This 1889 vintage Chicago building was in sore need of a historical paint makeover. The consensus among the owners of its ten condos was that the old color scheme did not do justice to the period, the style, nor the masonry materials of the building’s facade. The owners were unanimous in their desire to have a color scheme that flattered the beauty and history of their building.

We met twice with a committee of the owners most interested in being involved in the selection of a new color scheme. The first time we met was a fact-finding mission where we learned about the owners’ color likes and dislikes. We incorporated that feedback in developing a color palette that we felt would produce the desired result. To facilitate the communication with the owners, we prepared a sample board showing a mockup of key sections of the building using the six-color palette we were recommending. During the second color consultation, we went over the sample board with the owners. Based on the feedback we received, we made one change to the color scheme. We now had the green light to proceed!

Three hundred fifty hours of work later, the owners, neighbors and pedestrians in this busy neighborhood are now able to rejoice in the new period colors of this vintage building and have a renewed appreciation for the beauty of its Victorian period details. Here is what one of the owners had to say:
“The paint color palette turned out better then we could have hoped for. You and your wife were able to help our association come to an agreement on a historically accurate plan that incorporated all of our feedback in a matter of two meetings, something that would have taken us months to do on our own. The painted areas now complement and accentuate the beautiful stone and metal features of our building, instead of clashing like a sore thumb. In a neighborhood where many building owners have chosen to paint such metal features a uniform color, to save the effort and cost, our building is now a shining example of what these historic buildings can be. Given the feedback from the neighborhood, I hope our building will be an inspiration for others to make the extra effort to celebrate the unique architectural character and history of our community.”

Below are some before and after pictures of key portions of the building.

Bay Window After Paint Color Restoration

Bay Window Before Paint Restoration

Facade After Paint Color Restoration

Facade Before Paint Color Restoration

Front Unit After Paint Color Restoration

Front Unit Before Paint Color Restoration

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When developing a new historical paint color scheme for a building, we believe in involving the clients in the process. As indicated in a recent blog post, we recently went through the development of a new color palette for the façade of this unique 1889 Chicago brick Victorian-era building, now converted to condominiums.

As a first step, we invited the owners to attend a meeting with Rita Guertin, our Color and Concept Consultant. From the outset, it was evident that they all shared a common discontent about the current color scheme. During the meeting, the owners voiced their color likes and dislikes. Some even brought color samples and pictures. We believe that involving the clients early in this way helps to create a successful outcome for everyone.

Historical Paint Color Makeover

Armed with that feedback and input, we began to put together a six-color palette for the building’s façade. One of the flaws of the old color scheme was that it did not take into account the colors of the building’s masonry: gray limestone, strong red face brick and warm/earthy tones for the common brick of the sides of the building. We felt that incorporating these colors into the palette was needed to create harmony, and highlight the beauty and character of the decorative features of the building.

We then organized a second client meeting to review our proposed historical color selection and its placement on the building. In order to easily communicate the concept, we overlaid our color selections onto four color pictures of the building’s main decorative elements. From the feedback we received, we made only one change to the color scheme: the warm buff color was replaced by a taupe gray color, which harmonized well with the mortar color of the common brick, as well as the limestone.

Our next blog post, will describe how you “rig up” to handle a project of this size and nature, in order to meet the many requirements of City ordinances, as well as EPA and OSHA regulations.

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