of Sunshine
Above:The facade of filmmaker Derek Jarman’s black seaside cottage in Dungeness, Kent looks welcoming even against dark skies—because of its yellow trim.
Photograph via Airbnb.
In Iceland, a house clad in black timber has cloud-white trim details to tie it visually to the expanse of sky and dramatic mountainous backdrop.
Black Timber
Photograph courtesy of NeM Architectes.
After architects Lucie Niney and Thibault Marca of Paris-based NeM Architectes discovered “a vacation home frozen in time” in Brittany, they complemented the existing white cottage with a dark addition. For more, see Before & After: A Charred Wood Cottage on a $45K Budget.
Mirror Image
In northern California planned community Sea Ranch, architect Nick Noyes clad a facade in cedar shingles, encouraged by wind and sea salt to weather to a soft gray.
The Natural Look
Photograph courtesy of Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory member Nick Noyes Architecture.
Spiky Contrast
A black Victorian facade in San Francisco needs nothing more to dress it up than a single spiky succulent, a multi-branched euphorbia next to the front stoop.
Photograph courtesy of Grant K. Gibson.
Photograph by Michael A. Muller.
A custom shade of Oxford blue paint keeps a facade looking crisp, even in the heat of Texas. For more of this facade, see Get Out of The Heat: Josephine House in Austin on Remodelista.
Playing the Blues
In Mill Valley, California a cedar-shingled house is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Black with China White trim. For more of the garden, see Garden Visit: Landscaping a Live-in Summer Camp.
Black and Green
Photograph courtesy of Belathée Photography.
In Seattle, siding and trim are painted a dark gray (the paint color is Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore) to give the house a crisp modern feel and blend into the landscape.
Monochromatic Gray
Amsterdam-based architect Serge Schoemaker covered a 323-square-foot guest house with 2,000 black-stained cedar shingles.
The Geometric Look