My favorite Painted Lady

It's not a cocktail or a proposition- it's San Francisco's iconic Victorian style house. Known for their gingerbread details and vibrant paint colors, many of these homes survived the big earthquakes and post-quake fires of 1906 and 1989.

[caption id="attachment_1967" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption=""William and Grace McCarthy Collection, (Audrey Fullerton - Donor)," 1906 AC 96-07-08 California State Archives Sacramento, California"][/caption]

Recently I had the good fortune of color consulting for one of these beauties on lower Haight Street just a block or so above what the proud owner called "the fire-line" of the earlier quake. We had to consider the history of this home but also create something unique and thoughtful for today's aesthetics.

Here's how it all went down:

[caption id="attachment_1971" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="From a distance the house looks sweet and faded..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1972" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="But closer inspection reveals water damage, crack paint and faded color."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1973" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="So, I gathered everything- pictures of the house, a sketch the owner provided, my big color chips, and of course, a mocha for the creative fuel I so needed for this one- it had to be perfect, but no pressure!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1984" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The home is actually owned by a non-profit group so when my ideas were set we all met up to review the plan. The painter, George Irving at CertaPro Painters, offered to do a mock-up- a section of the house he painted to spec so we could see it before giving him the final green light."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1989" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Painting samples on the house is still, hands down, THE best way to see how your efforts and investment will turn out. We met again over the mock up, made some final adjustments and approved the whole plan."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1991" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Then the fun began. George's team worked through hours of repairs, scraping and prepping to get this pretty lady ready for paint"][/caption]

Stay tuned to see how it all turned out and learn about my tips for making your home stand out in the best possible way...

Have a great day, Everyone!