The Historic District

Ok! Let me see if I can find some nice examples.

Willa wrote:Even if you traced the roof line and windows then filled in approximate areas with color that would be a start, like a rough sketch. There's so many fussy surfaces !

The realtor pics have also really helped to articulate approaches that work, and don't work, so I may need to readjust some of my original thoughts about what colors go where.

I did figure out a workaround to the hue issue.

I'll wait on continuing coloring until you tell me to move forward with whichever palette you pick.

Old House Guy has a yellow brick Italianate on his Exterior Paint Colors page if you'd like to see another approach and read his explanation. It's the third house down.

Here's his suggested colors image below. It has a sharper contrast than you seem to enjoy, but at the same time, your ideas about where to put the russet seem in line with what he did :

I looked through the Historic House Colors site portfolio, and the use of white or near white in many of the paint combos bothered me - but there is lots to analyze and dissect:

http://historichousecolors.com/portfolio/

The use of a very dark shade with yellow brick is striking, but with the pic above I don't like the light yellow almost brick colored paint with the dark green and red - I want to sneak more colors onto that house.

I agree. Maybe all the colors used in the trim should be in tones that are darker than the brick. Such rich detail painted in high contrast overstates - it shouts - and would be better served by a subtler range of colors. Also, the brackets are painted so dark that their details, in this photo at least, are lost.

Lily left the valley wrote:Here's his suggested colors image below.

This is pretty much exactly where my mind was going in my suggestion earlier

I have been looking at more images of paint combinations that I like, trying to think about what makes them work.



This understated combo works very well at highlighting all the fancy trimmings on the house.



This San Francisco area house has so much embellishment. The softer palette works nicely.



It is daring to paint each of the design elements a separate color but this seems to work as a whole ?



The strong contrast between the red, grey and cream looks good, though the burgundy paint on a wiggly surface makes me think of candy.



It's hard to tell from the photo whether the trim is blue or greenish blue, but the lower contrast looks pleasant to me.



I'm really liking the way these colors work together. I can't tell if the door is varinished wood or painted a more russet red. I'm unsure if the sashes are being painted burgundy or navy.

Another challenge with my house is that it is a strange regional style. Sort of like a Queen Anne-ish cottage something something.

Willa wrote:Conceptual conundrums:

- Will strong horizontal lines of color make my house look fat ?

Asked the chimney, to the street. Haha.

Manalto wrote:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/160581542936657574/

There's lots going with this house ! It's all working. How hard can this paint color choosing thing be ?

The "formula" that works seems to be to choose a group of harmonious colors and then one that is opposite on the color wheel - but not too vivid. Where to put what color is the other part of the puzzle. I don't envy you that task, but at least you have the brick decided.