Northern Michigan Arts & Crafts era home
This marvelous 1911 Craftsman style house offers the simplicity that designers such as Stickley, Morris and Wright suggested for the modern home for the early 20th century. The rough stucco surface had become badly stained and discolored over the years. The house looked dated. This is such a rare architectural style in the north of Michigan it was a pleasure to work on reviving it!
Where to start?
Over the years the house had discolored to the extent that a now, brighter, fresher set of colors was required. The owners wanted to remake the image of the house and the best way to do that was to move from a cream body to more of a soft tan thus laying the foundation for less harsh trim and accent colors. Period paint and house plan books were consulted to pull together a set of historic colors that would fit this grand home.
Goal & Solution
Goal
Because the house was so in need of a complete paint overhaul, it needed a complete rethinking of its colors. Going for an historic look was the best option and the owners wanted to bring back the feel of 1911.
Solution
Painting the house body in a soft tan/sand color revitalized the body and returned its crisp look. The new green trim was carefully matched to the roof color and employed to enhance the windows and cap moldings. The window sash was colored differently than the trim, in period fashion, with a color selected from a 1911 paint catalogue that was then matched to a modern fan deck color.
