I think it has some characteristics of Italianate - which was popular around the time you think the house was built. The low pitch of the roof, the cupola or tower, and the large overhang would all fit. Missing are the large brackets beneath the overhang. Try googling Italianate images to see some pictures. There was a wide variety. It is a great house.

Wow... Thanks for your opinion!!! Never would have thought of those colors!

Color choices are usually relatively easy for me but this house has had me stumped. As I explained I've always seen this house in white and for some reason was stuck on it.

Your suggestion will likely appeal to my wife who is really not all that happy about this house...

How would you handle the crown molding and other trim just below the roof line?

Thanks again for your thoughts...

I'm sorry to be boring on this one, but I love it in white. If you're chomping on the bit for a change, I'd still keep it classic, leave a huge amount of white trim, including the columns, and from the roofline down to the big trim piece running horizontally above the top windows, and choose an earthy camel, gray, or gray green for the rest, leaving your shutters black. And I agree on the door/s being the same red as the barn.

Thank you... Italianate does seem to fit. Possibly over the years some of the details were removed. I love the house as it is but would like to make some changes to help my wife feel like it is her home... Possibly putting some of that back could help the house to feel more complete and possibly less imposing. Thank you...

I'd definitely leave the trim below the roofline white. It would contrast nicely with a darker body color and will tone down the darker body color since there is so much trim around the windows, etc.. And I'd leave the "watchtower" white as well.

I don't think it is boring... I really like the white as well and was excited to find the old wooden shutters in the barn complete with hinges! The red door seems like a hit. I was thinking a stained wood to warm it up a little however I have always liked red doors and the concept of tying the barn to the house is great. All these ideas are kinda exciting!!! Thanks

Wow, that's exciting to find the old shutters with hinges!!

Good luck!

IMO I would keep it white with green shutters...and a green metal roof over the porch (standing seam metal roof would really accent the home). Try to bring some more attention to the wonderful front porch. Landscaping would help...add subtle walkway and install steps to porch. Good Luck!

Hello Rayw,

What a fabulous house! And such a great opportunity to own an historic property.

You are absolutely correct; the style of your house is Italianate, a very popular house style during what we know of as the Victorian era, late 1800's. Most all styles of architecture enjoyed a revival during that time period. What defines you house as Italianate is the rectilinear shape of both main blocks, the squared plinths above each window (the stone headers) and, primarily, the cupola on top. The deep eave overhang is very typical of most Victorian houses of this period.

If you are interested in keeping with historically accurate colors then you might want to head into the directions as stated above: deep tans and soft grey's are very appropriate for this time period. However, you will also find that a lot of Italianate houses are pink or shades of pink. And actually really lovely. And, typically, the strong eave millwork would have been painted a strong color, either a deep brown or a deep green. Not sure why, guess they wanted to highlight the strength of the piece?

If you Google "Italianate house colors" and then click on the images button up on teh top navigation bar you will see hundreds of examples of houses that have been historically accurate in their color depiction, and also those which have been whitened and had the greening of the roof and shutters, also a lovely and softer option.

Landscaping around the house will work best if it is formal and squared in shape and tone, like the Italian gardens. Boxwoods or clipped azaleas, laurels or hawthorns, edging grasses like liriope and a rose garden. Think urns, statuary and stone paths, maybe even a light colored crushed gravel path to the street or driveway.

Below are a few link to some Houzz examples of Italianate gardens, but these can certainly be Googled as well:







Good luck with your house! What a fun project to tackle! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance,

Elizabeth

window boxes, better landscaping. A beautiful light teal with darker shutters, maybe a trim of purple?...something very colorful, that's for sure. furniture on the porch/. Paint the coppula a dynamite color, with great trim. Change the front door to something warm and inviting.

I agree about painting it a BM Blue Gray, BUT the trim just below the roof, the cornices over the windows, the columns, and perhaps other trim as well. But also redistribute the columns and add another to make it 4, (by having 2 of them flanking end of porch where the opening is for entry door, as well as distributing the weight of the roof. If you want to take is a step further(what room is above that area...master bdrm.?) If it is, why not instead take that porch roof off, and build a 2nd floor porch with french doors, that are to period with the bldg....which I think also has Greek Revival accents, so I term this home, as a Colonial Greek Revival, with Italianate background. Save the landscape for next. But where, which side is the driveway, and is there a barn or garage on the premises? That should also be a proposal in welcoming people to home. Curb appeal, curb appeal is important. For the person to say keep it white.....as much as I like white, and see it true to the period, so was grey and blue-gray...white too boring and passe for this home...it needs a boost. Love the tower and that also needs to conform to the rest of color chosen, but there also is a trim below that roof....keep it white to pop, much like crown molding for interiors doos when used with a color.

Lawn needs to be uniformed entryway. Is there a fence at end of yard? Ironwork, etc....more to follow. There are endless styles to partake a little of this and that, and what stimulates your eye, but buttress the home color off the opp. colors secondary colors like purples hues, green verdigris tone on tone, white hues, and pops of other colors, Hydrangeas, with brick pavers or large limestone pavers in some areas, etc...

My first thought was to get rid of that porch roof which is distracting from the true style of the house. Then I read Naselari idea of a balcony and thought - lovely! then you could extend the porch out a bit add wide shallow steps and a low wall around the extended porch. I like the white- did you know there are infinite different whites?

did you say the house is covered in plaster, and cobblestones are underneath? I know there are variations on the white, but as much as I like white, and I grew up Greek....where white ruled. I like a variation of a dove-gray white, but this home needs an overhaul of color to bring it into this period, but still retain the charm and period of it's ancestoral. Still think Blue-gray. But doric columns 4 or a cluster of 2 on each corner one each flanking the entry, and corner...it needs presence, a 2nd. floor I would do, be keeping within the period of home. You can have mini0me doric columns fashioned for railings on 2nd floor to mimic the main floors columns...look at homes from the antabellum period to creat the porch/2nd floor porch, and yes you can wrap it around back and corner, make it more stately in appearance.

I also agree that the columns need some redistribution/resizing and I LOVE the idea of the balcony. While the style of the home may lend slightly toward Italianate, I think you have to keep in mind your surroundings as well. Since you mentioned a red barn in the background, I would assume that the house is situated slightly more rural and I think if you give the home a true Italianate makeover, it may not blend with your surroundings....IMHO.

WOW!!! Thank you all so much for the responses. I am overwhelmed by everyone’s willingness to share their advice. There are many more ideas and options here than I would have ever come up with on my own. There is going to be a much better end result because of all of you.

As suggested I did Google Image Search Italianate House Colors and found some amazing combinations. I really love the blue-gray idea as my wife is frequently drawn to houses of that color. Not sure how well it will work with the green and gray shingles currently on the house (which are in good condition).

Anyone have any ideas on how to pull that off? Would teal work with shades of blue, yellow and hints of purple? Those ideas sounded interesting but I don’t want the house to end up looking like an Easter Egg LOL

I do want to keep the color bright and vibrant to breathe some life into the house. There will definitely be frequent trips to the salvage yard to find some of the missing pieces that will grace this house once again.

I appreciate all of the landscape tips as well. Hydrangeas are a favorite of mine and do very well in our soil. I envisioned large Oolitic Limestone Slabs which are indigenous to the area as the walkway and steps. Making the steps wide and shallow would harmonize perfectly with the limestone I am picturing. Also adding columns to the front porch to give it more presence makes sense and is something I definitely see for this house. The house is located on a relatively busy main road therefore as much as I love the idea of the second floor porch I don’t think it would be used due to traffic noise and privacy issues.

no to the easter egg overbearing hodge-podge....stick to uniformity, as these structures were intended for such presence. Blue-grays, and pop of white(dove) color for trim, and detail molding....get rid of that gutter in the front and have the gutter system traverse along the line of porch roof to the side away from the front. 2nd. story porch over-looking front porch is the best idea to give the front uniformity, and then the redistribution of the columns, but also flank 2 columns on corners, but wrap-around porch to the far left(where there is one window on top of other...turn the window on main floor into double french doors(salvaged of course), that they open up to that porch area,and with plantings, etc. it can be an oasis of privacy as well. Love the limestone idea, as that is what I envisioned also. How old are the shingles? It looked black, hence why I said Blue-grays....ideas are endless....but no craziness with color, you want to re-create the stateliness and grandeur of the homes style, yet make it livable, and homely, casual surroundings. IF you really want to go all out...get rid of roof on porch....extend entire grandeur by having much, much larger doric columns extending the height of entire home, much like those antebellum wide porches with the architecture details to encompass the staeliness.

Ok so after taking into consideration everyone’s suggestions and a little research here are a couple pictures of exterior color options I’m thinking may possibly work.

(I like the colors in the Benjamin Moore Historical Collection from 115 – 144 in the fan deck particularly HC115 & HC136 and HC143 as an accent with HC27 as a possible trim color.)

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/georgiangreen

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/waterburygreen

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/wytheblue

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/montereywhite

Please let me know what you think…

The upper left house is perfect. You should paint with either a periwinkle blue trimed with creamy white (the white on it now is too stark), and possibly with a beautiful teal color accent. As you can see the landscaping is perfect on that house and once you paint and then landscape it will take on an entirely different dimension. Your house has infinite possibilities!

Hello Ray,

You've been hard at work and I have been on vacation! Weighing in on your house colors in the event that you have not yet begun the painting process....

With regards to the images....all are lovely, but the cleanliness of the upper left and bottom right would work well as you do not have a tremendous amount of piecrust moulding.

With regards to the Benjamin Moore links, the first green is perfect!

Best of luck with your project and thank you for sharing...it's been a great house to think about!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

Thanks once again for your thoughts... Painting has not yet begun as we are waiting to close on the property which will hopefully happen soon. The design puzzle is constantly on my mind at this point and I can not wait to get started. I'm blessed to have this opportunity!

Nothing wrong with white! I think adding much color is going to turn it into a "painted lady", very Victorian. While charming, painted ladies are not as elegant as your existing classic. It would be "My Fair Lady" played backwards.

For some reason the current porch roof looks wrong to me. It just doesn't seem to "fit" the the rest of the house. I'd be willing to bet it is a replacement for the original. Check with Historical Societies, old newspaper photos, etc.

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