Dear Homework,
I enjoyed your recent Homework: Lessons column about foundation plants, and I think it’s definitely applicable to our home! Also, the previous owners built the top addition with cream siding, and we’d like to either paint it all one color or leave the brick and repaint the siding and shutters. We would love some color suggestions (we’re leaning toward gray and white) and landscaping ideas. Thank you.
Sincerely,
—Time for a Color Change
Dear Time for a Color Change,
Often with Colonial style homes, I try to increase symmetry and formality, but with the easygoing asymmetry of your property, I think it’s best to keep it that way.
When I initially drew your house as an uncolored line drawing, I felt it was missing something as an all-white facade. Therefore, I am taking you up on your suggestion of using gray by painting the second-floor siding that color. I think it gives the presentation some needed detail. I also widened some of the shutters on the wider windows. Also note that I have added a few vertical mullions to the windows to give them a more traditional feel.
For the landscape, I show a new curved boxwood hedge on the street side of the entry walk, flanked with low growing junipers. New round boxwoods frame the front door and compliment larger coach lamps. A simple hedge serves as the foundation planting for the main body of the house, and more junipers underplant the service wing. I left the existing redbud in place to reinforce the overall casual feel. Hopefully that gives you some new ideas.
Thanks for asking,
—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.
