Victorian Homes – Exterior Color Schemes

In “The Victorian House Book” by Robin Guild, there is a great section on color schemes for Victorian homes as presented below:

“Owners of Victorian homes today are turning to the original color schemes and some excellent guidebooks are available to aid in this process. Among the best for American dwellings is Moss and Winkler’s Victorian Exterior Decoration (Henry Holt and Company, 1987). Several major paint manufacturers also now offer a complete range of ready-mixed and harmonizing exterior colors for Victorian houses.

The “earth” colors favored by the Victorians are not only among the cheapest and most readily available pigments but are also fast, retaining their color for decades without noticeable fading (a factor which has remained influential in paint manufacture right up to the present day). Beautiful greens and browns can be obtained by taking the time to add small quantities of black or umber to everyday trade colors, and the extra time spent in experiment can be well worth while when the result is something which is to last for five or ten years.”

Hue, value, chroma – the properties of colors. At Bedford Fine Art Gallery, we find it interesting that the home owners of the beautiful Victorian homes originally selected “earth colors” similar to the pigments used by the great 19th century artists. Researching and studying the colors used by the 19th century artists in paintings such as a beautiful landscape view, we understand why they would gravitate toward a Naples yellow, yellow ochre, golden ochre, raw sienna, Tuscan earth, Terre Verte, raw umber, burnt umber, lapis lazuli, vermilion, etc. Too many colors today have a high chroma and are not as natural looking and pleasing to the eye as classical earth colors. The right exterior color on your Victorian home will please now and for many years to come – live with what you love!