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Apples & Oranges:
Comparing
Painting Bids

Book Reviews:
Painting & Decorating
Interior
Exterior

Realtors' Tips
for Sellers

Fun Websites
Interior Design
Christina Acosta Cococozy
Patricia Gray
Julie O'Brien Design

Reviews: Best Books on Exterior Paint Color

House Colors: Exterior Color by Style of Architecture
--by Susan Hershman

Excerpt: "[C]olor seems to change dramatically under different light conditions, a phenomenon called metamersim...Look at the color in morning light, afternoon light and at dusk and you will see a significant difference. If you view the paint in eight different conditions, you'll think you are looking at eight different colors...So how can you pick a color when it never seems to stay the same?"

VP comments: In our estimation, the most valuable authorities on paint color tackle the toughest questions. Author and interior architect Susan Hershman's approaches to complex issues demonstrate common sense as well as expertise, as she skillfully guides you to pick exterior colors that will please you for years to come. Her discussion of color in the context of architectural style includes a chapter on each of the following: Colonial, Cottage, Craftsman/Bungalow, Mediterranean, Modern, Townhouse, Traditional, Tudor, and Victorian.

Kevin McCloud's Complete Book of Paint and Decorative Techniques
--by Kevin McCloud, Michael Crockett

Excerpt: "'If you want to paint your house, get your neighbor to choose the color.' Thus writes the eminent authority Jean-Philippe Lenclos about the sensitivity surrounding the use of color in our lives and the way in which we all bear a responsibility for properly integrating our homes into the built--and natural--environments."

VP comments: Authors Kevin McCloud and Michael Crockett are meticulous in their detailing of the history and culture of paint, and their text is complimented by rich and varied illustrations. How applicable is their assemblage? In our Vedder Painting article, "How to Choose an Exterior Paint Color," we included among our suggestions, selecting your exterior paint color from your architecture's period or region. In Kevin McCloud's Complete Book of Paint, one of the illustrations shows a 1926 manufacturer's swatch, an opportunity for those of you with a 1920's bungalow, for example, to view colors of that period. If rather you are leaning toward choosing colors characteristic of your architecture's derivative region, you will likely find of interest the authors' rare inclusion of a segment on regional color.

Perfectly Painted House: A Foolproof Guide for Choosing Exterior Colors for Your Home--by Bonnie Rosser Krims

Excerpt: "Painting the exterior of a home is a large and costly project--yet homeowners have long been forced to decide on a color scheme based on only a tiny swatch or a paint brochure. Now, nationally recognized color consultant Bonnie Rosser Krims shares a foolproof method for selecting and combining exterior paint colors. This unique guidebook presents more than twenty-five distinct color schemes...along with beautiful, full-color photographs, and ideas and inspiration...Specific information about working with roof colors, plantings, and features such as walkways and porches is also included."

VP comments: We applaud the final sentance in this synopsis. If you read our Vedder Painting article, "How to Choose an Exterior Paint Color," you know that while we cherish great exterior colors, we recognize and respect the inherent challenges in selecting them. Falling in love with a paint color that clashes with your home's roof color, for example, is a potentially disastrous affair. Author Bonnie Rosser Krims embraces the potential for romance with exterior color while seasoning it with the wisdom and viability of her expertise.

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers
--by Linda Holtzschue

Excerpt: "Surrounding colors have a powerful impact on the human body and mind but most of the time they are experienced with an astonishing lack of awareness. Environmental color is noticed only when it is a focus of attention, like a beautiful sunset or a newly painted room. Someone with an aversion to green may nevertheless take enormous pleasure in a garden, describing it as a blue or yellow garden, when in fact the surroundings are overwhelmingly green, with blue and yellow present as a very small part of the whole. ...LINDA HOLTZSCHUE is principal of Linda Holtzschue and Associates, an interior design firm in New York City. She has taught color theory and related courses at Parsons School of Design...and at the Fashion Institute of Technology and The School of Visual Arts. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and Better Homes and Gardens."