Shingle Style

Shingle Style Historic Homes

This past year I’ve had a large number of clients with what architectural historians call “Shingle Style” homes. These were generally built in the latter part of the 19th century and the first few years of the 20th. This influx got me thinking of what color choices people in that time period had. In my research collection I came across an 1899 Cabot Stains brochure with actual stained wood samples, as well as a few pictures of stained homes. I was not surprised to see the normal run of brown offerings. But what struck me was the brightness of the green offerings. These do match up well to modern day paint and stain colors so that today’s home owner can have an authentic look. It’s always interesting to go back in time to see what was happening with house color over a hundred years ago.

wood stain

Cabot Stain wood sample from 1899