Leanne Ford’s new home now features what is perhaps the perfect exterior paint treatment: KILZ 3 premium primer followed by Behr Marquee in Natural White from the company’s new designer collection. The HGTV star selected the crisp yet warm white based on the home’s materials and architectural elements. “The house has a lot of beautiful natural stone and the stone’s super creamy,” the designer tells House Beautiful. “I wanted it to live really well with that.”
The structure—designed by architect Charles Barton Keen in a town outside of Pittsburgh in the 1900s—is also made of stucco. It has old windows that Ford wanted to preserve as well as wood pergolas with ivy growing on them, archways, and columns. To enhance all of these features and ensure they’re long-lasting, the designer knew. primer coat would be key—hence the KILZ 3 premium selection.
Out of all of the white paints in Behr’s designer collection (which Ford adores, each for different reasons), she went with Natural White because she didn’t want it to look modern. “It’s such a nuance, but I wanted it to feel crisp white but slightly warmer,” she emphasizes.
Ford compares picking exterior paint to selecting tile. She never chooses a color that she’s into at the moment. “Pick something you’re gonna like in 20 years, and don’t mess with it again,” she recommends. And when your home is architecturally enveloping, she says, you don’t need to add much to it. Let the structural features shine! To learn more about Ford’s home upgrade, check out this post by KILZ.
Want more Leanne Ford? See her bungalow reno below!
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