Here's our house when we moved in this past Spring:
And here it is from the street now: (Yesterday was a Snow Day!)
We had fun painting the door orange & left it that way thanks to many of you saying you liked it. We also added a huge trellis on the front with jasmine vines and also few shrubs(all we could afford until next season). Dave painted the cedar siding a dark warm gray:
... But didn't quite get to the sides or the back of the house before Winter hit:
Oops!
Just keepin' it real.
My neighbors must think there's something wrong with us. ;)
xoxo,
laurenDoor color: Behr's 'Maple Leaf' (#250D-6)
Siding Color: Ralph Lauren 'Master Room" done in Behr exterior flat paint
Trim Color: Behr's 'Cotton Whisper' (#W-F-300)
As a decorator & a textile designer, this is my place to muse... perfection doesn't interest me; Reality and charm do. Fresh floppy flowers from the garden over long-stemmed roses any day, I love it when things are slightly off and tell a story. 
90 comments:
Oh this gave me a giggle Lauren (maybe I am just overtired as it is midnight here in Australia). We have painted our house too in a dark blue/grey colour with white trim but we still have one small banana yellow panel under the eave to paint over. I am sure our neighbours are saying the same about us :) Wishing you a lovely day, I am off to bed:) Night - Tina xx
PS - so sorry, forgot to say how lovely your house looks, even if it is not fully painted :) Forgive me it is late! - Tina x
You certainly have improved the curb appeal. You inspired me to paint my front door caramel latte.... love it !
I love how you are "keeping it real" and putting yourself outhere for your fans! I think it really helps your readers connect to you! I love the before and after...of the front! The color is fantastic as I love anything gray. It makes your home more sophisticated! You truly have vision. I have to admit that if I were house hunting and came across your home before- all your wonderful designs and touches-I would have said no way! I am really learning from you. You have showed me how you can take something that is plain and turn it into something that is highly desired and stylish! You have so much to offer us all!
Can't wait to see more of it! ~jamilyn
Great improvement! As a mother myself, I have a basement filled with half painted projects. I keep telling myself I will get to it and I will but it just takes 4 times as long when you have little ones!
Looks like a movie set! You and Mr. Pure Style home know how to rock a house with a punch of fun style.
That orange door is de-lish.
pve
wow...the after looks great! sometimes life (or weather) gets in the way of finishing our decorating projects...it'll all come together in time :)
Lauren, I so enjoy how you keep it real on your blog. The after looks awesome....who cares what the neighbors think. The front looks great!!! Landscaping is expensive, isn't it. It blows me away!
Looks great. Love your color choices. So many times all we see are perfectly staged pictures. It is refreshing to see your house and other people's homes as well, the way they really are.
keeping it real is what makes you so endearing. some designers can be such twats when they write their blogs. you know who you are. your house looks awesome and i can't WAIT for the magazine spread!!
xoj
Damn winter....I am sure you could have painted and landscaped the WHOLE neighborhood by now if it were'nt for that!!
;)
It's just the reflection from the snow that makes it look darker in the front, yes? :D
LOVE that orange door! MY hubby would not go for that, but it totally pops and looks great!
Suzanne
LOVE the orange door! Just saw a house in our neighboor hood that other day with this same color combo! My hubs and I just fell in love with it!
Lauren,
I have to laugh. Old Man Winter got the best of us too. We currently have two sets of stairs leading to our front door. The concrete contractors were able to get the new steps done just days before the first snow hit. Meantime, we didn't want to rip out the old ones and live with a mud pit all winter. It was confusing as heck for kids on halloween!
Can't wait to see the completed transformation! I'm sure it will be fantastic!
~Angela
Your house looks absolutely beautiful! You have done such an amazing job transforming it!!
you did such an amazing work, great house!
I think your place is coming along just nicely, the color combo makes the world of difference! The grey (albeit, not complete) really puts the stone into context and of course I love that you are fully stocked with firewood! And your transparency regarding the incomplete paint job simply makes you all the more charming;) You should be very proud of what you have done!
Best,
Jaime
lauren,
i never comment anymore because of my time constraints, but i am still reading. you are AMAZING. talk about turning something into a treasure. you have such a gift. and i am so happy for you for how far you've come since you started this blog. congrats on the sweet baby!!!! would you email me your address? i am going to try to get something in the mail to you - karamhebert@gmail.com
xoxo
Kara
Your house looks beautiful!! All that matters is that the front looks great!! cute!
Hysterical! Well, you'll get to it eventually...Janell
Thanks for sharing! It made me laugh as well as we have all been there at some point. The changes you have made already look amazing.
Your dog coordinates beautifully with the door color :) Can't believe how much better the exterior looks with just a change in color - great job!
I love it! You can see how much difference the new paint makes this way!
Lauren, always keep it real, it is too hard to do it any other way. You home looks so pretty in the snow. Brrrr! No snow in my part of Calif so it is fun for me to see it in pictures from a nice warm home. Your little guy looks as if he is about to have some real fun. Kathysue
I remember following your house hunting posts with great interest, as I was house hunting at the same time. When I first saw pictures of the house that you ended up buying, I will admit I thought you were crazy! I am TOTALLY eating my words now. You have done an amazing job inside and out!
I adore the orange door!
now I like you even better. And I think the front looks fab.
Your orange door and entryway stand out as one of my favorites of all time. And having recently house hunted myslef, I feel like I've seen so much out there that I am an expert! Glad you posted the whole exterior. It's also nice to know I'm not the only one with half completed projects!
Your house looks great! It is amazing what a little paint can do! Love the colors you choose and I LOVE that orange front door.
Looking good Lauren. It's such fun watching your transformation...you are one talented lady! Your orange front door is perfect and I love your hanging lantern.
That looks so incredibly better. It's so modern. I love the orange door also. What a clever idea. Good Job, you def inspire me!
The shot of your Jack Russell watching your baby in the snow makes me smile. And the house has had such a transformation, looks wonderful!
Ha ha, that's great. Looks fab-o still and I still LOVE the orange door!
Wow! The house looks wonderful. What a great color choice. It just makes the house pop! I love the orange door. It goes great with the grey. Good job.
Nora
Albuquerque
Wow! The house looks wonderful. What a great color choice. It just makes the house pop! I love the orange door. It goes great with the grey. Good job.
Nora
Albuquerque
Love it! You have done such a great job with the exterior! I also like that you enclosed the colors you used at the end of the post. Great touch!
Amy Meier
hahah I looove the color grey you chose for the exterior. And the interior - still in awe of how gorgeous you've made it.
Alaina
wow, its amazing what color and a trellis can do. looks beautiful even with the sides, ha!
I love it. Again it just goes to show what an impact paint can make. It looks totally different and has amazing curb apppeal!
I just love pictures of your house with snow! So pretty.
Wonderful. The orange door is nothing short of fabulous! And thanks for the paint color info. My first thought was, "Wow, what are the colors she used?"
Lauren,
My favorite accent color when designing interiors is orange, so I'm loving your front door! It's confident!
what a fantastic transformation! i love the colour combo - it must be the most stylish house in the area now!
I love honesty like this! keep it real!
I love your orange door. The first time I saw the picture of your little pup sitting in the snow in front of it, I thought it was from a magazine. The house looks fantastic, I'm sure your neighbors are grateful!
Keeping it real is why we love you so! The house looks fantastic. You are really very talented. I still want good pics of the wall in the LR. :)
What a difference a little paint and a trellis makes! I think it's hysterical that only the front face is painted. But I have a feeling the exterior is going to undergo alot of transformation this season. Can't wait to see more after shots, especially with a vine climbing that trellis. -Delores
So much better! Love the color choice. My husband, who painted our house himself, says "the rule" is: start in the back. That way you won't get tempted to quit and leave the sides or back for "later". Of course, that only applies to REpainting. When we painted an entirely new color, I asked him to start in the front so I could be sure it was right. But it wasn't. (my fault for choosing a shade too light) So he painted it again. Good thing he started in the front that time!
Hey Lauren! Thanks for the morning giggle... you're so funny.
You house looks AMAZING... even if it's only half done. Love your talent and your humor!
~ Joanna
i love how you keep it real and the house looks fab!
a few years ago i told my husband that in the next 10 years 60's and 70's ranch and split-level homes are going to make a huge come back and be sought after. i think i am right and lauren, i think you are blazing the trail!!!
It doesn't even look like the same home! So lovely, Lauren!
LOL to the sides. You've got such a great sense of humor! :)
Real is good! ;-) I love the transformation of the front. Once it all gets done, it will be stunning!
I remember you telling me about this when I stood in the front yard and I had an "idea" of what you were describing...but this is so bad I would have been scared to go in!!! Good thing you waived your magic talent wand and had the hubs work his butt off painting. The colors are sheer perfection. I am so very impressed that you could see the potential. I cried when we moved back into our house after just 4 years of renters!!!
The front of the house looks great! Definitely a huge improvement from the before photo.
Thanks for being so "real"! We all have things half-done and worry about what others think....it's so nice to see that everything is not what you see on the surface, or in this case, from the front. :)
LOVE the grey and orange! Super chic! Oh and your photos make me miss the snow...originally from Canada, now living in LA.
Hi Lauren, We have so many of THOSE projects around our house! Whether it's weather, time, energy or all of the above, it seems that some projects just take time...like the stairs I just painted. They were primed for YEARS before I actually got around to painting them. These are stairs, not an entire house. And I'm afraid the delay had nothing to do with the weather! xoxoTrina
Glad that someone else with a little baby can't find time to finish a few projects around the house! Thanks for sharing!
I'm sure your neighbors appreciate what you've done with the place! Great job... love colors you chose!
FAbulous! thank you for sharing and being so daring....smiles.
Looks great Lauren...I love your orange door! We also painted our house a dark gray last year, and love it.
Best,
Michelle
I love the orange door...must keep orange door. It gives a suburban home a bit of an urban feel. Love it! Hope to see it in person one day when you all invite me over for a dinner party. :)
wow! amazing makeover!!
Oh, that is funny, but I really like the orange door.
That is too funny, what a great post! The front of the house looks amazing...as will the rest once it's complete :)
Hi Lauren,
This is what I call a home MAKE OVER. So wonderful! Lovely words too (;
Saskia
ox
that is hysterical! i love the warm gray (front).
very wonderful!!
Lauren..I absolutely love the choice of colours..and the orange door just works perfectly in this case.
Such a beautiful homely home...and the snow makes it even that much more enchanting. x
That Dave is a certified rockstar! I can't believe he painted the outside AND managed to do all the work inside (the stenciling! The kitchen! the waterproofing! etc, etc, etc!!!!)
You two make such a wonderful team, can't wait to see what you whip up next!
XOXO
I love the transformation!! Can't wait to see it all done.
They will probably think that it is a new trend.
The color looks great! It makes the house stand out and look fabulous!!
It's beautiful! The grey and orange look fabulous together :)
Your house looks amazing, the trellis was a fabulous idea, your endless talent is so fun to watch! And your posts are so great!
This is exactly why we love you, Lauren.
Your the best combination of talent and honesty :)
Love how your house is looking.
Stay warm!
xo
Brooke
amazing lauren! your color choices and that trellis add so much depth to your lovely home
xo
debra
What a difference color makes. I wish I had taken a picture of this old tiny house in our neighborhood with a tree bigger than the house in the front yard which covered the entire house, kind of spooky.
Anyway the lady died and someone bought the house cut down the tree and painted the house white put in grass, as the tree didnt allow sun for grass to grow, and wow it looks so cute and fresh. Would have made a wonderful before and after photo shoot. Oh well next time.
* Altho it's a definitely a BEAUUUTFUL color (one of my very faves!), AND fashionable "now" too, the REAL REASON the EXTERIOR looks soooooo WONDERFUL is because you THOUGHT about it, and INSTINCTIVELY K*N*E*W that gray was "THE" RIGHT color~~~ (& the vine idea SUPERB! Sure "balances thingsout!). "YOUR" gray is T*H*E ONLY color for this wonderful home, that I love to see getting prettier n' prettier each day.
And the DOOR??? HERMES is getting VERY WORRIED about their "new competition", kiddo!!! (Don'tchaloveit?!?!)~
YOU TWO KIDS ARE PRICELESS!!!
Hugs,
Linda in AZ
bellesmom1234@comcast.net
On the contrary I bet your neighbors love you!!!!! We painted the side of our house and we scraped off the paint and then didn't get around to painting for a few weeks, we laughed that the neighbors were probably wondering what was going on!
The house looks great!
xoxo,
nancy
Simply AMAZING and so inspiring! I love when you transform the so so to FABULOUS!!! Left inspired...
I really like this transformation. The trellis is a great idea, and one that I can use. Thanks for sharing and it looks so nice.
Betsy
gorgeous transformation.,thanks for sharing the exact colors you used too!
An amazing exterior transformation! Thank you for sharing!
Joy
The new exterior colors rock! Bravo & well done!
Yay for the snow!! Love your door color too ~~
xoxo Laura
2 thumbs up for the orange door and the trellis....
you got it goin' on!
Wow - what a difference! Your house looks fabulous! I can't wait to see a picture when it's all done! The orange door and the white trim really accents the gray beautifully :)
Looks divine and very fabulous with all that beautiful snow!
Just BEAUTIFUL!!! Especially with all the snow...so jealous ;)
Cheers,
~Melissa
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beautiful transformation! and such great color choices! congrats!
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