This is the hardest, or more accurately the most scary, decision I have to make at our seventh house. Selecting an exterior paint color is easier said than done. And I’ve never had to choose a color for a whole house before. A door color? No problem. There’s not as much to lose if you make a mistake on door color. But a whole house?! I’m kind of freaking out at this point. B and I decided right from the start that this house would be pink. Before we even nailed down the plans, we knew. We’ve both always wanted to live in a pink house in Charleston. It’s a dream we tucked away in our hearts many years ago. But now here we are just two days away from having to turn in our house paint color selections, and truth be told, if it weren’t for the fact that both of our neighbors have white houses, I’d totally chicken out and just go with a beautiful, classic shade of white.
(*These pictures were taken on my iPhone. No editing whatsoever because I want you all to see these colors as accurately to real life as possible.)
(Pink Mimosa on left, State Street on right)
But the thing is, apart from the fact that both of our neighbors have white houses, I also know that deep down if I don’t go with pink I’ll always regret it.
But choosing between these two shades of pink is so much harder than I anticipated.
(Pink Mimosa on left, State Street on right)
I’ve at least narrowed it down from the four options I originally started with to these two – State Street Pink and Pink Mimosa. Isn’t it crazy how different they both look from these paint chips?
I should probably back this train up just a bit and explain something because I’ve had quite a few people on Instagram recommend other pink paint colors or ask why I don’t try a different color if I’m having so much trouble choosing between these two.
We live in a neighborhood that has a homeowner’s association and our architectural review board has a pre-approved selection of exterior paint colors.
This is the Historic Colors of Charleston Palette by Duron at Sherwin Williams. You can submit a request to use a paint color that isn’t on this palette of colors, but you kind of have to jump through hoops to do it. And while I may be undecided on which shade of pink I like best, it’s not because I don’t like these choices.
(Pink Mimosa on left, State Street on right)
Both colors are lovely. And I was initially leaning towards State Street. But after evaluating these swatches during different times of day and in different lighting scenarios (cloudy days and sunny days) I’ve started to feel like State Street may read a little too cool, and in some light almost looks lavender-ish.
But I can’t decide if maybe it only reads that way because it’s next to Pink Mimosa which is clearly a much warmer shade of pink.
The struggle is real y’all.
My concern with Pink Mimosa is that it feels a little too bright, but I’m also trying to take into consideration that no matter what color I choose there will be some fading over time. And I’m already going with very pale shades of pink as is, so maybe starting out a little brighter will be a good thing.
I plan to paint some areas of the trim today to get a better idea of how these colors will play with white trim.
In the meantime while I’m still debating I’d love to hear your thoughts!
State Street reads more sophisticated to me.