Before you buy that paint, consider these guidelines:
Keep in mind that choosing an impactful
color scheme doesn't mean "your favorite". It means finding the right shades of a color to enhance the
architectural interest of the home in question. After you find the most complimentary tones, then you can tweak them towards
you or your client's taste. Read on...
Too dark and uninteresting.
Graceful and Inviting!
1.) What Color is the Roof?
The roof is a "fixed
element", meaning,
1.) What color is the roof?
The roof is a "fixed
element", meaning, it is not changeable, for the most part. A roof can comprise as much as 65% of the entire color scheme
on some architectural styles. Regardless, it is the first question to be answered. What color family (brown, black,
red, green, blue, tan, etc.) is the roofing in? Does the the "visual temperature" of the color lean toward
warm or cool? Deciding it is a cool blackish-slate color, or a warm tan with reddish undertones,for instance, is crucial
for the rest of the scheme to fall into place. If a color doesn't look good with the roof, chuck it. There
are 100,000 other paint colors in the sea.
2.) What Color is the Brick?
Another "fixed element", unless you are entertaining the thought of painting the brick (this is NOT a crime. It
is a crime is to have really ugly brick when there is perfectly good paint to be had). Evaluate the fixed
brick thru a "squinted eye." That's the best way I determine a mid-range color in a brick. Find the resulting
color on a fan deck, and use it for the body. It is a no-brainer. You can go lighter or darker, but stay on track as far as
the color. The body of a house HARMONIZES with it's fixed elements. ). A house with large areas of brick truly must blend
with any siding or stucco , or the house will look choppy and small (If there is very little colored brick, then
you can get creative, as the smidgen of brick becomes an accent.
3.)
What Style is the Architecture?
Different architectural styles can support different types of color palettes. Learning more about different architectural
styles is helpful, and cannot be covered in a blog (see our article on Ranch-Style house color schemes) The rule I, myself, follow is: Elements should only be in the
natural color range of the material it is made of. Stone columns should be stone colors. Adobe should be adobe colors. Ironwork
should be iron-colored. These things look silly when they are painted unnatural colors. Wood is traditionally painted, so
it can be far more flexible, color-wise. Brick looks best if it is a sturdy color, rather than a light, airy bright color.
These are rules of thumb, but they make sense, especially when you are selling a house. If it is an odd color-choice, people
won't think your house is cool or cutting edge. For the most part, they'll just wonder if weirdos live there.
Daring choices are NOT good for selling houses!
4.) What Kind of Neighborhood
is it In?
You
want the house to be well-aspected within the neighborhood's setting. If the scheme is too heavy for the 'hood,
it's going to look like the Munsters live there. Too bright, and people will think the Circus has taken up permanent residence.
You really want to offer a home that is respectable according to the appearance standards set by the existing neighborhood.
5.) What Color for the Body?
Once you have an idea of the relevance of the above factors,
now you can go to a fan deck and start considering your first color choice. Choose the body color first. Try the my
most-common-neutral method (squint!) mentioned above, FIRST. Then branch out into other shades of that
color, leaning into differing families. Let's say the brick is very pink-brown. Start with a nice mid-tone pink-brown,
then move it into an less reddish version, or a more reddish version. Choose three or four winners this way, and
work each palette separately using the following advice for trim, accent, and door colors.
Treat all utilitarian parts of the house like BODY color. Trim colors and accent
colors are for the pretty parts of a house, to enhance architectural detail. If it isn't an architectural detail
or a focal piont for some reason, HIDE IT with the body color ( I am talking about electrical boxes, attic vents, garage
doors, extra utility room doors, air conditioning units, downspouts from rain gutters, lattice, trellises, you name it.
If it doesn't say "nice architectural detail", then it gets hidden)! Don't get people to notice your $29
trellis from home depot. It's a plant support. You want them to look at your plant. Now if it's an ARBOR,
than pop that sucker with an accent. The body color is the backdrop. You can't feature everything!
6.) What Color for the Trim?
People think white is white, and off-white is off-white. THE WHITE IS VERY IMPORTANT! If you choose a gray-green body, choose
a white that carries hints of gray-green in it's undertone. Tan? Choose a creamy white with a slight cafe-au-lait
undertone. Yellow? Pick a white with a whiff of lemon in it. Customizing your white can make a HUGE difference. Whites
don't all look alike, and any truly custom look utilizes this truth. Next time you go to a paint store,
take a white sheet of Xerox paper in with you. Grab ANY white color chip. I guarantee you lay that chip down and you
are going to immediately see an undertone. The wrong white can make a house look really cheap. The right white
can make a color scheme positively dymanic and inspired!
Can't take the pressure of white trim-picking? Consider
dark trim. It can look very dressy in some instances.
7.) Choose
an accent color (shutters, awnings, window boxes, gingerbread woodwork).
The accent color should compliment (not necessarily match) the fixed elements:the body color, and trim. Don't
wimp out with a lightish color. The accent color is like mascara, it should be rich, dramatic, and preferably, very dark. Accent
colors frame the architectural elements and make an area come into focus,
and "anchor" the entire scheme. A
deep color choice makes the other colors come to life and find their place. "Loud" shutters are nearly always
a mistake, as they don't support, they distract. Find something deeply shaded and juicy. Gingerbread-style woodwork
on a Victorian is the exception to this rule. If you house isn't Victorian, don't have two or three accent colors.
That is what landscaping is for.
8.) Choose a door color.
This is where you play!
The door area should be obvious, interesting, and inviting. Putting the color punch ONLY at the door
makes a natural focal point that is instantly welcoming, and entices with a pleasant perkiness even on a
ho-hum color scheme. Don't wuss out on the door. It is the star of the show, and the
one place that guest will seek out and walk right up to and through. Make the most of this moment for your guests. Don't
be scary...just give them a portal they can't resist.
There you
go! It's a process of puzzle pieces to be plugged in. Once you use the formula, with a little practice and you'll
be causing dynamic impact!
Best of Skill to You!
Sue Eldredge
www.CurbAppealForDummies.comIf you know what color "Haint Blue" is, then you may be shocked to find that not everyone
everywhere knows what shade this color is, or what it can to do for homeowners today.
Haint Blue
is most commonly used on houses in the southern region of the United States; however, many cultures around the world describe
similar protective properties of this color.
The word "haint" is European in origin, and generally refers to bodiless spirits with a less-than-nice
agenda. The color Haint Blue supposedly has the unique property of repelling spooks, confusing them by blocking their ability
to gain entry into a home. There are references to "haints" being unable to cross over water, so perhaps the blue
color just ticks them off by reminding them of their shortcomings as paranormal entities.
First batches of haint blue paint in the U.S. in the 1850's and were made by hand at the construction site,
using raw materials such as blue-colored minerals and ochers, milk, and lime. It was noticed that bugs wouldn't land on
the dried paint, quite likely an affirmation for proponents regarding its ghost-busting abilities. However, most likely, it
wasn't the power of the color that the bugs were avoiding, but more likely, the lime the paint was made of.
Many cultures claim to be authorities on the exact shade and mystical properties of Haint
Blue, which is also called Gullah Blue, Dutch Boy Blue, Dirt-Dauber Blue, and what they call it here in Louisiana...
"That Blue Color Mosquitoes Hate." The color is quite sought after, and can be found on homes, both historic and
on new construction. The color is extremely popular for the porch ceiling and under the eaves.
Regardless of the myths surrounding Haint Blue, painting a historic house with a color with such
colorful past gives us a sense of continuity, a sincere gratitude for the ingenuity and perserverance of our forefathers,
and an appreciation of their deeply-held beliefs.
It also gives us something to think about as we sip lemonade on a hot day, and stare
up at the wasp's nest anchored to our porch ceiling coated with our largely impotent modern-day latex Haint Blue paint.
Please be advised: The actual shade of "Haint Blue" varies,
as the formulas were mixed by hand with local pigments. Haint Blue can range from a pastel violet-blue, such as a periwinkle,
to a rich shade of warm turquoise, and everything in between. If you believe your house is plagued with poltergeist activity,
call your local paranormal investigative society to find out what shade of Haint Blue is most effective on
the haints in your county.
