paint it black!

i'm very excited to finally share with you my latest home improvement project! i got up some steely nerve and painted my new house black! i've always dreamed of having a black house, and i couldn't be more thrilled with the way it turned out. i've been pinning black houses, inspired by those in Scandinavia and denmark, and at long last have one of my very own! i partnered with benjamin moore, whose paints i adore and we went with their paint in Aura Exterior in Flat Onyx Black 2133-10 (the same shade as my interior doors). The trim was painted in Aura Exterior Grand Entrance in Satin Oxford White 869. i chose these paints because both deliver rich, full color and unprecedented durability — especially exteriors. My house gets a lot of sun in the morning, and Aura protects against cracking, peeling, and fading and is also mildew and stain resistant. and, Aura Exterior is available in thousands of colors. oh, and by the way — stay tuned this week, because coming monday we're going to be hosting a giveaway for a chance to win 5 gallons of Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior paint — in your choice of color and finish!

i guess i'd better show you a couple of befores! okay, so my house was originally painted a kind of gray green which was nice, but not my dream house. also, i think at some point when windows were replaced or during some past renovations it seemed as though some of the character was stripped from the house and the windows and doors had no molding around them — not much character to speak of. so, my painter (ed mingura who is amazing and not only a wonderfully meticulous painter but a carpenter, too!) added craftsman style moldings we designed together after seeing this blog post. i love the result — giving the house much more personality and i love the contrast of the Oxford White trim against the Onyx Black. next up is the landscaping which is happening next week, but i can already tell how lovely all the greenery looks against that jet black. i hope you like it as much as i do! i like the way it looks at night a lot, too! stealth house!

• photography by lily glass for sfgirlbybay.

This post is in partnership with benjamin moore, and all words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep sfgirlbybay going with fresh content every day.