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Victorian Exterior Decoration: How to Paint Your Nineteenth-Century American House Historically
Product Description
Many people who own authentic Victorian houses are at a loss as to what color their home should be painted or even what the original colors were. This resource directs readers step-by-step on how to select and apply historically accurate paint colors that will enhance the beauty and value of their homes. Full-color paintings and photographs.
Published in: Victorian Articles and QA
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The title says it all. The authors do a great job of walking you through the history of Victorian Exterior Decoration so that you can determine how your house might have looked when it was built and/or expanded. They give insight into what was important to people in various time periods as well as what materials were available to them. Finally, they walk you through how you can choose colors today.
Rating: 5 / 5
This book has long been out of print. I had a copy somewhere that I got years ago. Couldn’t find it, so
I got a used copy. Then I found the original and now I have two.
If you can find this book, it will be the only book you’ll need to paint a Victorian house without making a complete
fool of yourself by selecting the wrong colors and too many colors
This book shows you how the people who invented the style, as well as the paint, created the guides for handsome
exterior home decoration.
This book shows you how to paint every aspect of the home. The siding. The trim. The window sashes. The spindles on the
stairs. The rails. The fancy gingerbread. The book shows original color charts and painting suggestions from catalogues printed
in the 1890s.
If you read and understand the book, you cannot screw up. If you get some other book about Painted Ladies, you’ll get tricky and
have a paint job that says SCENTED CANDLE STORE instead of BEAUTIFUL HOME.
You want a house that looks like smart, rich people live in it.
Not a business that sells candles, drug accessories, pancakes or real estate.
This is this the only book you will ever need. But first you have to find it.
Good luck.
Rating: 5 / 5
From the title, I guess I was hoping for some clear direction on what colours to use. Instead, the book gives an overview of colour usage during this period, and changing trends, supported by quotes from critics of the period and illustrated by many original images from contemporary paint companies, advertisers, books of architecture etc. So what the authors expect you to do is to study all of that material and make your own decisions on what colours to use. To help you, they provide a detailed list of equivalent modern paint colours from several major companies such as Sherwin. Although helpful, I would have appreciated something a bit easier to understand and some more direct suggestions of typical colour schemes for, say, 1880. It is fascinating to see the original illustrations but, despite the quality of the reproduction, it is not always easy to make out what colours they have used.
Rating: 4 / 5
I found this to be a very good book and very educational. I am painting my 19th century house using it as a guide. In the previous review someone wrote:
“Unfortunately, there are precious few old drawings and the ones they do have are done in muted browns and beiges. Now, I know they didn’t have color photos back in those days, but I do wish they’d included more color pictures (drawings) of these old houses.”
This person has obviously missed the point of the book. Did you read it? Those _are_ color drawings and those “muted browns and beiges” _were_ the colors used back then. People have a stereotype of 19th century colors as supposedly being bright and contrasty; this is due to the colorist movement in San Francisco back in the 70s, but is not appropriate when seeking 19th century accuracy. The crazy row-house colors of San Francisco are modern interpretations; whereas the Victorians preferred earth tones. The authors go at length to explain this with drawings and historic reproductions that are accurate in color.
My only gripe with this book is that there should be more photographs of 19th houses painted historically. I think more photos would give home restorers more ideas to pick from.
Rating: 4 / 5
I really enjoyed all the details and information so that I can paint my own Victorian home. Good color combinations, great historical information. I do wish there had been a few more photos of correctly painted homes.
Rating: 4 / 5