LET us assume that this home is to be built in the country, or at least in a suburb where there is still enough of nature’s garb to give proper setting. There is nothing so good for a background as nature-made landscape; and if we cannot dwell in a home that is a part of it, we can choose a spot where some of its elements have been spared the axe of over-zealous man.
See to it that your site has trees that may be permitted to remain if this is possible. And see to it too that their roots are not mutilated in the business of building. The next matter of importance is room at the front for a flower garden, however small it may be. For a front garden is like the opening chapter of a book. It gives an idea of what to expect as one proceeds up the path to the presentation of an idea. The more green with which you can surround your home, the prettier it will be; the more inviting from the outside, the more restful within. A man who spent his working hours in the city once said that he wouldn’t take a thousand dollars a morning for the view which he had with his breakfast and the green he saw from his easy-chair on his porch.
The home should be a part of the landscape. It should not be a violent spot either in design or color. It should look as if it grew in its surroundings with the flowers and shrubs and trees. It should be designed by a good architect. It is no part of this little book to create rules. It is rather a suggestion or series of suggestions which may or may not be fully accepted as your taste may prompt.
It may be that you have already built your home, but these suggestions are quite as applicable as to a new home. To meet entirely your specific needs it would be necessary to consult an interior decorator of good repute. These pages are intended to apply in a general way, though details are discussed at some length. To return to the structure: There are no better examples of domestic architecture than many of the simple homes of New England. These are almost invariably white with green trim. Their interiors were designed for comfort. Their gardens are literally festivals of color from early Spring until late Autumn. They are restrained in character, refreshingly free of “ornament,” dignified, restful and pleasant. They come nearer fulfilling the true conception of “Home” than any type of building which has since been evolved.
The one important reason why this character of home is successful in most sections of the country is that it is built from wood—the best medium for artistic expression, in the opinion of many. If you have doubts of the lasting qualities of wood, you have only to remember that the models in question have stood in many instances for more than a century, kept young and useful by an occasional coat of your partner, paint.
Of course, there are other media of architectural expression. The stucco house is favored by many, especially when it is used in conjunction with half timber effect—borrowed from our English cousins who use it structurally and sincerely, while the general run of homes in America in this transplanted style are built from the motif of appearance alone. In some cases, the supposed timbers have been fashioned from galvanized iron, untruthful in purpose and useless as a part of the building. Even when wood is used it is in fanciful patterns created for the eye alone, from ordinary boards.
The wooden home is essentially American in spirit and design. In the early days wood was used because it was the only available material, quarrying not having been introduced and bricks being imported from England and Holland at great expense. Besides, it was only necessary to cut and artifice a material growing on every hand for adequate shelter against all weathers. The material of necessity proved so lasting, so easy to work and so low in cost that the consideration of other materials was superfluous.
Now, as then, bricks and stone are almost prohibitive in cost even to the well-to-do, while wood is not only the cheapest but the most natural elemental building material. It is the easiest worked, costs the least from the standpoint of labor charges, and can be changed in color at will to meet a desire for a new effect.
So let us consider first the wooden home and discuss the details of the exterior from the point of view of beauty, brought about by a wise choice of color.
White is the preferred color for exterior painting; that is, for the broad surfaces. The blinds, window-trim, porch columns and in many cases the cornices may be one of numerous color tones. The picture which we must consider is one which nature would approve, so restraint is in order, whatever our selections may be. Following is a presentation of a variety of combinations, all of which will blend with any landscape and become a part of it.
As there are so many different shades of each color, we mention the technical trade names, by which the intended color is known.
COMBINATION NUMBER ONE: Broad surfaces, White; window casings, Warm W Grey; sashes, Brown G Stone; shutters, Woodbine Green; porch, cornices and mouldings, same Warm W Grey as used on casings; doors, White; casings, Warm W Grey; porch floors, Green Stone Medium; roof, Woodbine Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER TWO: Broad surfaces, Cream D Color; casings, Fern Green; sashes, White; shutters, Fern Green; porch, Cream D Color; cornices and mouldings, Cream D Color; doors, White; casings, Fern Green; porch floors, Blue E Grey; roof, Fern Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER THREE: Broad surfaces, Pearl Grey; window casings, Warm Drab; Shutters, Oxide Red; cornices and mouldings, Pearl Grey; doors, White; porch, Pearl Grey; porch floors, Oxide Red; roof, Oxide Red.
COMBINATION NUMBER FOUR: Broad surfaces, Yellow M Buff; casings, Walnut Brown; sashes, White; shutters, Walnut Brown; porch, Yellow M Buff; cornices and mouldings, Yellow M Buff; doors, White; casings, Walnut Brown; cornices, Walnut Brown; other mouldings, Yellow M Buff; porch floors, Siennese Drab; roof, Walnut Brown.
COMBINATION NUMBER FIVE: Broad surfaces, White; casings, Palm Green; sashes, White; shutters, Pea Green, porch, White; cornices, Pea Green; other mouldings, White; doors, White; casings, Pea Green; porch floor, Palm Green; roof, Palm Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER SIX: Broad surfaces, White; casings, Brown G Stone; sashes, Warm W Grey; shutters, Brown G Stone; porch, White; cornices and other mouldings, Brown G Stone; doors, White; porch floor, Brown G Stone; roof, Woodbine Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER SEVEN: Broad surfaces, Grey T Stone; casings, White; sashes, Tobacco Brown; shutters, White; porch, Grey T Stone; cornices and mouldings, Grey T Stone; doors, Tobacco Brown; casings, White; porch floor, Tobacco Brown; roof, Fern Green.
We must remember that harmonious contrast is in order, and there are greens and greens, greys and greys, browns and browns. In incompetent hands, the best color scheme ever planned may be rendered hideous. Home should not be a paint-maker’s color card, and cannot be successful unless your own taste and individuality are reflected in its dress, inside or out.
Assuming that you live on a street containing representative American homes, we must plan the color treatment of your own so that it will not appear violent in comparison with that of your neighbor’s. You have no doubt seen the deplorable result of a variance of preference when one side of a semi-detached residence has been painted white and the other half done in green. The straight, sharp line of demarcation showed that each neighbor cared nothing about what the other thought of it—and less about the neighborhood spirit.
We have assumed in our seven suggestions that the house is one of board construction. If it be of brick, it must be considered from a somewhat different point of view. Brick and stone are elemental in character and are better unpainted. The little exterior wood trim should generally be done in very light colors, white and buff being in order with shutters white, buff or bright green. Sashes may be dark if one chooses. There is much less choice of colors to use with brick because there is so little variation in the tones of the brick itself. The same is practically true of stucco, save that it may be colored to suit almost any fancy. The general use of grey is prevalent, and inasmuch as grey harmonizes with nearly all other colors, the same treatments of trim as mentioned in our previous suggestions may be applied to stucco buildings.
Shingle houses offer less variety of choice as far as color is concerned, but there are good and substantial reasons why shingles should be painted, rather than left to the weather. In the first place, there never has been a shingle roof which has not required patching at more or less frequent intervals. The patch, usually a fresh, uncolored shingle, becomes startlingly conspicuous when set among its older, weather-stained neighbors. When the shingles are painted, repairs can be made as often as necessary, and a coat of paint on the new pieces preserves the harmony of color and does not flaunt their newness.
Painted shingles have a far greater resistance to fire than unpainted shingles. While it is true that the oil in paint is inflammable, it is equally true that, after drying, the surface is practically metallic and to a high degree fire-resisting. Painted shingles do not warp, with the result that they do not form pockets in which a burning cinder or spark could settle. Furthermore, actual experience proves that painted shingles are rain-proof and remain so as long as the paint endures.
Painted shingles of a color in harmony with the rest of the house, are, first of all, a good investment; second, good protection; and third, pleasing and attractive to look at.
The secret of successful house-painting is in the maintenance of a neutral effect, with enough of color to give relief to the eye. Monotony is as offensive as too much variety. So our task is to establish a medium that shall be happy and tasteful.
Let us not forget that the renewal of paint at stated intervals is quite necessary and should be made at least once every four years. Only a good master painter should be employed—one who believes in the use of good paint and good craftsmen. Given paint of first quality, two workmen may produce entirely different results. From the work of one may follow long wear and weather resistance, and from the other a coating that will prove short-lived and inferior, with peeling and blistering of the surface.
The time to paint depends more upon the weather than upon the season. In many parts of the country the cool clear days of Fall afford as good and sometimes better working conditions than the Spring. The season is inconsequential. Dry weather is the most important consideration.