Distinguished blacks and greys
Change in colour scheme lends smoothness and class to ’ 50s home’s frontage
This is a column in which designer Suzanne Rowe selects homes that could benefit from a little inexpensive help in increasing their curb appeal. After examining photographs, she then proceeds to sketch out an artist’s rendering of what they could look like with a few minor changes. We hope you enjoy the results.
The owners were renting a lovely N. D. G. upper duplex when they considered buying a house. As they started hunting for a property, they found out that they were expecting their first child. They focused on Lachine to stay closer to their work in the city and liked the suburban feel with the waterfront.
After seven months of searching, they almost gave up before this 1950 property became available. Later, with the precious help of family and friends, they moved in with their three- month- old baby boy.
The owners recently changed the windows for black ones and replaced the arched casings for a straight profile in dark grey. The bulky yellow frame around the front door looked like it was hiding something. They pulled it out and, fortunately, the bricks behind it were intact. But now, the doorway seemed unfinished.
Around the new black door, which was chosen by the owners, I would create a more proportioned contour that would be around six inches wide and mimic the dark grey hue of the new window casings.
The old bay window will be changed in a few years. Meanwhile, it could be painted in black and the base in a medium grey in a matte finish. On my sketch, I show what a completely different style would look like. Respecting the straightforwardness of the new window casings on the second floor, I opted for a boxy structure protruding out to the end of the soffit. The large black window should replicate the pattern of the new twin windows above.
To balance with the imposing light grey roof, the top and bottom siding of the new bay window should reflect a similar colour as the shingles but in a slightly darker shade. This same tint will also be featured on the garage walls. The garage door doesn’t necessarily have to mirror the colour of the front door. In black, because of its large surface, it would look too overpowering and distracting. I propose using the dark grey tint of the two window casings in a soft- sheen lustre.
The owners didn’t care for the carpeted stairs. As an option, the beaded front of the steps should be chiselled off and medium- grey pavers could be glued onto the cleaned and primed concrete structure. Since they’d love a more generous porch, the existing one could be dismantled and rebuilt in a larger size in pavers, treated cedar or engineered wood. The floor and steps should be in light grey and the closed risers and sides in the colour of the new door frame. Simple railings, two over- scale but understated sconces and a couple of tall black ceramic planters will add character to the entrance. On every side of the house, the high, beige foundation visually breaks the walls in two sections. For uniformity, it could be painted in the exact brick colour, in a matte finish.
White blooms always complement greys. Verdant evergreens are the bones of landscaping and permanently anchor the house. Sunny yellow shrubs along the secondary pathways reveal lime foliage turning red in fall just like the tiny apples of the owner’s crab apple tree. The owners are contemplating getting rid of this specimen as its upward suckers have taken over, converting this usually sweet decorative tree into a monster. All branches sticking
out vertically must be cut all the way to the trunk. The trunk should also present a single distinct main stem.
Finally, a nice trim of the head and tips of the branches will provide an even shape all around and a nice mushroom form. This operation will help contain this poor neglected beast for a long while. It will then be transplanted to rest into a comfy square bed blanketed with soft silvery ground cover. Don’t we all need a second chance?
VEGETATION(FROM LEFT ):
Owner’s Hostas ( transplanted perennials, alongside left backyard path)
Thuja Smaragd ( pyramidal evergreens, each outer corner of house)
Miscanthus Sarabande ( tall ornamental grass, fine silver green foliage, left side of porch near foundation)
Spirea Anthony Waterer ( shrub, pink red blooms, trim considerably in rounded shape in early spring, left of porch)
Berberis Aurea Nana ( shrubs, yellow blooms, yellow foliage turns lime then red in fall, edge of two beds along sides of porch)
Lamium White Nancy ( perennial ground cover, white blooms, silvery foliage, do not trim, exterior edges of secondary paths)
Potentilla Abbotswood ( shrubs, white blooms, more compact than regular Potentilla, alongside main path)
Owners’ weeping crab apple tree ( pink blooms, red fruits, centred in square bed near driveway)
Calibrachoa Superbells ( cascading annuals, white blooms, planters)
Begonia semperflorens ( upright annuals, white blooms, planters)
Thick layer of black cedar mulch over all exposed soil.
Dividers are needed between lawn and beds.