Wall Street Journal

Should You Paint Your House Black? A Trendy Debate

By Yelena Moroz Alpert

Black home exteriors increasingly punctuate hip neighborhoods and green landscapes, but design experts are split when it comes to noir facades.

In 2015, when he unveiled plans for a 26-residence project in New York’s Catskill Mountains, architect Drew Lang anticipated a handful of clients would select a black-stained facade. By the time the homes were finished in 2019, half the buyers had opted for the nightly shade. “People identify with its distinctiveness,” he said.