The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-15
COLORs OF EXTERIORs
Soft Colors Found in Nature Agreed
BILE and Harmonious. &

People who. have given. no thought
to the subject Of color. find themselves
at loss when. brought face to face
with the problem of choosing paint for
the outside of house. -
In the, end they conclude to copy
some other house they have seen, or
else in despair, they leave it to the
painter, who. with an eye to MS own
interest, uses the cheapest color, which
is very apt to be an ugly hard gray or
muddy brown. 1 f.
When an independent householder
decides to think for: himself and have
something different from his neighbors,
he is liable to make mistakes. He for
gets that. color which looks we'll on
look the Veil s id the M da 8f house.
when his house is finished, he may
never acknowledge that the color he
! has chosen is not exactly right. but in
his heart he may know that it does not
! look we'll, altho he, cannot tell why.
| Let us study the subject from some
| other standpoint than that of the color
card. Co across the street and SIT
down on the steps of your neighbours
norch. He is the one who will see the
| outside Of your house more than you
will. T.. 4, =
Because you like a certain, color Is :
no sign it is suitable one TO PAM ! NJ
With. Keep your favorite colors for
+he inside of ,youlr house. or for your
necktie. and study the paint problem
1 with This one fact in view: the house
| IS q mart of the landscape, and should
be made: to fit in with its surroundings
The only safe rule known to The .bes'
architects and painters is a rule Whlcf
YOU cansuse yourself as you. sit on YOU ~,
| neighbours porch. 1t is this. Use TN
Elsoft colors which are found IN nature
and which will blend. with that pa;
j ficular hart of the landscape which
! surrounds your house. Nature has, t.
:, he sure. intense and vivid colors in tn
+ flowers and in the sky, but she use
! them sparing1y, not. on the side Of 7
barn. Tier pinks and blues belong t
heaven, and not to earth. OF cours
; the change Of seasons, bring difIeren
colors in the surroundings OF a mouse
} and all this must be. taken into COZ
, sideration when the house is painte.t
!. # we use the green found in grass j
!. the spring, our house may look out Q
:. nlace in winter. But better a grass
;. Green than; the dreadful steel-blue era
t: which makes the gloomy days Of winte
4 look more drearv than they are.
! Perhaps nothing is more cheerful TT
s wear round than the red brick nous
:. In winter it makes "a beautiful plctu1
when backed by h Lew oVtIS10ouo on
8 surrounded by snow. In summer it is n
t less pleasing, set in green foliage, an
l. suggesting a cool interior behind !
o brick walls.
!. White and yellow are hard on neig
n boris eyes when used on city house
y but when surrounded by trees 81
) toned down by green blinds or by. Il
d shadows of deep porches. they are We,
10 safe coiors to use. The white must be
y deep cream white, however, and t
+ yellow that soft color found in Gle
d. clay or in field Of ripe grain:
It The natural color Of shingles tb
ts have been evenly weathered, the era
to and yellows Of stones used for bui
+. ing. the wood browns and reds fon
q on the trunks of trees, the soft, ne
q trail green's Of the distant landscape,
le of moss and ichens growing on roc