House Colors: Exterior Color by Style of Architecture Paperback – October 1, 2007

Besides being a beautiful book, it's a wonderful reference too. It's the first book I've found that actually includes the paint manufacturer, color numbers and other details helpful in deciding what colors will work well together.I bought this book for my father in law who is an architect, he keeps it on the coffee table in his office for clients to use.Its beautifully photographed of real homes, and I think nearly all styles are represented. The photos are clear and bright.I shared my copy of the book with two neighbors that had little paint patches all over their houses, experimenting with colors. Some of them made me cringe to think I would have to look at that for 20 years! Both times, the book was returned with little flags on many of the pages, now when I look out the window, the homes are pleasant to look at.Bravo Ms. Hershman!

This is a really well thought-out, well documented, beautifully produced book, one that clearly must have been a labor of love for the author and photographers. Having said that, what I found lacking was any info on WHY a periwinkle front door works with a moss green siding. There are a few pages on basic color theory in the front of the book, which don't go beyond analogous and complementary colors. I would have liked to have seen an analysis of a few of the examples, explaining why the trim color worked with the main color of the siding, and what other colors might have worked. Admittedly, this is heady stuff, and certainly gets into the realm of opinion and style. I am a sculptor who works in metal, and have used color extensively, and adventurously in my own work, but I wouldn't begin to claim to be an expert on color. For those seeking understanding as to why something works, I would recommend buying a color wheel for $6-$7 at an art supply store, which can go a long way towards explaining the relationships between colors. In the end, my wife and I drove around our town looking at house colors, found something we both liked, and tweaked it from there. Where the book came in handy was in showing just how broad the spectrum of home colors can be, by providing excellent examples. Good Luck!

This book definitely exceeded my expectations. It was usefully organized by architectural style and there were many examples from each style. In addition, the author identified all the paint colors and brands, in addition to providing shopping information for many of other exterior details. The basis information was also helpful to ground one in the theory of color palettes. If you are looking for basis grey or taupe color schemes, then you probably shouldn't bother and should stick to the suggestions in paint manufacturer brochures. This book is very useful for homeowners who are looking for a slightly different look that is still tasteful and looks professional.

Author is based in CA and it shows. Majority of examples are west coast architecture. Very few pure examples of any specific architectural styles (e.g. Italianate, bungalow). Not sure it's worth the price to get a few photos.

The color reproduction in this book is not as good as it could have been. While the book may be helpful to some, I found that just driving around looking at houses was much more helpful. And there is no substitute for painting color samples on your house! Lighting, neighborhood, plantings, etc. will make a house look much different than the photos in this book.

I had to give this book 5 stars because I wrote it. It was an altruistic project (turned out) and truly a labor of love. I spent three years writing and photographing it. It came out right before the recession of 2008 and never got a chance. Who was buying books about house colors when the housing market went upside down? Every house in this book offers the paint colors and as much information as I could gather about what gives each house curb appeal - and everything that you need to know to find the same product. It’s all in the back of the book (where many didn’t seem to find it)! It’s a super practical book that can work for really any kind of home. If you like the color, try it on your house!

This book would have been good before we had the internet to look at pictures of ideas, because that is all it is. Don’t waste your time or money now though. It has no design principles, just lots of pictures. Totally outdated. I was going to return it but by the time I pay return shipping I might have actually lost money on the transaction, so lucky me.

I’ve tried many different books to help me make a decision for exterior paint colors. This is the greatest and is helping me tremendously!!