Mellow Yellow: The Color of Choice

I confess … it was difficult for me to brush yellow paint across the pink clapboards of my circa 1875 historic home. But the pink was looking faded and I felt a jolt of sunshine was needed. It took months to choose trim colors but we eventually settled on Cottage White, a dark shade of green called Blade, and Candle (some shade of red … not quite sure what you’d call it, exactly). I toyed with lavendar because it’s directly opposite yellow on the color wheel, but another house in town bore this color scheme and I wanted something different.

Here’s our home in the fall, with all the flowers plucked from their boxes and beds. It looks a little barren and sad to me …
but I’m a summer season kinda girl and it’s always hard to pull the faded blooms.
That’s Patches on the porch in mid-Summer. I should’ve waited until later in the day to shoot the photo as
the front of the house is overexposed. Oh well. I painted the porch ceiling blue like many historic homes I’ve seen.
Another view. See that sign hanging at the end of the boardwalk? My hubby hand-painted it. It said “Rose Cottage”
because we had a rose garden. We’ve since replaced the roses, having lost the battle to black spot.
The full side view taken in the fall. It looks to me like additions were added over the years … it’s quirky, but that’s what I love about it. At one point I started taking down the rickety picket fence in the backyard, until my neighbor said she loved it. So, we put it back up. See the horse sign at the rear of the house? I scored that find at a garage sale for one dollar. And now for details …
The back kitchen door. I adore these windows.
Hubby painted the trim work in the high spots. He’s a keeper!
And I painted the trim work on the lower level.
I love impatiens and every year I put them in the window boxes, which my hubby made, by the way. Did I already mention he’s a keeper? And so there it is … our humble abode. It’s always a work in progress, but it’s a labor of love. Old houses pull on my heartstrings. I’ve tried living in a new house, but it didn’t last long. I guess I just need to hear the comforting creaks walking across old floor boards while I wonder about the lives of those who slept in rooms before me.

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36 Comments

  3. Oh my goodness…it’s gorgeous! I love the colors you have chosen! And blue ceilings to keep the “haints” away…perfect! I used to have a little Victorian gingerbread cottage and it is a constant job…a real labor of love. And yours is very loved indeed! Happy Thanksgiving!…hugs…Debie

    Reply

  5. omg!!!!!! LOVE your home, color, “quirky” fence, all the additions….everything. I have always wanted an old house, yours is so beautiful….anyway, I am now a new follower. smiles, Linda

    Reply

  6. Your old house is adorable and I would love to live there! I love the paint colours and the gingerbread trims and the cute windows and the porch and the yard. I love it all! Blessings, Pamela

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  10. Your house is delightful and I really like the colour palette that you used, especially the yellow for the clapboard siding and the blue porch ceiling.
    Ours is an historic house too (parts are over 400 years old!) and I love being the current custodian and guardian of it’s extraordinary history.

    Reply

  12. Thanks for stopping by That Country Place 🙂 I am your newest follower as well. I love love love your house!!! and hope you will be posting some delicious pics of what the inside looks like! I love character homes and would love to live in one! Congrats on your daughters recent wedding…our oldest son just got engaged last Saturday!! The wedding is set for May 5/2012! Have a great day!

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  24. What a beautiful house!!! And I love the colors. I grew up in an old victorian home and it was so much work, but I miss the character and charm of it now.

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  25. Jennifer,
    Your home is wonderful. Nothing like an old house, if you ask me. Newer ones just don’t do it for me. And the old homes are always a work in progress! And quirky.
    Have a terrific week. I must go peruse more of your blog!

    Reply

  26. Hi Jennifer, I enjoyed looking at your historic home. I also peeked around some other posts too. Thanks you for sharing it at my Bunny Hop Party last week.

    Your post was one of the top viewed posts and you have an award waiting for you. Please stop by Tuesday at 4:00 to see your feature. Hopefully you will have something to share again at this weeks party 🙂

    xoxo Bunny Jean
    Wednesday’s Bunny Hop Party!
    (linky opens a 4:00 on Tuesday)

    Reply

  28. I love your yellow country home. I can only do so much in my tiny townhouse in N.Y. city, but it’s home and I try to make it homey and cottage like for my family and me. Love all your images.
    Thanks for following and sharing!
    Diddie @ citicasita.blogspot.com

    Reply

  29. I love your house! And the yellow! When we moved into our house long ago, the elderly couple next door had a yellow house and made us promise we wouldn’t paint our house yellow. They’re gone now, but we hold to the promise, even though we love yellow houses. I’ve always had a yellow kitchen, though; that’s a must!

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  33. Hi Jennifer!

    I just happened to stumble over your website, and your house is so so lovely. My family and I were just thinking about repainting our little cottage, and are desperately looking for that “buttery yellow” you used and the blue you used for the ceiling of the porch if you could let us know the name and the paint brand you used that would be so amazing!! (p.s we also want to use that lovely cottage white you used!)
    Thank you so much!
    Please let us know,

    -The Finch Family

    Reply

  35. I love your yellow home. Can you share the paint color brands and names please? I soooo want to paint my home yellow. Thank you.

    Reply