Expert: Rikki Nyman - 5/14/2009

Question
QUESTION: My house was built in 1949. It is a lovely and unique split level home build by the area architect as his own personal home.  The roof color is horrible but its a new roof. Aside from tan/white what color options do I have? I would like the house to reflect my artistic side, as well as keep with the Retro style the house evokes. Presently the door is a bright red.  Suggestions and visual references are helpful for me to get the gist. I would appreciate any help you could offer.  Thanks!

ANSWER: Jen -

Cool mid-century house and very "up to the moment" for its period. I love the big front window.

What color is the roof?  I can't see it at all in this photo.

Also, do you have two different types of stone facing? Because of the different materials used, it looks like the lower portion of the house is tied together using color (the buff). Have you considered a lighter tint of the buff or another warm neutral for the upper half?

Though it's not shown, I imagine the red door is a nice pop of color.

Knowing the color of the roof would open up other alternative schemes.

Hope this helps,
Rikki Nyman
www.midcenturyhomestyle.com
www.antiquehomestyle.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The roof is a cinnamon color (orange/brown) which is dreadful! The foundation level does indeed have actually 3 different mediums used to repair a structure change. So there is real stone, a plastic covering emulating stone and plaster.  I would like to avoid any beige/tan colors and maybe do something to make the grey stone pop more. I don't have pictures of the red door - but it helps considerably!  Is there any color scheme that works with the Retro style that is outside the boring oatmeal palette?

Thanks.

Jen

Answer
Jen --

The cinnamon-colored roof really ties you to a warmer palette. On older houses you see the roof color repeated on trim and shutters. If you can pull one of the darker browns from the roof and use that as a trim color then you'll be able to anchor the roof and maybe it won't seem so ugly to you.

Another issue is the rock color. Do you have any plans to unify the materials on the bottom half of the façade? My guess is that you want the stone to stay. Is there anyway you can add more stone across the front to tie it together? When they removed the garage door, they wanted it to look integrated and decided to add the plastic stone and plaster then painted it the buff color make it work ... more or less.

You could see if the original siding is in good condition under the plastic. If so, you might consider removing it; it would simplify the front of your house and put the focus back on that great window.

As for color ...

- Brick red would make your gray rock pop and it was very popular during the late 40s and early 50s, particularly with white trim.

- Many homes were stained to enhance the original wood siding, so rich russets or mahogany browns might work well. (I really like the combination of browns with black trim, but it might not work with that roof, but I think it would be awesome with the red door.)

- Sage green on the gray side would look nice with the rock and good with the red door. It's a complement of orange (cinnamon) so it could work especially if you could pull in one of the colors from the roof for the shutters and trim.

- Some yellows might also work well with the gray rock and red door.

The biggest issue is that oddball roof color. I really hope this helps you a little.

Best,
R.