Let us assume that this home is to be built in the country, or at least
in a suburb where there is still enough of nature’s garb to give proper
setting. There is nothing so good for a background as nature-made
landscape; and if we cannot dwell in a home that is a part of it, we
can choose a spot where some of its elements have been spared the axe
of over-zealous man.
See to it that your site has trees that may be permitted to remain if
this is possible. And see to it too that their roots are not mutilated
in the business of building. The next matter of importance is room at
the front for a flower garden, however small it may be. For a front
garden is like the opening chapter of a book. It gives an idea of what
to expect as one proceeds up the path to the presentation of an idea.
The more green with which you can surround your home, the prettier it
will be; the more inviting from the outside, the more restful within. A
man who spent his working hours in the city once said that he wouldn’t
take a thousand dollars a morning for the view which he had with his
breakfast and the green he saw from his easy-chair on his porch.
The home should be a part of the landscape. It should not be a violent
spot either in design or color. It should look as if it grew in its
surroundings with the flowers and shrubs and trees. It should be
designed by a good architect. It is no part of this little book to
create rules. It is rather a suggestion or series of suggestions which
may or may not be fully accepted as your taste may prompt.
It may be that you have already built your home, but these suggestions
are quite as applicable as to a new home. To meet entirely your
specific needs it would be necessary to consult an interior decorator
of good repute. These pages are intended to apply in a general way,
though details are discussed at some length. To return to the
structure: There are no better examples of domestic architecture than
many of the simple homes of New England. These are almost invariably
white with green trim. Their interiors were designed for comfort.
Their gardens are literally festivals of color from early Spring
until late Autumn. They are restrained in character, refreshingly
free of “ornament,” dignified, restful and pleasant. They come nearer
fulfilling the true conception of “Home” than any type of building
which has since been evolved.
The one important reason why this character of home is successful in
most sections of the country is that it is built from wood--the best
medium for artistic expression, in the opinion of many. If you have
doubts of the lasting qualities of wood, you have only to remember that
the models in question have stood in many instances for more than a
century, kept young and useful by an occasional coat of your partner,
paint.
Of course, there are other media of architectural expression. The
stucco house is favored by many, especially when it is used in
conjunction with half timber effect--borrowed from our English cousins
who use it structurally and sincerely, while the general run of
homes in America in this transplanted style are built from the motif
of appearance alone. In some cases, the supposed timbers have been
fashioned from galvanized iron, untruthful in purpose and useless as a
part of the building. Even when wood is used it is in fanciful patterns
created for the eye alone, from ordinary boards.
The wooden home is essentially American in spirit and design. In the
early days wood was used because it was the only available material,
quarrying not having been introduced and bricks being imported from
England and Holland at great expense. Besides, it was only necessary to
cut and artifice a material growing on every hand for adequate shelter
against all weathers. The material of necessity proved so lasting,
so easy to work and so low in cost that the consideration of other
materials was superfluous.
Now, as then, bricks and stone are almost prohibitive in cost even
to the well-to-do, while wood is not only the cheapest but the most
natural elemental building material. It is the easiest worked, costs
the least from the standpoint of labor charges, and can be changed in
color at will to meet a desire for a new effect.
So let us consider first the wooden home and discuss the details of
the exterior from the point of view of beauty, brought about by a wise
choice of color.
White is the preferred color for exterior painting; that is, for
the broad surfaces. The blinds, window-trim, porch columns and in
many cases the cornices may be one of numerous color tones. The
picture which we must consider is one which nature would approve, so
restraint is in order, whatever our selections may be. Following is a
presentation of a variety of combinations, all of which will blend with
any landscape and become a part of it.
As there are so many different shades of each color, we mention the
technical trade names, by which the intended color is known.
COMBINATION NUMBER ONE: Broad surfaces, White; window casings, Warm
W Grey; sashes, Brown G Stone; shutters, Woodbine Green; porch,
cornices and mouldings, same Warm W Grey as used on casings; doors,
White; casings, Warm W Grey; porch floors, Green Stone Medium; roof,
Woodbine Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER TWO: Broad surfaces, Cream D Color; casings, Fern
Green; sashes, White; shutters, Fern Green; porch, Cream D Color;
cornices and mouldings, Cream D Color; doors, White; casings, Fern
Green; porch floors, Blue E Grey; roof, Fern Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER THREE: Broad surfaces, Pearl Grey; window casings,
Warm Drab; Shutters, Oxide Red; cornices and mouldings, Pearl Grey;
doors, White; porch, Pearl Grey; porch floors, Oxide Red; roof,
Oxide Red.
COMBINATION NUMBER FOUR: Broad surfaces, Yellow M Buff; casings,
Walnut Brown; sashes, White; shutters, Walnut Brown; porch, Yellow M
Buff; cornices and mouldings, Yellow M Buff; doors, White; casings,
Walnut Brown; cornices, Walnut Brown; other mouldings, Yellow M
Buff; porch floors, Siennese Drab; roof, Walnut Brown.
COMBINATION NUMBER FIVE: Broad surfaces, White; casings, Palm Green;
sashes, White; shutters, Pea Green, porch, White; cornices, Pea
Green; other mouldings, White; doors, White; casings, Pea Green;
porch floor, Palm Green; roof, Palm Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER SIX: Broad surfaces, White; casings, Brown G
Stone; sashes, Warm W Grey; shutters, Brown G Stone; porch, White;
cornices and other mouldings, Brown G Stone; doors, White; porch
floor, Brown G Stone; roof, Woodbine Green.
COMBINATION NUMBER SEVEN: Broad surfaces, Grey T Stone; casings,
White; sashes, Tobacco Brown; shutters, White; porch, Grey T Stone;
cornices and mouldings, Grey T Stone; doors, Tobacco Brown; casings,
White; porch floor, Tobacco Brown; roof, Fern Green.
We must remember that harmonious contrast is in order, and there are
greens and greens, greys and greys, browns and browns. In incompetent
hands, the best color scheme ever planned may be rendered hideous. Home
should not be a paint-maker’s color card, and cannot be successful
unless your own taste and individuality are reflected in its dress,
inside or out.
Assuming that you live on a street containing representative American
homes, we must plan the color treatment of your own so that it will not
appear violent in comparison with that of your neighbor’s. You have no
doubt seen the deplorable result of a variance of preference when one
side of a semi-detached residence has been painted white and the other
half done in green. The straight, sharp line of demarcation showed that
each neighbor cared nothing about what the other thought of it--and
less about the neighborhood spirit.
We have assumed in our seven suggestions that the house is one of board
construction. If it be of brick, it must be considered from a somewhat
different point of view. Brick and stone are elemental in character
and are better unpainted. The little exterior wood trim should
generally be done in very light colors, white and buff being in order
with shutters white, buff or bright green. Sashes may be dark if one
chooses. There is much less choice of colors to use with brick because
there is so little variation in the tones of the brick itself. The same
is practically true of stucco, save that it may be colored to suit
almost any fancy. The general use of grey is prevalent, and inasmuch as
grey harmonizes with nearly all other colors, the same treatments of
trim as mentioned in our previous suggestions may be applied to stucco
buildings.
Shingle houses offer less variety of choice as far as color is
concerned, but there are good and substantial reasons why shingles
should be painted, rather than left to the weather. In the first place,
there never has been a shingle roof which has not required patching at
more or less frequent intervals. The patch, usually a fresh, uncolored
shingle, becomes startlingly conspicuous when set among its older,
weather-stained neighbors. When the shingles are painted, repairs can
be made as often as necessary, and a coat of paint on the new pieces
preserves the harmony of color and does not flaunt their newness.
Painted shingles have a far greater resistance to fire than unpainted
shingles. While it is true that the oil in paint is inflammable, it is
equally true that, after drying, the surface is practically metallic
and to a high degree fire-resisting. Painted shingles do not warp, with
the result that they do not form pockets in which a burning cinder or
spark could settle. Furthermore, actual experience proves that painted
shingles are rain-proof and remain so as long as the paint endures.
Painted shingles of a color in harmony with the rest of the house, are,
first of all, a good investment; second, good protection; and third,
pleasing and attractive to look at.
The secret of successful house-painting is in the maintenance of
a neutral effect, with enough of color to give relief to the eye.
Monotony is as offensive as too much variety. So our task is to
establish a medium that shall be happy and tasteful.
Let us not forget that the renewal of paint at stated intervals is
quite necessary and should be made at least once every four years.
Only a good master painter should be employed--one who believes in the
use of good paint and good craftsmen. Given paint of first quality,
two workmen may produce entirely different results. From the work of
one may follow long wear and weather resistance, and from the other
a coating that will prove short-lived and inferior, with peeling and
blistering of the surface.
The time to paint depends more upon the weather than upon the season.
In many parts of the country the cool clear days of Fall afford as good
and sometimes better working conditions than the Spring. The season is
inconsequential. Dry weather is the most important consideration.