The next time we have to paint this house I will run screaming the other way. I thought this would be fun but exterior paint is a whole other beast. It took 5 different paint samples just to get the color right for the front door and porch ceiling. We tested Benjamin Moore Heavenly Blue, Hazy Blue, Covington Blue and Sherwin Williams Copen Blue.
Lighter shades looked too washed out in the sun and then I over compensated by picking too deep/bright colors. I came home one day to a jarring neon blue door. I'm still cringing over that one.
On my last trip to the paint store I went back over all the colors I had passed on because I thought they might be too light or green. I narrowed my choice down to Benjamin Moore Wythe blue and it was exactly what I wanted.
A haint blue porch and door have been on my wish list for years. Not only is it one of my favorite colors but we liked the folklore behind it as well:
From Southern Living magazine, "The Gullah culture of the Lowcountry believes that spirits, known as “haints,” can’t cross water. Using light blue paint to symbolize water, the Gullah people applied the shade to porch ceilings and doors preventing evil spirits from entering."
There's still some work to be done—notice the orange cable in the front pic—but we are in the home stretch.
Photography: Moodboard