When I got the cold call from a customer, who needed help in choosing the exterior colors for his 1908 Foursquare house in Everett, Washington, I knew I had my work cut out for me. It was my biggest job to date not only in sheer square footage, but one that was going to involve preliminary research. He wanted to stay in the area of an historically accurate palette. It was a massive home, with many architectural elements that needed to be sensitively treated.
In researching this job, I made some nice discoveries that I would like to share with you.
Where to start? First, I took myself on a walking tour of historical homes in Tacoma’s North Slope neighborhood to see firsthand this style of house. Although, it was enjoyable to look at an eclectic mix of older homes from Victorians to Bungalows, none of the Foursquare Homes provided much information as to historical accuracy.
I researched pictorial references hoping to glean the information I was seeking. One book that was a big help was Classic Houses of Seattle by Caroline T. Swope . There were a lot of photographs of Foursquare houses and the beauty was that they were in black and white. Although I could not see the hues, they provided a great value study. It was so interesting to see the difference between a house painted in a mid-tone or either a high or low value. It really helped in seeing the balance of architectural elements.
I researched pictorial references hoping to glean the information I was seeking. One book that was a big help was Classic Houses of Seattle by Caroline T. Swope . There were a lot of photographs of Foursquare houses and the beauty was that they were in black and white. Although I could not see the hues, they provided a great value study. It was so interesting to see the difference between a house painted in a mid-tone or either a high or low value. It really helped in seeing the balance of architectural elements.
Although, this house is not a bungalow, it is of the same Arts and Crafts era. In it, the author showcases many of his own personal jobs, showing before and after photos as well as providing alternative color schemes. For all of them, he specified Sherwin Williams’ Preservation Palette. This resource was invaluable to me for this particular job.
In collaboration with my clients, we arrived at a beautiful palette also using the Sherwin Williams' paint colors: Body: “Rookwood Dark Brown”, trim: “Ivoire”, front door and sashes: “Rookwood Dark Red”, barge board and other doors: “Renwick Olive”, gutters, eaves, fascia and front porch ceiling: “Colonial Revival Stone". Absolutely beautiful!
For me, this was a dream job. It combined my love of architectural history and research with my unwavering devotion to color and its application.
www.eb-color.com
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