In the early 20th century, as a part of the Arts & Crafts Movement, prefabricated bungalow kits came complete with nails and house paint or stain. Bungalow house paint colors embodied earth tones that grounded the house to its natural surroundings. House colors corresponded not only to the location but to the local climate. You can define a color scheme by classifying your bungalow using roof style, such as front or double-front gable, and the year in which it was built. Take into account roof color and any brick or stone detailing to harmonize the final color presentation. Does this Spark an idea?
1907 to 1910
One of the first states to build bungalow style homes was California. According to The Arts & Crafts Society, "This early simplicity movement called for harmony with nature." These earlier styles used the nature-inspired qualities of earth tones in browns and dark greens with exteriors in shades of olive, sage and gray. Generally, one-tone bungalows of this age had little contrast between the body color and trim; eave brackets, cornice boards and the portions around the windows and doors.
1914 to 1918
During the World War I era, house colors included yellow, sage and tan. A 1914 front-gabled bungalow might have employed a grayish-green body with a darker matching shade for trim and terracotta red as accent color for the roof rafters. Around 1915, owners gravitated toward two-tone contrasting color schemes with the home divided horizontally in two; each level showing a different color, such as brown and tan. Body and trim colors were integrated with brick, stucco or stonework colors to visually enhance the overall color scheme. Window-sash accent colors included dark shades of red, green, brown or black, contends "Bungalow Colors." Ready-mixed exterior house colors from 1916 included medium gray, bungalow brown, pea-green and lead.
1919 to 1930s
As the traditional bungalow style transformed, color schemes changed as well. Consumers favored salmon, medium green and cream shades for the body. Bungalows had slightly lighter brown body colors combined with lighter trim colors, such as vellum, white and off-white. To complement an evergreen landscape, 1920s bungalows had soft green-tinted stucco contrasted with dark brown trim. Other bungalow combination coordinated olive green with pale gray and terracotta trim or cream stucco with olive green trim and black accented window sashes. A 1923 Chicago bungalow "was ivory-white stucco with gray-green trim around the windows," according to "The Chicago Bungalow." A 1926 side-gabled bungalow color scheme included a light-green body with off-white trim and red accents.
New Modern Bungalow
New modern bungalow owners capture colors of the past. With a broader color selection, homeowners can restore the original bungalow house color or "emulate the original English color schemes with stained wood windows and colored stucco," according to Robert Schweitzer, author of "Bungalow Colors Exteriors." To historically authenticate the bungalow house color, find house color samples and swatches from Aladdin, Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck and Company catalogs. Look at such magazines as American Bungalow. View local neighborhood bungalow exteriors for additional ideas. Study the color scheme from original bungalow photographs and drawings.
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