Historical To achieve historical-level authenticity in color selection, you with the assistance of your color consultant must observe two principles: - The colors applied to a building whould be selected from those that were available and appropriate for the date, style, and type of building at the time of its construction. - Those colors should enhance the design of the building in the manner in which accordance with the intent of its original architects and builders.

Boutique The "boutique" approach to exterior decoration of Victorian is also known as the California "painted lady" style. This style has its roots in 1960's and bears little resemblance from historical color schemes. The colors tend toward brilliant pastels or pure hues, with the body of the house often painted in one color and the cornices, windows and door frames in contrasting colors. At its best, the "boutique" approach can turn a Victorian into a dazzling display of artistry and beauty.

The color selection process for your Victorian consists of seven basic steps:

Step One: Obtain a full set of colors (or fan deck) from several national paint manufacturers like Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, Glidden, etc.

Step Two: Work with your color consultant to determine the closest match between your fan deck of colors and the 34 or so colors that were available from the original Victorian paint manufacterers. Victorian Restoration will work with you to obtain the closest match in the highest quality paint.

Step Three: Select the colors that are most historically appropriate for your building. The style, material, detailing, and age of your Victorian should be taken into account when you make your color selection decisions.

Step Four: Select a color for the main body, examining your swatches in natural daylight rather than under incandescent or flourescent lighting. Step Five: With the assistance of your color consultant, select appropriate trim colors. You may wish to consult various 19th-century books on color selection to research which colors where combined with the body color of your building. Step Six: Now choose colors that would be most pleasing for the details, including shutters, windows, porch roofs, floors, ironwork, etc. The general rule is . . . the simpler the design, the fewer the colors.

Step Seven: Once your have selected the complete palette, Victorian Restoratio will do the rest! We will be happy to apply test coats in an area of the building where you can see how the colors relate to one another. We would highly recommend that you engage the services of our color consultant Bob Buckter for creating visually appealing, tasteful combinations.

For a consultation, contact: Bob Buckter Color Consultant 3877 20th Street San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 9222-7444 http://www.doctorcolor.com

Example of Bob Buckter's Color Expertise: 1890's Columbarian, San Francisco

About Bob Buckter . . . One of San Francisco's original architectural colorists

Bob Buckter began his career painting and restoring San Francisco's famous Victorians in 1970. His extraordinary skill in selecting and applying color to these famous buildings advanced to all aspects of their exterior restoration. . . and on to the color and restoration of all types of buildings. He has become a recognized expert in the area of architectural color and restoration, and is frequently cited in books on Bay Area Victorian architecture.

Reference: Victorian Exterior Decoration by Roger W. Moss and Gail Caskey Winkler

Victorian Restoration
49 Irwin St.
San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: (415) 457-6867
info@victorianrestoration.com

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