The Lilacs

Painted Lady

As noted elsewhere on this site, the grand old lady known as The Lilacs had greatly deteriorated during the mid-to-latter 1900s, to the point of being on life support and a candidate for demolition. Then, an amazing metamorphosis occurred over the past two decades or so that changed a dull, drab, lifeless appearance into a vibrant and elegant personality.

A key part of that resurgence was a well thought out color design for the exterior painting. Now, sporting the new face lift, this old Painted Lady has been totally re-energized. In fact, those who know her best say the old girl has never looked so good.

During the Victorian era, a sense of design, balance and architectural propriety were common to all. The Victorian aesthetic included neutral tones and shades of ochre, brown, russet and green. As such, the exterior of Victorian homes were historically painted in earth tones.

In keeping with the historic nature of The Lilacs, it has been painted in a palette of natural colors. This natural appearance helps to incorporate the house with its surroundings. The long, elevated approach up the driveway to the house, and the color design creates the feeling that the house grew within the landscape - and didn’t just happen to land there when it fell from the sky.

The lilac tones on the four entrances (one on each side of the house) accent the historical name of the property. In particular, a touch of lilac tone on the front veranda ceiling creates a sentimental mood and effectively complements the warmer tones of the natural color design. The period colors, in turn, accent the architectural features of the house, providing a personality that is inviting and a fine example of Victorian harmony - house with surrounding landscape.

The color design for the exterior of the house included eight colors. Brad Street Beige for the siding and seven colors for the trim – four primary trim colors are Rainy Afternoon, Sage Mountain, Country White and Cabot Trail – and three lilac tones for the four entrances – Vintage Charm (veranda floors and steps), Frozen in Time (doors), and New Age (veranda ceiling). (Please note that these are Benjamin Moore colors).