What colors should I paint my victorian home?

Question

I have a victorian house with a red roof and red brick - I would like to paint the base coat in a cream color - do you have any suggestions on what colors I should use for the trim and access colors?

Answer 1

Maybe a deep burgundy or country red. If you are interested in keeping it historical you can go to your city counsel or library to find out what the original colors were. Hope this helps.  

Answer 2

yelow and blue shutters are amazing!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

One of the paint companies, it might be Benjamin Moore, has a folder with 'historical' colour combinations. Maybe you can get some ideas there, or if there are any museums where you live that have local stuff, perhaps they know what colours were used in your area.

I don't know what you mean by the "base coat". Do you mean the foundation area, next to the ground? If so, I think it's a mistake to have that part lighter than the rest of the house. I think it's better to have a darker colour at the bottom.

Answer 4

Cream is a good neutral color and lots of other colors "go with" it.  I think color is very personal.  Think about what colors you like and what colors make you feel happy.  Victorian houses usually have lots of millwork and gingerbread details, so you might consider making these pop a little or a lot with a contrasting color.  I personally am not a lover of the color blue for houses, but that's just my taste.  If you like blue, you might choose a shade of blue and use that as the accent color, which would like nice with cream.  Green also looks pretty with cream, and some of the lighter green shades, almost pastels, have become quite popular as trim colors.  Then all shades of red, but I would go softer if using red so that it is almost peachy or even rust (orange undertones).  Also, if you can find a home decorating magazine that illustrates Victorian homes, you could look through that for ideas.  Sometimes you end up liking something you would never have thought about.  Good luck!

Answer 5

Many folks think of Victorian homes as being brightly colored and gingerbread-y. While this is true in some communities, it was only really a very small segment of Victorians, specifically the grand Queen Annes which were treated in this way and only then in certain communities such as San Francisco's painted ladies. Most Victorians were painted earth colors, especially late Victorians as there was a fascination and pre-occupation will all things in nature. This later manifested itself in the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau. I digress, certainly the brick and red roof are calling the shots, and I have absolutely no problem with putting lighter colors on the bottom. I'd say too that a deep burgundy sounds great but be careful as the extreme contrast between light cream and dark burgundy will only serve to push those colors farther apart...the cream will look lighter and the burgundy may read as a black from more than 10 feet away. Avoid green as you don't want to set up a Christmas palette of red/green. This may sound radical but I would recommend a palette of cream with rose and darker red accents. I am not suggesting a pink house or bright red trim, certainly you will want to make these very muted colors. Try these and see if they don't fit the bill of natural looking yet compliment the brick and roof as well as the Victorian temperment...all colors Ben Moore

1) Dusty Ranch Brown, 2105-40

2) Sequoia, 1235

3) Beaujolais, 1259

Use all of them in some sort of combination on your house if the decorative millwork allows...good luck!

Best,

Rodd

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