12 May Preserving Historic Homes Through Design

You may have recently seen the work that we did on a client’s home that received an award for Outstanding Preservation by the University City Historical Society. Amy developed a love of Philadelphia row houses when she lived in West Philly a few years back. So it was an honor to play a role in this home’s revitalization. Some of our readers may remember Marigold Kitchen, a beloved restaurant that has since closed. These homeowners converted Marigold’s building back into a single family residence and did it with style. The preservation award recognizes properties that do full architecturally appropriate restorations that go above and beyond to preserve architectural details.

Appreciators of interior (and exterior) design love a good “before and after”. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to get from point A to point B, we’d love to walk you through some of what goes on during the design process.

Choosing exterior paint colors for a historic home requires careful consideration. The architecture and age can often be our guide. Victorian era homes often used 3 or more colors to highlight their intricate details. In order to decide which exterior elements should be featured, we looked around the neighborhood to find the most inspiring examples. We also thought about which architectural features were our favorites because color can call attention to special elements.

A “Before” photo of the property.

A written plan of the assorted shades used in this paint consultation was essential.

The arrangement of colors was a collaboration with the client, with the professional eye of the designer advising on the selection and placement. We create a code for each color we plan to use so that it’s easy to diagram different elements.

While this post is meant to highlight the paint consult we did for the exterior of the house, Down2earth interior design also consult on some of the finishes for the interior, and you can check those out here:

Photos by Sam Oberter.

Photos by Sam Oberter.

If you have a historic home that needs a refresh or are simply struggling with choosing the right paint colors for your home’s exterior, visit our website and complete the Client Contact Form to get in touch.