First of all, thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes yesterday. They are much appreciated. I had a very nice, low-key birthday (just how I like it). Evan gave me the supercute J.A. snail box I’ve had my eye on, and we had mini-red velvet Bundt cakes from Junior’s. Yerrrmy!
I’m on a mini-vacation until Monday, but here are some photos of the exterior of my house, now with black trim (Benjamin Moore Black Beauty)! Keep in mind that the windows still need to be repaired and painted, and the stair treads still need to be stained to match the porch ceiling.
(Sorry for the weird sizes, but I’m not on my own computer right now, and have no access to Photoshop!)
And a before picture, for comparison. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but we’ve also had the bricks cleaned and repointed. Oh! And that ironwork on top of the porch? We had it sandblasted (it was really rusty) and powdercoated (by the same guys that did our bathtub, sink, and radiators!) in black. It looks great.
Bye-bye peeling, discolored, forest green paint! ICK:
61 Comments
You guys have been busy. The place looks sharp! It’s so great you were able to preserve the ironwork.
Fabulous. The black and the new steps treads are great. We have peeling heritage green trim on our place – it’s not a good look.
Wow, it’s incredible what you’ve done to the exterior of your house! It looks so chique and sophisticated now, I’m totally impressed (especialle when I’m looking at my own loooooong list of house projects – yet to be started!).
It really looks fantastic, the black makes all the details so clear and smart, fab!
Wow, looks fabulous!!
Anna, looks fabulous already! I thought of you in Rob Ryan’s Ryantown last week… he’s gone all black & white for 6 weeks. The store looks wonderful…
http://ryantownshop.blogspot.com/
Belated birthday wishes.
Great Job. I love what you’re doing to your home.
I’m struggling with figuring out to repair my front porch (the floor boards need to be replaced) with still being able to support the roof above the porch.
Wow, looks fantastic! The black looks so classy! The repointing really helps too. Have you figured out how you are going to deal with rain at the porch? It looks sooo much better without the white gutter and downspout.
Love it! Very classy.
Wow. Subtle changes which make all the difference! The exterior really hints at the amazing interior now.
I love the black on the steps. That really pops.
Beautiful! You’ve done a great job.
You can definitely see the difference in the brick. Everything looks lovely. Well done!
I like it, looks sort of gothic like that Victorian (Peacock hill?) from Budget Living magazine.
Is it really a true black or more of a dark or gunmetal gray? That’s what it looks like on my monitor.
Stunning, kudos for keeping all the original structures. I think your choice of black is so perfect…your house is definitely happier now!
Fantastic! Love black trim on old edwardian homes – you have a fabulous sense of aesthetic I must say. Happy belated birthday!
It’s all so beautiful.
I love your exterior door. Is it original to the house?
The stairs look pretty spiffy too! I’m pretty jealous of the whole thing.
The house looks great, Anna! It is definitely starting to look more on par with the interior.
What color Jonathan Adler snail box did you get? I have the white one and I love it!
wow, the black trim is gorgeous!
LOVE IT/// your house has so much presence! If it could talk it would be like “Yeah, here I am.” Sort of gangster in the best way.
STUNNING. I really like “Black Beauty” – not too black and just perfect.
That old forest green is funny – I think it’s on every old house! I have it around my window screens and my house was never even painted green.
Your house looks so happy.
awesome.
Wowee. Your house looks beautiful- BOT (Beautiful Old Thing). I think she is happy she got a classy make-over.
Have you seen the Architectural Digest issue featuring Michael Jackson’s home? I saw it on display at a magazine shop the other day and thought of you.
great job on this, it looks perfectly suited to the house
I love it! It looks about a million times more loved and cohesive. Excellent job!
What a gorgeous job. Thank you for posting photos as the project has progressed. It’s been fun to follow. BTW – I took a tip from you and painted three rooms in Moonlight white and love it. It makes every color seem jewel like.
Enjoy your beautiful home!
I love the black. I’ve been considering going black on the exterior of my house too.
That snail box is so cute! What are you going to put inside?
i looks amazing! great job.
oooooh. I like. Those stairs look fabulous, and will look even more so once the staining is done.
the black is perfect.
Congratulations Anna. That looks wonderfuly smart – what an improvement and such hard work. So lovely!
Your house looks stunning!
Wow – beautiful!!
Love loving the black trim! Good call.
the house is looking really spiffy!
Wow. SO much better in black than forest green.
And the new stairs look great, too!
ugh…i LOVE the black trim. it looks amazing.
i was going to say- shades of “peacock hill”, too. and i adore that.
xx
anna, it looks beautiful! you have done a wonderful job. xo
I just had to come back and look at it again it looks so fantastic! On an unrelated note, I found an old Mulhauser Plycraft chair on the side of the road that I am fixing up. The wood looks like it could use some oil to freshen it up. Where can I get Danish Oil? Do they sell it at a hardware store or do I have to go somewhere special?
Anna it looks stunning! What a difference. I definitely think you made the right choice. What color snail box did you get?
Hey Anna!
I don’t know if anyone pointed this out to you yet, but I suspect you’ll like all the black and white!
http://gizmodo.com/5388069/from-closed+down-water-pumping-station-to-elegant-home
– Janine
The black trim is beautiful
Wow! Your house looks amazing! The black trim has made a huge difference and I like how the porch ceiling and house numbers are little highlights.
Your house is looking amazing.
Sprucing with paint makes a huge difference. Major construction isn’t always needed.
Conceptually i understand the desire to have black trim, but on your house it looks a bit Halloweenish. I like it best on houses form mid 20 century.
You can fix the Adams family look by using one large ceramic planter that would give the space a pop of color on your stoop.
Paint the front door a color. or the steps orange.
Elissa: We’ve since had a gutter (painted the same black as the trim) discreetly installed along the porch roof line, and we’ll be hanging a copper rain chain instead of a downspout. The porch roof shingles are cement (Hardie), so water can safely run down the slope into the gutter. The gutters on the main (flat) roof are integrated into the cornice, so they’re invisible unless you’re on top of the house.
LaDonna: I adore Peacock Hill! Here’s my post from a while back. :)
lsaspacey: Black Beauty looks different depending on the light. It’s not quite as gray as what I think of us gunmetal, but more like the color of wrought iron. Definitely not a true black, though.
Dan: Yes, the door is original to the house.
Julie/Adam: I got the black/gray snail box. I have a vase in the same finish. I love the white, too, but there’s so much white in my house already…nice to add some black stuff. :)
dee: I have the Arch Digest issue, but it’s really poorly done. The text is a reprint of an article written for another mag several months ago, the house photos are from before MJ owned the property (pre-Neverland), and the Harry Benson photos have already been printed in so many other magazines. It’s obvious they just threw together whatever they could find and use cheaply just to make a quick buck like everyone else.
Kara: I’m not sure…depends what room it winds up in. :)
Elissa: You can get Danish oil (or teak oil) at most any hardware store or paint store. Before doing that, though, I recommend trying Restor-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax. You may find that’s all you need!
Monday: This is a Victorian house, which is why you’re reacting to it as being “Halloween-ish” — not because it has black trim (which is totally appropriate on a Victorian house). And I think I’ll pass on orange stairs (talk about Halloween-ish…yikes)!
IMO, looking like the house on the Addams family is something worth playing up, anyway. That house was amazing! Classic Victorian architecture!
I’m glad you played with my comment. I love the Adams family black trim Victorian pic.
My intention was playful, not insulting and I’m glad that it came across as such.
I’m a real fan of your clean crisp aesthetic sensibilities. As well I’m the parent of Purchase alumni. :)
And Art college alumni myself.
A bit of chartreuse maybe? Maybe that is my fantasy stoop black trim and a color :)
Your hard work is really showing on your home. Best to you!
Monday: No bright colors in this case, sorry — even if I wanted to introduce another color, it’s not a possibility. Everything has to be done within local historical guidelines, and we had to go through an approval process with a review board before we could do anything to the exterior of our house.
your black trim looks AMAAAAYZING!
your home is entirely you and lovely. :)
love it love it love it! you must do a little skip when you walk up to it now!!!
Looks really really good! I love that little snail, too :)
We are thinking of having our brick cleaned and repointed as well. I’d love to hear about your experience and any advice you have, esp. regarding cost and finding the right person for the job.
Fantastic! I can’t wait to see it with the windows completed…you’re SOOO lucky that no one ever replaced them with nasty white vinyl ones (which happen to look particularly terrible on brick buildings)!
Just cruised through the archives and all the lovely projects you’ve done on your great house (both bathrooms are to die for, by the way)…love your blog!
The difference between before and after is nothing short of ass-TOUNDING. Oh my. And the honey porch ceiling? My eyes are burning with jealousy. Some day…..
it looks amazing!
wow! what a gorgeous place you have! And the new black detailing is wonderful!! great blog too by the way :)
Love the black but I’m equally as intrigued by your plants. I’ve been seeing that color combo a lot lately and I’m loving it. Can you tell me what kind of plants those are?
There are a lot of plants in these photos, Daphne! Can you tell me which ones you’re wondering about?