Home Improvement Ideas: Historical Paint Colors

Historical Paint Colors
Choosing colonial paint colors for your older home
What colors did people paint their homes 200 years ago?  The research can involve some work, but the results can be amazing and rewarding.  If historical accuracy is what you’re shooting for, a bit of research about the era your house is from, or is trying to look like it's from, will go a long way toward helping you choose historical colors that can be matched to many readily available, cost-effective, off-the-shelf paints.
Whether you're repainting a home built in the Colonial or Federal period,polo ralph lauren, or choosing paint colors suited to the Greek Revival,nike store, Victorian or Queen Anne eras for your new dwelling, you may prefer to paint your house in historically appropriate,ugg boots, rather than historically accurate, colors.
But does every historic house demand historical paint colors?  If you decide to paint your historical house with colors available from its era, here are three tips:
1. Historical colors should emulate or evoke local organic materials.
2. The colors should at least have a relationship to the era you are summoning up.
3. Be aware that if you live in a locally designated historic district, the local paint police (sometimes better known as the Historic Architecture Review Board) may limit your selection.
There are five easily identifiable periods of American architecture which respond well to historical paint color choices. Find your house style below and use this guide as a starting point for researching your painting project.
1. Colonial (mid-1600s to 1780): Original Colonial-style homes were usually one or two-story houses, two rooms deep with symmetrical windows. Earthy reds, indigos, ochre and burnt umber were popular and these organic pigments were easy to transform into oil-based paints.
2. Federal (1780 to 1830): This style is characterized by symmetry, lightness and delicacy. Creams, pumpkins, sage greens and muted blues characterized the style.
3. Greek Revival (1825 to 1855): Made from wood, these buildings are invariably painted white. Accent colors were rarely used but could include black, dark greens and gold.
4. Victorian (1840 to 1900): Multicolored walls, asymmetrical detailing and steeply pitched roofs are common features. Dark mulberries,vibram fivefingers, gingers, moss greens, brick reds and buffs were used in decoration.
5. Colonial Revival (1900 to 1940): Features commonly associated with the revival period are a balanced facade, front doorways with sidelights, multi-paned windows and gabled roofs. Mid-blues, grays and taupes define the style's palette.