We're experiencing a bit of an early summer here in Toronto. Temperatures over the last few days have hovered at a high of around 22 degrees celsius (about 76 degrees farhenheit). That means that everything outside is coming alive... our forsythia is blooming a brilliant yellow, the crocuses and daffodils are coming out, and our lawn is slowly turning from brownish to green. With all this colour and sunshine about, its making the front facade look even more worn, boring, and just plain blah.

Living in a neighbourhood with row upon row of the same red brick semi-detached houses, HandyMan and I want to put a little bit of effort in making our house stand out. We've scoped out "the competition" and noticed that (a) most people do not paint their window and door trims preferring to keep them white; (b) there is a preference for painting the door black; and (c) house numbers and light fixtures tend to be in a black finish and very traditional in style. Likely branded as the neighbourhood rebels (that reputation gained because we're the only as-yet childless couple on a street with 44 kids - that's about two per house!), you just know we're running in the opposite direction from convention.


So what to do... we want a more contemporary look for the front facade. Think brushed metals, good lighting, a minimalist garden.



We've ordered these pretty fab modern house numbers from WestOn Letters. To go with it, I'm currently on the hunt for a new light sconce. Seeing as there is only about 11" from the underside of the dentil moulding and the top of the screen door, I'm limited to fairly small and compact fixtures. This Lakeland LED sconce is the top contender. The brushed nickel finish will look great with the red brick. Ooh, and I want a custom balustrade too. Something like this one.

But this is where I get stuck... I've picked out the accessories but am having difficulty on the paint colour. Any suggestions for the colour of the trim and door? The screen door will be replaced by a much simpler, single glass paned one, in the same colour as the door.