Exterior Paint Refresh For My 1921 Stucco Home

Queue your Lizzo playlists because “it’s about damn time!” Time for what you might ask? Time to reveal my finished exterior paint refresh! Since the moment I snagged my 1920’s Tangletown 2-story off-market, in the spring of 2021, I have been completely in love with my home. Buuuut, the exterior transformation has been put off for longer than my inpatient brain cares to think about.

You may remember my overzealous list of projects I wanted to tackle on this cutie. Well, let’s just say I have decided to give myself a bit of a break on taking on massive renovations this year and decided to pause on my garage demolition + addition. Thanks to the pause, I said screw it on waiting for my exterior upgrade and officially said goodbye to the red trim + beige stucco and hello to a fresh, crisp look. This grand reveal has been a long-time coming… Ready? Drumroll, please!

A LOOK BACK

Okay I promise we will get to the juicy details, but first let’s take a trip down memory lane and take a look back at my home’s exterior in her original glory.

Because I live and breath real estate every day, it was very important to me to not get too flashy with my paint updates. I love old architecture and feel very strongly about balancing preservation of original charm + details, while giving it a modern flare. The red is just not this girls style, so she had to get a little cosmetic update.

Rachabella Photography

Previous listing photo

Previous listing photos

NOW FOR THE GRAND REVEAL

If you know me, you know I love my neutrals! And on top of that, it was important to me that she didn’t stand out in the crowd. No one needs neighbors unhappy with your exterior choices, so I leaned in to my love of neutrals and made sure I balanced ALL the expectations (classic charm, neighborhood expectations, and my love for a modern twist). I’m pretty happy with the results. She sure does sparkle now!

P.S. Ignore the lack of beautiful landscaping. I’ll get around to it at some point ;)

Rachabella Photography

Rachabella Photography

Rachabella Photography

THE DETAILS

The colors I selected were:

• Stucco | Sherwin Williams Oyster White

• Trim | Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray

• Gutters + Facia | Sherwin Williams Black Magic

These colors might have come as a surprise to you after a year of me teasing out that I was leaning towards more of a green undertone for the trim. Believe me, I thought I had settled on that direction and was headed full steam ahead last year. However, after seeing Jenna Sue Design’s exterior finish, I fell in love with the subtle highlights and modern tones that she pulled through in such an elegant way. So…two weeks before my painters were going to begin, I switched out my colors and here we are today!

EXTERIOR COLOR PAINT TRENDS

If you enjoy these colors and/or are looking for more exterior paint colors for some inspiration, be sure to check out this blog post. I go through some of my favorites that are making a big splash this year. There are even a couple “come back” colors that you may fall in love with! I know I did.

Also, if you plan on painting a stucco exterior, be sure to check out this blog post. I go through a handful of tips that will make your finished project shine!

As always, wishing you all the best!

Jen

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