1500 The Cornell Reading-Courses 



walls are broken in mass by jointing and relieved by contrast at the 

 openings, whereas a wooden house painted red is distressing. When field 

 stone, concrete, cement, or brick is used, the color scheme is spontaneous, 

 being produced by the color of the materials selected; when wood is used, 

 however, a surface color effect is applied by means of stain or paint. This 

 color scheme should be neither too dull nor too bright. Cold grays and 

 drabs are about as cheerless as red is aggressive. In general, when choos- 

 ing paint from samples it is wise to select a color that is somewhat softer 

 than the effect desired. A small piece of gay color which looks interesting 

 in the hand, appears glaring and bold when covering an entire house. 

 Likewise, a cold, dead color appears cheerless when used in mass. 



The chief factor to be avoided in painting houses is an effect of 

 patchiness. In general, keep all divisions of one idea in one color or 

 tone. For example, in the case of a porch post or column, the cap and the 

 base should not be painted one color and the shaft another. From start 

 to finish it is a post, and should be treated as such. In fact, the whole 

 porch is one idea. Cornices, brackets, and moldings should not be 

 picked out by color, as light and shade interpret them sufficiently. Useless 

 bric-a-brac and ornament that cannot be removed should be subdued 

 as much as possible in the color scheme. 



Looked at as a picture, the windows and doors of a house should appear 

 as decorative accents, contrasting with the background of wall. Windows 

 especially are the eyes that give expression to the architectural face 

 of the dwelling. With walls of a light color the windows naturally form 

 a dark contrast; but if the walls are dark or dull in effect, the windows 

 may be enlivened by painting the sash a lighter or brighter color and 

 the blinds a clear shade of green, yellow-brown, or other harmonious 

 color. Doorways and entrances should have dignified recognition in the 

 color scheme. 



General proportion 



The effectiveness of a house in the landscape depends not at all on 

 ornament, but on its structural shape and the color produced through 

 the use of building materials. Refined proportions, simple roof lines, 

 and interesting but not violent contrasts between roof, walls, and openings, 

 together with the character and arrangement of windows and doors, are 

 the elements that combine to make of a country house an example of 

 true rural architecture. 



It has been previously stated that the mass-proportion of a house in 

 the open country should be low and broad rather than tall and narrow. 

 This feeling of proportion depends not so much on the actual height of 

 the house from ground to gable, as on the position of the eaves or the cor- 

 nice line. When the eaves line is low the effect of the house is low; hence 



