Victorian House | Shannon Kaye Color in the City

Sometimes a project comes and goes easily while others take a little extra effort. Case in point, I was asked to create a color palette for this house almost three months ago!

BEFORE

It’s not that the clients were indecisive, or the painters couldn’t start, or I couldn’t come up with a color plan…

BEFORE

It’s that rebuilding these very steep steps took extra attention which took months of debate, explanation, and frustration. BUT IT’S DONE!

AFTER

This project has been such a long time in the making, I couldn’t even wait for the finishing touches from the painter to take photos and celebrate. Sometimes it takes a lot of extra time and effort, but still; you gotta love when a plan comes together.

The homeowners were so flexible and willing to make some of the color placement decisions as went along, just to make sure every detail is perfect. My favorite clients are those who know what they like, but also willing to be open and trust me and the process… and this couple really rocked it!

Notice that the stair rail now steps down to make room for the homeowners gorgeous planters and climbing red geraniums. The homeowners made these beautiful decisions.

I like to focus on the best parts of the house, so the garage door matches the siding to keep focus on the eggplant window trim and gold leaf dental detail above.

Where many neighbors have painted their retaining walls to match their houses, I chose a color almost to match the sidewalk for a clean look that again, doesn’t pull focus from the house.

I also like to make the porch feel like a room, so the trim meeting the porch ceiling is cream and the ceiling color a pale gray lavender. Notice that the painters painted the drain pipe three different colors to blend in with the house! Man, I love CertaPro Painters!

What a difference a little color can make. Thank you, Alan and Daren for being so patient and engaged. And thank you, George Irving, CertaPro’s San Francisco Owner for bringing the project to me.

That’s my second ‘Painted Lady’ in the City- love it!

Sherwin-Williams Spiced Cider for Siding and Garage

Sherwin-Williams Softer Tan for Window sashes, Porch crown, and Stair rail caps

Sherwin-Williams Raisin for the Window trim, Columns, and Crown details

Sherwin-Williams Beguiling Mauve for Porch ceiling and Returns on Crow details

Sherwin-Williams Warm Stone for Retaining wall

It’s not a cocktail or a proposition- it’s San Francisco’s iconic Victorian style house. Known for their gingerbread details and vibrant paint colors, many of these homes survived the big earthquakes and post-quake fires of 1906 and 1989.

"William and Grace McCarthy Collection, (Audrey Fullerton - Donor)," 1906 AC 96-07-08 California State Archives Sacramento, California

Recently I had the good fortune of color consulting for one of these beauties on lower Haight Street just a block or so above what the proud owner called “the fire-line” of the earlier quake. We had to consider the history of this home but also create something unique and thoughtful for today’s aesthetics.

Here’s how it all went down:

From a distance the house looks sweet and faded...

But closer inspection reveals water damage, crack paint and faded color.

So, I gathered everything- pictures of the house, a sketch the owner provided, my big color chips, and of course, a mocha for the creative fuel I so needed for this one- it had to be perfect, but no pressure!

The home is actually owned by a non-profit group so when my ideas were set we all met up to review the plan. The painter, George Irving at CertaPro Painters, offered to do a mock-up- a section of the house he painted to spec so we could see it before giving him the final green light.

Painting samples on the house is still, hands down, THE best way to see how your efforts and investment will turn out. We met again over the mock up, made some final adjustments and approved the whole plan.