An Italianate style house with a fashionable 1880’s colour scheme: light body and dark trim boards

A selection of colours popular in the 1880’s. The blue colours would be used sparingly for fine trim or for signs.

From the deep, rich colours popular for houses in the 1880’s and 1890’s, to the fresher paler colours of the first two decades of the 20th century, there was a change.

A restored Italianate house built 1886. The colour scheme follows the recommended treatment for an Italianate-style house: warm paler body with rich trim colours.

And it wasn’t just the colours becoming brighter and paler, though they did. The actual placement of the colours changed too. Quite a reversal took place. Dark corner boards became pale. Dark sash became light. (Or pale sash became light). Multi-coloured paint schemes became more subdued (though three colour schemes were still popular).

The cornice and plaster centerpiece are painted in the 1901 colours used on this 1889 cornice. The original 1889 colours were even richer, but the room was restored to its appearance after a major renovation in 1901

Victorian cornices are handsome additions to formal rooms. Encircling the room at the junction of the wall and ceiling, they add a visual importance to the overall design and decoration of the building.

Unfortunately, it has become the practice to paint cornices all white, by some mistaken thought that this is correct. Research that I have done on several period cornices – ranging in date from 1862 through to paint schemes of the 1970’s on historic cornices – shows that the colours became progressively paler, from the rich tones and hues of the Victorian period, through pale turn of the century colours to finally, the white “paint-it-out-so-we-cannot-see-it” vision of the 1950’s, which sadly visually obliterated the historic cornices that survived, and is a scheme that has been perpetrated by painters and owners everywhere to the present day.

Cornices were meant to harmonize with the overall decorative scheme of the room. Wall colours were complemented, accent colours introduced, colors sympathetic to the wallpaper were used, and – probably - colours of the now-long-disappeared carpet were worked into the color scheme of the cornice. Even touches of gold, to match picture frames and gently reflect the light from the brass chandeliers were used in cornices.

Below are several planned color schemes for cornices from the late Victorian period. They are rich and detailed, and worth inspecting for ideas and suggestions for colors. They must be accompanied by a warning however. No actual cornice that I have researched and microscopically analyzed color chips from has ever achieved the several detailed colours of these recommended schemes.

Actual cornices that I have researched have limited themselves to around three colors, with the main deep cove being the most brilliant color, with coordinating accent colors on both sides. A slim gold fillet below the cornice has been found, with another encircling where the ceiling touches the cornice. The gold fillets were included to ‘finish’ where the wallpaper or ceiling papers touched the cornice.

To research the colors of your cornice, you may use a gentle form of the “Bull’s eye” method of finding your original colors as outlined in the article titled:
Finding the original Colors of my House

An example of a restored cornice in an 1884 Dining Room at a historic site. A far simpler cornice color scheme than that recommended in decorating books of the period. The original wallpaper had been purchased in London in 1884, and has been recently reprinted to match the badly damaged original paper. The cornice has been restored to its original two color plan of a mossy-avacado green and Indian red. Indian red was based on a red oxide pigment, which is an earth color. Depending on where the red oxide was obtained, it can vary widely in hue and intensity.

Here are three images of a 1912 house restoration that I supervised – an original 1926 photo; a 1990 “before” photo; and a 1994 “after” photo - show how that information can be used to advantage when planning a restoration project.

Original Scheme: A 1912 Greene & Greene style house designed by Pasadena architect Charles King. A 1926 photo of the house shows darker beams and pale window sash – both clearly different colours than that of the shingle walls

Before Restoration: Originally the shingles had been left natural, with painted beams and window sash. Pre 1990, the house had been painted all over with a too-dark Oxford brown paint, obliterating the intent of the original colour scheme of highlighting the prominent Arts & Crafts beams on the exterior of the house.

AFTER: the original red-brown color of the beams and cream color of the sash were sampled, analyzed and restored, and a green stain of the period – chosen from the original shingle samples below - was replicated in a flat paint to cover the brown paint. It was deemed better to paint the shingles an appropriately researched Arts & Crafts colour, rather than attempting to strip them of the brown paint, or reshingling the entire house to return the shingles to an unstained appearance when the house was constructed.

Shingle stains for houses of the 1912 period were widely available, answering demand for the product in the Arts & Crafts building boom period of house construction prior to World War I. Shingle walls were popular both for their rustic appearance, as well as their economic appeal: shingle walls at the time were actually less expensive to construct than walls clad in siding. Even houses whose original owners could afford a fine home chose to use wood shingles for their home because of their visual appeal.

Below are 12 actual shingles that were used as salesman’s samples that were found in their original box in an attic of a 1912 shingle house overlooking the ocean. The shingles each retain their original label explaining that the shingles were meant to be dipped in the stain “thereby rendering the shingles entirely waterproof”.

Remember that each computer monitor renders colors differently, so use these colors as a guide only for the range and variety of available colors in 1912.

This Dining Room was painted in the following colours:
Ceiling:Flat-tone Ivory
Upper walls: Flat-tone Pearl Grey (Pale Azure could be substituted)
Lower walls: Flat-tone Delft blue
Trim and Furniture: Stained silver Grey

Bedroom Colors
Ceiling and Drop: Flat-tone Cream
Walls: Flat-tone Old Gold
Woodwork: Pure white Enamel
Floor: Natural woodwork, varnished
Furniture: Stained mahogany
Carpet: Bordered green carpet

This 1911 bedroom was painted in these colors:
Ceiling: White flat paint
Walls: Flat-tone Shell pink
Trim: White enamel
Carpet and window seat: mid green
Bed: Brass

This 1911 Dining Room has been painted in these colors:
Ceiling: Flat-tone Cream
Walls: Glazed in a pale salmon
Woodwork and furniture: Stained mahogany
Carpet and curtains: Soft moss green

As an example of an ostentatious ‘catalogue’ bedroom of 1911. this room was decorated in the following colours:
Ceiling: flat Cream with wallpaper appliqués in corners and center
Cornice: flat white
Wallpaper: Pale blue and white alternating stripes garlanded with pink roses with green leaves
Curtains: Delft Blue
Carpet: Moss green with diamond pattern
Furniture and baseboards: Grained oak
Bed and chandelier: Brass

Not all of these rooms would be in the same house! They represent different tastes and incomes, and have been chosen to show some of the wide range of interiors that were popular in the early twentieth century.

Green-stained wood shingle roof on a brown-shingled house. Extra color accents are added by the attractive green striped awning, and the climbing vines.

Roofs of early twentieth century houses were frequently made of wood shingles, when they were not made of more durable slate or other materials.
Everyone’s’ interpretation of roof colours today come down to the manufacturers of today selling “weathered cedar” or “driftwood grey” as colors for asphalt shingles, in order “to simulate the original roof colours of yesterday’s roofs”.

Nothing could be further from the truth! “Yesterday’s roofs” were actually an array of bright colours, ranging from red to green to gold and black. From Victorian times, with their multi-coloured bands of wooden shingles imitating slate roofs; to the brightly hued wood shingle roofs of the Arts & Crafts period; the fashion for coloured shingle roofs carried on into the Georgian and Tudor-revival styles of the 1920’s.

A green roof on a red-brown Craftsman style house

Whether you make the effort of having your shingle roof stained to match the original color of your roof, or you carefully look to find substitute asphalt roofing shingles to simulate original colours and shingle sizes, make sure that the roof color that you choose harmonizes with the overall color scheme of your house. A roof can have a 25 or even 40-year warranty, so make sure that this big and expensive choice is one that enhances the value of your older house.

A red roof on a pale sage green house with olive trim and off-white sash

A green roof on a sunshine yellow house with off-white trim works well in a wooded setting.

A red roof picks up the color of a brick foundation and chimney on this house with warm grey siding, pale trim and dark green window sash.

A green roof on a yellow house with off-white trim softens an exposed location. Dark green sash add a rich accent color to the windows.

Finding those colors is often a tricky procedure. A Heritage Consultant can do an extensive on-site research, taking samples from various architectural elements of a house, noting where they were taken from, and inspecting the samples under a microscope. The samples are carefully matched with each other, layers are coordinated, fading allowed for, and paint colors from the (usually) original color scheme are finally carefully matched to modern available paints. A colour image is produced by the Consultant to show the homeowner client what the original color scheme looked like on the house itself.

If a home owner wants to find the original colors, but do not have a Heritage Consultant to call on for help, there is an alternative method of finding the color information of your house that you can do yourself.

Known as “the bull’s eye method”, it is a technique that a careful, methodical person can do by himself or herself. The “bull’s eye method’ consists of sanding down areas of the paint on the outside of the house in a shallow circle, exposing a “bull’s eye” of all of the paint layers all the way down to the wood. These “bull’s eyes” should be around four inches (10cm) across, and be made with sandpaper, giving it a final rub with very fine sandpaper.

Choosing where to make the “bull’s eyes” is very important. You have to choose the area of a house that is most protected – not just from the sun, which is probably the most important consideration – but also away from any area that may have been scraped clean by enthusiastic painters in the past.

The best locations are on the north side of a building, under eaves, and in difficult-for-a-painter-to-reach places. You are trying to expose areas of paint that retain all of the paint layers that have ever been applied to your house. Remember that paint on old houses probably contains lead, so use a facemask; do not breath the dust, and research your local environmental bylaws about removing large quantities of lead paint – if the whole house has to be scraped for example.

You should reveal several “bull’s eyes”– at least two on each building element for comparison purposes – on the siding, the trim, the sash, shingles if any, porch floors, porch ceilings, anywhere in fact, that there might have originally been a different colour on the house. After revealing the “bull’s eyes”, you want to look carefully at each area that you have sanded. Rub a little clear mineral oil over each “bull’s eye” with a clean rag. This aids to replicate the original oil content of the paint, and reveals a truer colour than the dry sanded finish.

Interpreting the “bull’s eyes” can be a little tricky. Take some time and compare all of the different “bull’s eyes” and take notes of the layers on each building element. Cross-reference the color layers on a piece of grid paper. See which layers line-up with other layers. Does that grey paint layer appear as a middle layer in all of the “bull’s eyes”? Is that medium yellow only on the siding? Is the sash dark green? What about that light cream colour on the bottom next to the wood? Is that an undercoat, and not the first paint color?

Good paint jobs on old houses almost always used undercoats. White lead and red lead undercoats were frequently used and can be initially confusing when trying to find an original paint scheme. There are historic houses that have been incorrectly “restored” to their undercoat colors. Try not to make that mistake!

Original paint colors will fade in sunlight, they get dirty, and they can oxidize, changing a green layer to one with a blue-ish hue for example. You can inspect suspect color layers with a magnifying glass and a scalpel to check the colours deeper within a layer to make sure of an original color.

After determining the colors of the house from your “bull’s eyes” try to match your colors to paint that is locally available. Make sure that all of the colors work together. Look at the colors you have chosen and adjust slightly if necessary. They had good color sense when your house was built, and like you, they wanted an attractive over-all appearance.

Choose good quality paints – after all, it’s the labor that is time consuming and/or expensive. The price of good paint is usually a smaller part of the cost of repainting, and a sound investment.

Some tips:

• Even good paint fades, so choose paint just a little brighter than what you think is right, so when it fades it will still look good.
• Especially for dark colors, try to use factory-mix paints. These usually are made of ground earth pigments, rather than “squirt-into-the-can” pigments, and are therefore more durable and keep their color longer. Ask at a good paint store which paints are factory mixed.
• Wherever possible – especially for dark colors - avoid transparent bases for your paint. The coverage is not good – needing up to seven coats of paint for a burgundy color that covers properly. (See tip above!)
• Preparation is everything! Painting over old paint ensures that your new paint will not last as long as painting over clean scraped wood. The different expansion and contraction rates of the various paint layers will loosen the paint layers and help them to crack and flake. Take care when preparing for repainting.

Even houses that have been stuccoed over the original shingles can often be restored if the stucco was applied over the wood shingles using stucco wire and building paper, which can act as a protective layer over the shingles.

A c1917 illustration of a brown shingled Bungalow with a green-shingled roof. The dark green window sash brings the green color of the roof down into the main floor as an attractive accent color. The green striped awning adds a coordinating color feature.

Removing stucco from a shingled wall will leave some nail holes and cracks in the individual wood shingles. Occasional shingles may require replacement, but most of the wear can be successfully disguised by colour.

If a shingled wall has always been stained, do not paint it. Re stain the wall with an oil base penetrating stain for the best results for your house. A dark colour stain – usually a warm, reddish-brown color – was the popular original colour used for Arts & Crafts homes. A dark colored stain will very effectively hide cracks, small splits and holes in the shingles. The result, especially when paired with a pale trim colour in a warm cream color, will present a home that looks well cared for, and appropriately coloured to its original architectural design.

A warm, reddish brown wood stain harmonizes well with the red brick of the chimney and porch plinths of this house. A light tan/ochre stain colors the roof.

If, on the other hand, a pale grey colour is used for example, every one of those defects will be obvious as dark marks to the bystander, and the building will look like an old, worn house, with every defect showing.

Stain as a finish is inherently easier to maintain on a shingled wall than paint. Stain is absorbed into the wood, and gently wears off the shingles. When it is time to restain the walls, the stain is again absorbed into the shingles. Paint on the other hand, builds up in layers, and becomes uneven. When it comes time to redo the house, scraping paint from shingles is an unpleasant task, and damaging to the wood shingles themselves. If at all possible, keep a stained finish on the shingles and apply paint on the smooth trim boards and window sash in order to keep your shingled house looking trim and tidy for years to come.

If you have a house that has been painted, then you may have to paint again. But keep in mind what darker colours can do for shingled walls – instant hiding of small defects, and a fresh overall appearance. Keeping a contrast between finishes – dull for shingles and a semi-gloss for light trim and porch ceilings will add a good visual contrast for the exterior of your house.

This house has a foundation made of grey cast-concrete “Art” blocks, grey siding, off-white trim, with brown shingles on the upper storey and a green shingle roof

Frequently, old houses have been incorrectly painted sometime during their life. In the 1930’s, during the Depression, it was common for many houses not to have had any maintenance, and the paint was almost worn away, exposing bare wood, and removing almost any trace of the original colour scheme. During the 1950’s, a revived fashion for all-white houses with green shutters again eliminated any traces of more colorful original color schemes.

To correctly assess an original paint scheme, the first thing to do is to carefully look at the original exterior of your house – assuming that is has not been stuccoed or covered with aluminum or vinyl siding. Look carefully at the placement of the trim, and the types of siding. Many times, painters or (worse) family or neighbors will suggest a two-tone paint scheme – a body color and a trim color only. But is that what the house wants?

If the house has a mix of siding materials – shingles and siding for example – or siding, stucco and board & batten cladding - as well as trim, then it is most likely that there were at least three colors on the house, and probably four or even five colors of paint.

A color scheme mixing yellow siding and brown shingles in the front gable. The change of materials has dictated the colour changes.

Early houses relied on their paint schemes to accentuate the architectural features of the design. The colours chosen were as much a part of the architectural design of the house as the shape of the porch, or the brackets that held up the bargeboards. Colours were used to minimize the visual height of a house, or to accentuate the horizontal lines of a house, or to highlight a special feature, like a prominent gable over a front door perhaps.

Obliterating these visual highlights with a bland paint scheme does a disservice to the value of an older house.

Look at these examples of houses in their original colours. See where the designer thought it best to define the design, or highlight a feature. A band of trim around the middle of a house is a definite clue that colours changed here – the upper part of the house was different than the lower part.

A pale grey siding and green-shingled house is offset with a white trim in this 1917 example – a rare use of pure white from the period. The roof is stained a warm ochre color

Defining the trim by a paler colour (and pure white paint was rarely used – generally a warm cream or off-white color should be used for historical accuracy) was popular after 1900. Pre-1900 Victorian houses generally used darker colored trim and Edwardian houses built after 1900 used paler trim colors, adding to an all-over lightness in colour schemes that became popular with some housing styles in the first decades of the twentieth century.

This house at first glance appears to be an all-brown colour scheme. It is actually a combination of siding below and shingles above. The defining trim board encircling the house separates the two materials, which have been painted in different, but harmonizing shades of brown. The green roof adds a suitable rustic tone to this scheme. The dark green window sash bring an attractive coordinating accent color to the overall scheme.

A foursquare house with both shingle and siding exterior cladding. The different materials each have a different color, which emphasizes the horizontal lines of the design, while lessening the vertical appearance of the house.

A 1917 foursquare house clad in yellow siding, with pale trim and a green roof. This is a more traditional “Colonial Revival” or “Edwardian Classical” style color scheme, as a light antidote to the dark Victorian schemes of 20 years earlier.

Foursquare houses – those with (usually) four rooms per floor – were popular in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Often utilizing Arts & Crafts detailing, these economical homes contained the maximum amount of square footage of floor space in the smallest exterior wall area.

Choosing appropriate exterior colors for these homes is usually dependant on the exterior cladding of the building. In these two similar examples seen above, one (the all-yellow house) is clad in wood siding, with corner and trim boards. The other house, covered in shingles on the second floor, and siding on the lower part of the house, is appropriately painted in a two-tone color scheme of brown and yellow ochre.

When there are different materials used on the exterior of an older home, that is usually a clue to change the color scheme on the different material. Siding is usually painted, and shingles are usually stained. Trim is usually painted as well. Frequently another color entirely is used to highlight the sash (the moveable wood part of a window), though these examples show the sash the same color as the trim.

Please note: This colour chart will not show true colors on all computer monitors. The Evercote Paint Card is only one paint card that was available c 1917. Pre-mixed paints had been available in larger cities since the 1880’s, but painters were still buying pigments and grinding and mixing them with linseed oil to make their own colors on-site as late as the 1920’s, giving a wide range of available colours for the homeowner. Interior water based pigments were also available in a wide range of soft tones.