Architecture/Shutter Colors

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Expert: Rikki Nyman - 3/13/2009


Question

1931 Stone House
Our house was built in 1931 and it has recently been resided.  We chose to stick with the original white color for the siding and repainted the door a bright red.  The first floor of the house is a bluish gray stone.  We originally thought that we'd have black shutters, but am wondering what other options we might have.  I'm thinking that black might be a little boring, but I want to stick with colors that could have been original to a house in the 30's.  Any suggestions?

Answer

1930s Colonial House C
In looking at source material (House Beautiful from the 1930s), I found an Early American house with the siding and gray stone façade like yours. It was a paint article on what colors to paint various house styles. Here are the combos they came up with:

1. Venetian red roof, gray walls, white trim around door and shutters.
2. Dark gray or black roof, white walls (including painting stone!), white trim around door. Front door and shutters are emerald green.
3. Dark gray or black roof, butter yellow walls, white trim, door, and shutters.
4. Dark gray or black roof, white walls, white trim and front door. Shutters are red.

Because your entry is under cover, I don't think you'd necessarily need to change the red door, but you might use red shutters to add a little extra pizzazz.  

Red advances visually, which is why it's such a dynamic color. The example shows the red against the gray stone, so that mitigates its boldness. Against your white walls, the contrast would be much higher and the effect would be more striking ... or jarring.

For what it's worth, I ascribe to the school of thought that black is never boring. It's also an excellent choice, and honestly, probably what I would do.

Try painting some cardboard panels (the size and shape of the shutters) and mount them on the walls. If you do both the red and the black, you can stand back and decide which you like better.

Hope this helps!

Best regards,
Rikki Nyman
www.antiquehomestyle.com
www.midcenturyhomestyle.com

    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThank you for the quick response. I think we can order some sample shutters, so we'll get both the black and red and go from there.


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Rikki Nyman

Expertise

Residential architectural questions concerning houses designed between 1900 and 1950, where the question pertains specifically to styles, designs, plans, building materials, color schemes, paint colors, interior finishes and so on. I am NOT qualified to answer engineering questions or issues involving construction methods, plumbing, electrical and the like. For example, I can describe what an appropriate color scheme would be for a vintage 1920s kitchen, or sources for plans for Storybook Style houses. I can not tell someone how to replace the electrical wiring in their old home.

Experience

I have been researching old houses and writing about them for more than five years. (See www.antiquehomestyle.com, which is my site.)

Organizations
Oregon Historical Society Architectural History Center, Portland Oregon

Publications
www.antiquehomestyle.com

Education/Credentials
B.S. History, Minor in Architectural Design

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