Before
An all-white paint scheme seems safe, but it does nothing for a home's architectural detail.Such uniformity, from the cornice down to the balusters, made the facade of this 1860s Second Empire-style house on New York's Staten Island look dull and one-dimensional.
Bright white was also historically inappropriate. "The Victorians believed in a house being part of nature, and they tried to make it suit its surroundings by using earth tones," says James G. Ferreri, the colorist who came up with a harmonious five-color paint plan.
