Breathing New Life into Our First Home: An Exterior Transformation
Do you recall the humble beginnings of what we affectionately call our “Curbly House”? Perhaps it’s an overstatement, considering we rarely chronicled its existence, sharing only a handful of snapshots. This was our first foray into homeownership, a modest dwelling Bruno acquired during his college years, a shared space with roommates that eventually became our haven. Within those walls, we welcomed both of our children home, though our youngest only spent ten fleeting days before transitioning to his new nursery. It’s a cherished little house brimming with our fondest memories, a tangible representation of our journey together.
This house, in essence, serves as a living testament to our DIY evolution. Back when Bruno first moved in, our Friday nights were dedicated to transforming the space – painting walls with youthful abandon, tearing up worn carpets, and creatively concealing imperfections. We armed ourselves with paint, floral contact paper, and an endless stream of Mason Jennings, Weezer, and Counting Crows’s August and Everything After on repeat. We drew inspiration from Wes Anderson’s quirky film, The Royal Tenenbaums, resulting in an interior design scheme that embraced primary colors and bold patterns. While perhaps unconventional stylistically, it captured the spirit of our twenty-something selves navigating life on a shoestring budget, a joyful, albeit imperfect, reflection of our personalities.
As time passed, we opted for a more subdued and sophisticated aesthetic, transitioning to tasteful neutral colors. I, myself, repainted the living room an astounding thirty-two times over the course of ten years – a true statement of fact, not an exaggeration! Each coat represented a subtle shift in our evolving style and preferences.
With the arrival of our two children, we found ourselves gradually outgrowing the cozy confines of the house. However, we weren’t quite ready to part ways with it entirely. The real estate market wasn’t in our favor at the time of our move, so we decided to rent the house to our neighbors for several years, entrusting it to familiar faces.
Few things bring me as much joy as seeing a house realize its full potential and become the best version of itself.
Like all older homes, the house showed signs of aging. The exterior, in particular, no longer reflected the beauty within. The stucco, once a pristine white, had become drab and dirty from years of exposure to the elements. The uniform color of the stucco and trim further diminished the house’s inherent charm. It felt like wearing an outfit that just didn’t quite fit – something was off. We knew it was time to breathe new life into the exterior with a fresh coat of paint.
Finding the Perfect Hue: Discovering Poised Taupe
As we embarked on the quest to select the perfect paint color, our friends at Sherwin-Williams unveiled their highly anticipated Color of the Year: Poised Taupe (SW 6039). The moment we laid eyes on it, we knew it was destined to grace the exterior of our beloved home. Its inherent neutrality, combined with its warm and organic undertones, made it an irresistible choice. The warm gray, subtly infused with rich browns and purples, created a grounding effect on the stucco, making it feel like the perfect fit. We complemented Poised Taupe with Snowbound (SW 7004) for the trim, and the resulting combination was simply stellar. The Snowbound offered a crisp contrast, highlighting the architectural details and adding a touch of modern elegance.
The house now possesses the look it was always meant to have. It’s an incredible feeling to witness a home reach its full potential. This transformation reminds me of the early 2000s television show MADE, where ordinary individuals acquired new skills under the guidance of a coach, culminating in a grand debut. The show invariably ended with tears of joy and a sense of newfound confidence, as dreams were realized. I feel like that’s precisely what transpired with our house. Poised Taupe was the key ingredient in unlocking its hidden potential, allowing it to shine with renewed vibrancy.
Once the house’s exterior was beautifully transformed with paint, other imperfections became more pronounced. The overgrown shrubs flanking the entry demanded attention, and the aging roof, now twenty years old, detracted from the overall aesthetic. These issues presented a challenge, but also an opportunity to further enhance the house’s appeal.
We recognized the importance of fully committing to restoring the house to its deserved glory. We carefully allocated funds to finance a complete re-roofing project and some light landscaping, taking on the latter ourselves as a rewarding DIY endeavor. The result was a complete transformation of our beloved first home, a testament to our dedication and vision.
A Closer Look: The Finished Product
Poised Taupe is neutral, yet warm and organic. It’s a sophisticated gray, subtly infused with rich browns and purples. It proved to be the perfect color choice for our house, enhancing its inherent charm.
And, exciting news! We have some big plans in store for the inside of the house as well! We’re operating on a tight budget, but isn’t that where the real creativity sparks? We’re incredibly excited to see where this next chapter of the project takes us. Stay tuned for more updates!
A heartfelt thank you to our friends at Sherwin-Williams. They were our house’s personal MADE coach, providing the support and resources we needed to realize this transformation. We couldn’t have achieved this dream without their expertise and high-quality paint!
This post was proudly sponsored by Sherwin-Williams. We’ve collaborated with them on numerous projects, and we can’t express enough our appreciation for the exceptional quality of their paint products. As always, all opinions expressed are solely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Curbly possible and allowing us to continue sharing our passion for home improvement.