Dear Homework,
We purchased our 1973 Spanish Revival home from the original owner. The house is not our ideal style, but it sits on nearly 4 acres, providing us with the privacy and location we desired. We’ve made a few exterior changes, including replastering the arches, replacing the windows to match the plaster, painting the door a terra cotta red, and adding some landscaping and an arched fountain in the alcove. It still feels very incomplete, and we are second-guessing our choices. The brick is multicolored, and we wonder about staining it a lighter color? Do we go all out for a Spanish look with a barrel tile-style roof, or keep the Spanish influence more subdued?
Thank you,
—Casa Incompletea
Dear Casa Incompletea,
In the 1970s, there was a renewed interest in the more ‘romantic’ styles of residential architecture, though the styling themes were often applied less carefully than in the ’20s or ’30s. Luckily, your house has an asymmetrical floor plan that lends itself to some more authentic features.
Your changes have helped, and painting the brick definitely will pull the whole package together, but I would like to suggest a few more adventurous architectural changes that could give the composition a more robust 1920s feel. First, remove the two large front porch arches. They seem to darken the entry, and their scale feels too big for the rest of the façade. Once they are gone, we can see second-floor windows that went unnoticed, and to me, the house feels bigger. To make up for the resulting loss of ‘Spanishness,’ I have turned the projecting element to the right of the porch into a tower. This is exactly where the composition needs an accent, making the outline of the house more charming and memorable.
You also will note additional detailing in the form of new windowsills, arch rondels and historic-looking front doors that make for a more Mediterranean feel. Tall light piers finish off the arrival area, and minor landscape adjustments and new accessories put the finishing touches on the presentation. The existing brick has been painted to match the new windows, but I don’t really think a clay tile roof is necessary. I think the proposed changes give the property a more classic feel and show some ideas that may not have come to mind.
Thanks for the interesting challenge,
—Homework
Homework is penned by Paul Doerner, founding partner of The Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com.