ON THE COLOR OF COUNTRY HOUSES. 257 



some dark stones, produces an effect quite at variance with the 

 cheerful expression which small houses should wear. " The flaring 

 yellow," he adds, " runs into the opposite extreme, and is still more 

 censurable. Upon the whole, the safest color, for general use, is 

 something between a cream and a dust color. 



This color, which Wordsworth recommends for general uso, is the 

 hue of the English freestone, called Portland stone a quiet fawn 

 color, to which we are strongly partial, and which harmonizes per- 

 haps more completely with all situations in the country than any 

 other that can be named. Next to this, we like a warm gray, that 

 is, a drab mixed with a very little red and some yellow. Browns 

 and dork grays are suitable for barns, stables, and outbuildings, 

 which it is desirable to render inconspicuous but for dwellings, un- 

 less very light shades of these latter colors are used, they are apt to 

 give a dull and heavy effect in the country.* 



A very slight admixture of a darker color is sufficient to remove 

 the objections to white paint, by destroying the glare of white, the 

 only color which reflects all the sun's rays. We would advise the 

 use of soft shades, not much removed from white, for small cottages, 

 which should not be painted of too dark a shade, which would give 

 them an aspect of gloom in the place of glare. It is the more ne- 

 cessary to make this suggestion, since we have lately observed that 

 some persons newly awakened to the bad effect of white, have rush- 

 ed into the opposite extreme, and colored their country houses of 

 such a sombre hue that they give a melancholy character to the 

 whole neighborhood around them. 



A species of monotony is also produced by using the same neu- 

 tral tint for every part of the exterior of a country house. Now 

 there are features, such as window facings, blinds, cornices, etc., 

 which confer the same kind "of expression on a house that "the eyes, 

 eyebrows, lips, &c. of a face, do upon the human countenance. To 



* It is very difficult to convey any proper idea of shades of color by 

 words. In our " Cottage Residences" we have attempted to do so by a plate 

 showing some of the tints. We would suggest to persons wishing to select 

 accurately, shades for their painter to copy, to go into a stationer's and exa- 

 mine a stock of tinted papers. A great variety of shades in agreeable neu- 

 tral tints, will usually be found, and a selection once made, the color can be 

 imitated without risk of failure. 



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