But her house was just not any house, and her proposed paint job was not just any paint job. Martin's home is one of Coupeville's many historic houses, and she wanted to use no less than five colors to accent its fussy Victorian trim. That launched a long-running flap with the town's historical design review board, which thought the color scheme a bit much. Martin eventually hired a color consultant from San Francisco, who helped convince the design board that it's appropriate to paint Victorian houses colorfully. Martin's house, with its mansard and dormers done in fancy shaped shingles, now sports paint in varying shades of teal with touches of lavender accents and gold-leaf trim.
Coupeville residents are almost unanimous on that subject.
They love the quiet, the scenery, the history, the people and quality of life. Coupeville is kind of like a Norman Rockwell painting, a portrait of yesteryear that seems forever frozen in time by changing economics and transportation. Although the Rockwellian appearance is important, Coupeville isn't stuck in the 19th century. The town itself is growing slowly, having added about 300 residents since 1990, and the area surrounding it has grown even faster. Coupeville is the place where many of the 10,200 residents of Central Whidbey Island work, go to school, shop and play soccer.