Perfect Palette Update Summer 2005

Exterior Color Renaissance

Welcome to my first "Perfect Palette Update," a newsletter for my clients, colleagues, decorators (professionals and amateurs), and others interested in paint color for the home.

In recent years, interest in the use of interior paint color as a decorating tool seems to have exploded. But this development was not as sudden as it seemed. The movement to use interior paint for home-transforming design started slowly and took nearly ten years to be fully realized. Tremendous momentum was gained during this time, as neighborhood home centers put resources for and control of home design and improvement back in the hands of homeowners. The public watched and were inspired by decorating shows, believing that they could make good color choices and leave their white walls behind. This momentum fueled the formulation of new paint lines in exciting shades, with coverage, quality and vibrancy unlike earlier paints. Here we are in 2005 and even the most reluctant chromophobes (those frightened of choosing colors for fear of making mistakes) are willing to try applying new wall color inside their homes.

"What is the next revolution?" you ask. The answer is a rebirth in the use of color for home exteriors. In recent years, despite the excitement over interior paint color as a design tool, next to nothing has happened to change the way we use color on the outside of our homes. We paint our houses over and over again in the same color, to avoid the considerable "problem" of choosing a new one. Why? For many of the same reasons that people were afraid to use color inside: it could be an expensive mistake; it's better to stick with something safe; it might make the house look smaller; it may make the house look too dark; it might look garish; what would the neighbors think?

But those aren't the only reasons. There is an historical basis for achromatic, or uncolored architecture, especially in the following two influential styles. In America, we fashioned many of our buildings in the Greek Revival style and painted them white. This fashion was actually based on a misconception that Greek classical temples and other buildings were white. Thanks to archeologists and historians, we know that the buildings were brightly polychromed, but the paint wore off over the centuries and the stone structures were left a gleaming white. Another style, leading to achromatic architecture was the Bauhaus movement. During this modernist movement, "freedom of space" was realized by the use of white. The Bauhaus style has been the model for the training of many contemporary architects. Given the many years that these influences have impacted American design and architecture, it is no wonder that the pendulum has yet to swing back in the other direction, towards more and improved use of exterior color.

We are, then, ready for this renaissance! Like the interior color trend before it, the exterior color renaissance will build momentum and foster the development of better products, more variety, better color advice, and greater confidence in homeowners willing to take the leap. As a color consultant, I find this very exciting! Just think how beautiful our neighborhoods will become.

So, my advice to those of you who like to be on the cutting edge of what is to come is to "think outside the box," in this case, the box is your home. Remember, the first impression others have of your home is based on the appearance of the outside. Many homeowners don't pay attention to paint on the exteriors of their houses until it starts to peel, or until the house is to be put up for sale. But, this is changing as the renaissance begins. People are starting to realize that color and architecture reinforce each other.

Exterior paint color consultants like myself know that paint colors on a house should be chosen intelligently to work with the building, the location and the neighboring homes. Color, form, space and light are all important in architecture, but color is really the variable that most affects the other elements. The placement of color supports certain design features and helps organize them for the observer. It's wonderful that something as simple as paint color can completely alter an otherwise unremarkable house and turn it into a stunning showplace.

Investing in advice about the best paint colors for your unique home will pay off measurably in the enhanced end result.

For more on exterior paint colors, refer to my book, "The Perfectly Painted House" (Rockport Publishers).
Or for personal assistance, consider these consulting options...

Bonnie Works On This Old House

The Bradford Heald house project, as seen on THIS OLD HOUSE®

The folks at This Old House were determined to get the exterior colors just right on their latest project, The Bradford Heald house in Carlisle, MA. I was thrilled to be selected as the architectural color specialist on the project, especially because Carlisle is my home. This Old House purchased the 1850's Greek revival farmhouse as their latest project, and ever since the work began, the little town of Carlisle has "gone national," courtesy of PBS. My responsibility was to create the exterior color scheme for the house. I made my TV debut on the show in January of 2005 to explain and illustrate what I'd created. It was VERY EXCITING! The folks at the show were great to work with. They made the shoot a real pleasure. And, as a result of working with them, I have expanded my services.

New Services

One of the tools that I used to present my exterior color scheme options to This Old House was software which allowed me to scan the architectural elevations provided by the architect, Jeremiah Eck, and then "paint" the elevation drawings using current manufacturer's paint colors. The colored elevations provided an opportunity for everyone to see how the various color schemes would look on the house without having to try to "imagine" the paint results. This proved to be valuable, as most people have trouble visualizing blocks of color on an area as large as a house. Until doing the project for This Old House, I chose not to use computer programs because paint colors are rarely accurately represented on a computer screen or laser printout. However, "painted" drawings viewed next to the manufacturer's actual paint chips made it far easier to determine the final color selections. For this reason, I am now offering this service to homeowners who have architectural drawings, the Full Service Exterior Consultation (architectural elevations are required).