Current Home Lust Item: A Black Exterior

Wednesday, May 13, 2015



Every few years the topic of moving to California comes up in the Anderson household, pretty much like clockwork, and right now my husband is again daydreaming about how nice it would be to live closer to the surf. My response is always "over my dead body" but since I have to be a reasonable spouse the family knows that if we had to move for his work we'd obviously go. Anything short of that however, we're staying put!


There are many reasons why I'm hesitant to leave our city, the big ones being that we just finished our home (which I love with all my heart) and that the boys could not be happier in their respective schools which next year are going to be the SAME school. (That my friends is worth its weight in gold!) More so, I absolutely love Boston/ Cambridge more than any place I've ever been and I feel so at home living here that I'm not inclined to give up that feeling any time soon, even if it does mean a Summer that lasts 12 months a year (the idea of that being much more tempting if you were to ask me in February!)

What would make me want to move? That answer should be pretty obvious... a new house/ project of course! Every time the subject of moving comes up, whether it's California or Switzerland, I always say no, no, no and then not so secretly hit up all the real estate websites just to make sure that's a capitol "N" on that "no."  I am not alone in this, as my husband does the same, and we always end up in email exchanges where he sends me newer homes that I hate, and I send him older homes that need what I call a lot of "love" i.e a full renovation. I think that because we currently live in a space that is so customized to our (my) taste that it makes finding one that both he AND I love a little more challenging.

Now, that's not to say I'm not up for a challenge. I have an idea in my head of what our next house will look like and even I can see that someday we will outgrow our little condo. Interiors I feel like are easier if you how to do some of the things yourself, which I do, but when looking at properties I find that it's some of the exteriors that really have me digging in my heels about a possible move. From landscaping to roofs... these things are just completely out of my league!

What I can do is dream about paint. You all know that I will paint just about anything and that definitely applies as much to exteriors as it does to interiors. I keep looking at houses that need a new paint job and ever since my favorite property in Costa Rica was repainted, all I can think about is painting our next home black. Like black, black. What I once thought was only appropriate in a more urban environment, I am now convinced is even better suited for a beach or country home. The rich greens of the landscaping only enhance black paint, and if we ever do make the move to Southern California this would be the way I'd go!

I used to think that black paint would just make a home look so much smaller, but after seeing the beautiful homes below I'm pretty sure it has just the opposite effect. I'd love to do an all black exterior, and a super white and bright interior. In my dreams all the windows would be a raw wood, and I think the combination of the three would be really stunning... even if the home was 3000 miles from where I wanted it to be!

Behold the beauty that is the black home.













You can see that a black exterior really works with any type of home. From a cabin in the woods to a townhouse in the city, a black exterior just adds so much modern drama to a property! I can absolutely say that right now it is the black exterior that is topping my current home lust list.

Proof once again that when it comes to color, black is always the new black.

No comments :