Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 4/19/2005

Question
We have a 22 year old Prairie style home in northern Oklahoma. The house is partially set into a hill on the north side. Exterior is a light, multi-colored brick. All the trim is currently dark green. It all needs repainting, so I was looking for links or suggestions on the paint schemes of the early 20th century.
Thanks!

Answer
Good Morning, Dave (wasn't that a line from 2001: A Space Odessey?)

Thanks for your question!

"Prairie Style" encompasses a wider range of exterior looks than many people think; although FL Wright was the most popular practictioner of the style he wasn't the only one.

Consequently, "correct" colors for your Prairie style home could be one of several different schemes - I'll try to cover a couple of them for you.

The "tall, square" Prairie homes (that became the American Foursquare style) were often done in stucco and wood siding; the stucco colors were light, the wood dark - brown or deep red.  That shape of Prairie was also often done in the lighter brick you mentioned.  In that case, the rest of the color scheme would be something like this:

Siding: medium dark green or red
Trim boards, soffits: beige, off-white
Window frames: same as siding

OR

Siding: light color
Trim boards, soffits: darker color
Window frames: darker color

Generally, in a light-colored "field" (the brick), a tall Prairie home would have darker trim and windows to "picture-frame" the openings.  In some examples, if the lower half is brick and the upper siding, the brick is light and the siding is very dark.

The "long, low" Prairie home popularized by FLW and some others tended to be darker overall.  Even when the masonry is of a lighter color, the painted parts of the house are almost always dark brown or dark red.

The key is contrast - if the overall field is light, outline the elements of the house in dark.  Horizontal lines should be dark.  If large elements of the house are light (brick piers, walls) then the remaining elements should be dark.

I can't think of any online resources for you, but there are thousands of FLW books out there for reference.  Also look at exterior colors of Craftsman-style and Art and Crafts-style homes (Prairie is a sub-style of Arts and Crafts) - they share much with Prairie style.

You might look into About.com - they have a large section on Architecture and may have access to some resources for you.  You can also post up a photo of your house and invite comments from others.

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
Richard Taylor Architects, LLC
www.rtastudio.com