Warm greys help recreate elegance of another era
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 li
As I gaze at my blank page, pen in hand, and then look out my office window, I can almost feel today’s cold spell. I miss playing in my flower beds surrounded by various chirping birds, jewel-like insects, the squirrels that love to make holes to bury the peanuts I feed them, and an occasional hare, which, unfortunately, treats itself to my delicious botanicals.
The homeowners of this 1888 cottage are also partial to gardening. They recently moved from a downtown condo to buy their first property together. Just before their purchase, a massive tree fell on the house. The heavy artillery used to remove the old guy affected the path and surrounding landscaping.
Alas, printed greys are not always true to my original sketch. What is a warm grey? It is a grey that has a beige nuance. So imagine that I chose a warm grey to paint the siding, all vertical gutter pipes and the interior of the tiny gable on the roof as well as the two red ceramic chimneys on top in a matte finish.
The blue shingles and white windows are fairly new. I suggest removing the dark window contours to replace them with slightly wider ones. Painted or opaque stained in white, these frames will visually enlarge the otherwise skimpy looking windows thus adding richness to the façade. As high as the new casings, added louvres will provide an elegant dash of a subdued colour on the muddy grey wall. This muted, stormy sky, greyish blue tone would be a bit darker than the wall but slightly lighter than the roof. The harsh, deep shade of the soffits, fascias and eavestroughs, create a modern feel which, on this vintage home, is not a welcome quality. These elements will be lightened with a few fresh coats of white exterior acrylic paint in a matte finish. More generous than the existing flower vessels and measuring the entire width of the new wider contours, custom-made black window boxes will be in-stalled. Their height shouldn’t be less than 9 inches.
In a snowy hue, a deeper and wider overhang, constructed in the identical pitch of the small gable, will rest on thick square columns secured on an ample porch floor. Its shingles should mirror the main roof. The two flat mouldings alongside the door will be replaced by a heftier version. The half moon opening atop the door should be restored and repainted. A plain panel will be installed to fit over the new dimensions of the porch wall to camouflage any scars left by the withdrawal of the ancient frontage. The old discarded moulding details should be replicated to maintain its historical essence.
Big-scale wall hanging lantern-style light fixtures, in a reflective silver metal, will match the new polished hardware and digits. The classic new black door, chosen by the owners, will take the place of the unattractive screen door.
Including its elongated side beds, a grey path will be formed as wide as the new porch floor. This walk will add functionality to the vast front lawn. Creating a T-shape, a couple of slimmer ways will lead to the driveway, and on the left, to the backyard. The roundness of the two S shaped flower beds were inspired by the curvy window. Adorning these spaces, a couple of shrubs from the owners’ Berberis hedge, silvery blue and ever flowering pink perennials will offer a perceivable connection to the vegetation inside both rectangular beds near the foundation. Black mulch will ensure a better weed control and lessen water maintenance. At the end of the driveway, a rust-coloured fence wall will be switched for a vegetal curtain consisting of either deep burgundy Physocarpus shrubs or pyramidal evergreens mixed in with other plants.
I believe that the last request on the owners’ checklist has been completed with enhancements that offer a more luxurious feel to the home. Vegetation (from left to right):
Clematis Carnaby (climber, pink and white, prune every two or three years to six inches from ground, above bulbs)
Hosta Sum & Substance (perennials, white, lime, left backyard path, slug free)
Owners’ Berberis ■ (shrubs, burgundy, one on extremities of curvy beds, three others in backyard)
Juniperus Wichita Blue (pyramidal evergreens, bluish, front corners and end of driveway)
Nepeta x faassenii Blue Wonder (perennials, blue, mint, outer edge of paths)
Weigela florida Fine Wine (shrubs, pink, burgundy, foundation)
Potentilla Abbotswood (shrubs, white, intersections of paths and driveway)
Geranium sanguineum (perennials, pink, edges of central path and driveway)
Owners’ Euonymus (persistent shrub, white and green, left of extension wall)
Owners’ Astilbe (perennials, white, centre of extension wall)
Owners’ small burgundy shrub (move to right, extension wall)
Owners’ Hemerocallis (perennials, right backyard path)
Begonia semperflorens (annuals, white, three flower boxes)
Petunia Supertunia Raspberry Blast (cascading annuals, pink, well drained light soil, 3 flower boxes)