Day 65: A lesson in color

The perfect spot for discreet stakeouts

As I’ve mentioned before, waiting for my new home has turned me into a stalker. I drive by my house nearly every weekend. This weekend, however, was different. Instead of driving slowly by, I parked kiddie corner. And there we sat, my boyfriend Ben and I, debating paint colors for at least 20 minutes. Creepy to any onlookers, perhaps. To me? Productivity!

I’d like to change the color of the siding. Ben, my little godsend, pointed out the pink undertones of the siding, the brick is a sand color, the shingles are caramel and many other subtleties in color I’d never have noticed. And now I can’t stop thinking of shades of orange, green and brown: terracotta, sage, caramel, honey, toffee. Green with gray undertones versus yellow. Brown with a hint of burnt orange. The possibilities seem endless, but only few will do. Thank god Ben has a knack for color; my head is spinning.

Driving has becoming a constant state of research. Brick, window trim and siding color combinations are like magnets (I should really do more walking than driving for safety reasons). I’m in full critique mode, too, praying I don’t repeat some of the mistakes I see. Like the wrong shade of green turning into a sea of mashed peas or a blob of peanut butter spackled across the house.

And who knew there were such a variety of shingle colors. Until this weekend, my brain only recognized black and brown. Simpleton! Now I see pepper, tar, mocha, forest green, cayenne…

It never occurred to me to match the siding paint to the brick AND rooftop. See? My stakeout was productive. Now, only two more months ’til I can actually raise a paint brush.