A Victorian home color scheme has at least three colors, and up to five different colors to accent the beautiful architecture.
Built from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, Victorian homes feature highly ornate woodworking inside and out. Gingerbread lattice, wood spindle rails and fish scale siding mixed with traditional bevel siding gave painters the opportunity to create stunningly beautiful color combinations. Paints during this period did not have the bold, bright pigments available in later years; the colors were muted, relying heavily on different shades and accenting colors that created a particular painting style.
Three Colors
A traditional Victorian exterior home palette contains three paint colors. The majority of the home's siding is painted a medium-toned color. The window and door trim take on a second darker color in the same color family. The soffit, fascia and accent trim around the house is painted with a lighter, third accent color. In some cases, the siding color and the accent trim colors described above trade places; however, most Victorian color schemes have a medium body with darker and lighter colors on the trim.
Four Colors
Victorian homes often featured two different styles of wood siding. The traditional, 4-inch bevel siding covered the majority of the home. The fish scale siding, or Cedar shake siding, was used to draw attention to the dormers, or built-out areas, such as round turrets. When two different types of siding are used on a home, each siding receives its own color to complete the Victorian color scheme. A traditional Victorian exterior color scheme features two or three paint colors, all from the same family. The fourth color -- from a complementary or contrasting family -- draws attention to the ornate Victorian woodwork.
Five Colors
Two- and three-story homes, featuring two styles of wood siding and a large amount of ornate woodwork, can be painted with five colors. While smaller homes look gaudy with this many colors, a large home provides a complex palette for the Victorian painter to design. Two colors are applied to the siding; a third color is used on the accent trim, while a fourth, which is usually a darker color, is applied to windows and doors. The fifth and final color used for a Victorian color scheme is a bright, highly contrasting color such as red, white or yellow. The fifth color is used to accentuate the fine details of a Victorian architecture, such as gingerbread wood trim or latticework.
Paint Manufacturer Recommendations
Most major paint companies, including Behr, Sherwin-Williams, Valspar and Glidden, have assembled beautifully matched Victorian color paint schemes. The paint companies make these colors schemes available in take-home brochures. The brochures feature pictures of houses decorated in the paint schemes, as well as small samples of the actual painted surface. Since repainting a home's exterior is a significant investment of time and money, homeowners should take their time when choosing an exterior color scheme, and match their homes unique design to the colors.
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