Georgian Colonial House Paint Colors
During the 1700s, according to online resource Old House Web, England's popular Georgian architectural style traveled to New England and eventually spread throughout the American colonies. The Georgian Colonial style incorporated a stately, classic aesthetic into somewhat simpler construction methods. Often, Georgian colonial buildings in the states would be built with wooden clapboards instead of brick, as in the English style. A set palette of colors developed to complement the burgeoning style throughout the 1700s and into the 1800s.
Blues and Reds
While American Georgian homes often lacked the architectural flourishes and opulence of their English inspirations, American Georgian Colonials did draw on a relatively broad palette, with specific colors depending on homeowners' means. Burgundy and dusky pinks were popular choices. Today the hues are reflected in historical paint lines, such as Valspar's historic paint color series, produced in concert with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The historic palette for the Colonial Georgian Woodlawn estate features such warm tones as Valspar's "Woodlawn Salsa," "Woodlawn Marmalade," and "Woodlawn Misty Morn." For more opulent homes, such as the Woodlawn, expensive blue pigments were also popular, especially Wedgewood blues or blue-grays, states the Colonial House Plans website. For Woodlawn, Valspar has produced "Woodlawn Blue Angel," a baby blue, and "Woodlawn Charm," another light tone with blue-green hints. "Woodlawn Valley Haze" resembles a slightly gray Wedgewood blue and "Woodlawn Juniper" is a darker, duskier shade of gray-blue.
Neutrals and Earth Tones
For smaller budgets, neutral earth tones offered less expensive hues, produced from widely-available plants, soils and minerals. A range of grays, browns, beiges, taupes, ochres and nut colors adorn traditional Georgian Colonial houses, especially as exterior colors. California Paints' historical line offers 43 different tones within their Colonial palette. Of those, 24 are shades of gray, taupe, beige and other neutrals. At the most brilliant ends of this spectrum, muted greens and yellows offer subtle fields of color.
Greens
For accent colors, you might include touches of teal, or use it as an interior color for a small room. California Paints' Colonial collection includes "Blue Winged Teal" and "Phillips Green," two bold colors ideal for elevating an otherwise subdued palette. Sage is another safe, traditional color for a classically Georgian Colonial look. For Woodlawn, Valspar produced "Woodlawn Promised Land," a true sage, dusky and slightly yellow. Among the greens, subtle sage was often used for outdoor trim, alongside neutral whites or browns, according to the Colonial House Plans website.
References
Writer Bio
Danielle Hill has been writing, editing and translating since 2005. She has contributed to "Globe Pequot" Barcelona travel guide, "Gulfshore Business Magazine," "Connecting Lines: New Poetry from Mexico" and "The Barcelona Review." She has trained in neuro-linguistic programming and holds a Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature and literary translation from Brown University.
Photo Credits
- vintage new england colonial. image by Tom Oliveira from Fotolia.com
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