Wednesday, May 28, 2014

cat culprit and country house colors


This is the cat that led me to fall knee deep into a ditch of mud.
Before that, I took a drive to the Lucky Dog Farm Store
Grilled swiss on homemade bread and a cup of Senegalese peanut soup for $5, folks.

(warning: many pictures ahead)


On the 8-mile drive along Route 2 
I passed 14 barns
and took a picture of every one.














You can locate Andes (where our house is) and Route 2 on the map here  and zoom out to place it in relation to somewhere you're familiar with. (I realize I talk about the Catskills so casually, as though everyone knows where it is.) Speaking of the house, I've never shown you a picture of it.


Because it's a boxy modern house that didn't fit me or this blog or the Catskills which is filled with farmhouses and cabins and cottages. It's less boxy since we bumped out the kitchen--but it still screams 1970's California. (I know, I was there.)

Anyway, it's time to paint (stain, actually). In this picture, with all the green and the snow the color doesn't look too bad, but it's a lifeless opaque stain and looks dated.  I tested some deep greens on the trim this weekend, but they didn't work.

I thought about deep browns, and some cool black/charcoal houses I've seen pictures of. See here.  I especially love #3, the barn in Connecticut, and # 10, the Scandinavian cottage. But our house is in a hollow, with woods on three sides and going that dark would look like the home of a scary witch in a fairy tale.

 I thought about those barns. Maybe an old barn gray with red trim? And then, why not barn red? It would be a nice homage to the history of the area.



This barn is up the road from our house, one of the few old family dairy farms still in business.


I love the red and black cabinets we put in the kitchen. 

Staining the trim around the windows deep charcoal could add a fresh and modern touch. 


Over the years we've added a lot of decking and a footbridge across the brook.
How would that look in deep charcoal/almost black?
Brilliant idea? Big mistake?
What do you think? 

31 comments:

  1. Hello Jen,

    Red barn colour has our vote. Charcoal trim fabulous.

    In Herefordshire black and white cottages are all around. We painted ours a deep pink. It was, we argued, how the houses of the area used to be painted when all that was available was animal blood and distemper.

    So, red...red....red!

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    1. Hi Jane and Lance--A deep pink cottage amongst the blacks and whites must have looked marvelous. I'd love to see a picture of it. And your mention of blood as a pigment is very interesting.

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  2. I think almost black would look beautiful with all the trees and foliage. btw Jen, your house is beautiful! I like the last house with the red trim in the Adirondacks. A lot. The gray and black houses I've seen look stark at first glance but then become more sophisticated and "clean" looking to my eye. If I had your house, I would go for it. :)

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    1. Rubye Jack--the Adirondack is my other favorite, in addition to the two I mentioned. It's possible that our house would look great dark, especially with red trim, and I wish I had then nerve, but I think I won't risk it. It's a big job and whatever we do I'll have to live with it for a long time.

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  3. Hi Jen, What a great location! Deep in the country, but not a long drive from so many interesting places--the Finger Lakes and Canal country in one direction, and the Hudson River valley, and even western Massachusetts and Connecticut in the other.
    --Jim

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    1. Hi Jim--you are right about the location. It's less than 3 hours from NYC. Hard to believe you can get somewhere so rural that fast. From Boston I drive past the Berkshires every time. I keep thinking I'll stop, but I never do. I have gone to Hudson a couple times.

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  4. Jen, it looks wonderful! What a fantastic place.

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  5. OK, the cat is worth a tumble for. Now about the house, I personally love barn house red but then I see your house and I can see a dark brown stain on it with white trim, you know the kind I mean, rustic looking. Actually exactly like the house across the street from me. Since you're only a short 3 hours away maybe you can come look.

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    1. I thought about white trim, but I think it would be too stark for that setting. I've seen some really deep brown houses that I love, and gave it a lot of thought. If I didn't do red, that probably the way I would go. I'm worried about so much brown on those big slabs of wood, with the texture of say, shingles to break it up.

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  6. beautiful pictures! They are so different from our rural architecture!

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    1. I was in Spain many years ago, and lately have been wanting to return. There's so much I want to see.

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  7. lovely country houses!greeting from Belgium

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  8. I've read this three times and apparently not commented until now.

    Barn red for sure. It's a beautiful house, it deserves a beautiful color.

    How's the mother of the groom doing?

    xo J

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    1. I think I can't go wrong with red.

      I'm doing well. Got past my little clothing crisis. Thank you!

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  9. You should know better than to ask a bunch of bloggers their opinion...you'll end up more confused than ever. I'm wondering if you've seen Lauren Leiss' boxy '70s house that she painted black. I love it, especially the rusted steel wall she installed to between the house and garage to create a courtyard outside her bedroom. http://www.laurenliess.com/pure-style-home/progress-on-our-houses-exterior. I adore the other dark gray and black houses in that link.

    I've seen you packing on IG so I wanted to offer my best wishes that the wedding events go smoothly.

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    1. I really love those gray and black houses, and will look up Lauren's. I wish I had the nerve…

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  10. I love the idea of barn red and charcoal window trims. You live in such a beautiful place ...

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  11. Oh my gosh, what a beautiful setting!! I vote for barn red. And your house has wonderful lines. Cheers from DC, Loi

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  12. I think barn red stain would look nice. Hi from Scotland.

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    1. Scotland! I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

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  13. Your post is paintry as usual. Nice to see such barns which are rare in my region. Have a good weekend.

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    1. Thanks, Haricot. Now I am curious about barns in other countries.

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  14. Dear Jen,

    most of the red barn photos could have been taken here in Norway
    even natural are similar!

    lovely to read a post of yours again

    I looove deep charcoal/almost black.I believe it does fit with nature

    love xoxox



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    1. I've seen some really cool pictures of Swedish houses that are black. I wonder if you have them in Norway too. Of course Greece is filled with white houses.

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  15. I do like a red barn. Could be a cool look for your house... I also like the dark charcoal with red accents. And...peanut soup--yum!

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  16. Love the barn red! Warm and welcoming. Black or charcoal would be ok, but maybe in a more open setting?

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