The colors of Halloween are traditionally black and orange, the black to signify the dead whom we remember, and orange to signify the autumn and harvest of the year, and especially pumpkins.
Here in tropical Florida, people are much more inclined to paint their houses bright colors, but I'm still continually surprised by the number of houses in my community that are painted pure orange. In honor of Halloween, here's a collection of some (but not all) of the orange houses near me.
Would you paint your house orange?
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Hi Mark, I had never considered painting a house orange, but in any case you have convinced me otherwise. This looks like some kind of 1960's psychedelic flashback--except that these are all too neat and trim to be "hippie shacks". In Ohio, a color like that basically means that you hate your neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI particularly like the orange fake stonework, and the Halloween-colored window with the little skeletons. At least it's easy for your friends to find your house.
--Road to Parnassus
Those houses are all blue...you must be getting too much of that Florida sun.
Fun post Mark - I have to admit that I could not imagine painting a house orange, but they look really jolly, especially in the bright Florida sunlight. Orange houses here, you would never see - maybe terracotta. The only orange building I can think of is a DIY store.
ReplyDeleteNO! In fact, orange and black and orange and brown have always been my least favorite color combinations...your orange looks great...maybe it's the Florida sunshine.
ReplyDeleteHi, Parnassus - Your Ohio comment made me laugh out loud. I live on a street that's gradually being bought up by a retirement community, and they paint every new aquisition a sort of trademark beige. Sometimes I feel like painting my house bright blue, if only as a reaction to what I consider a generic look.
ReplyDeleteHi, Rosemary - As you know, Floridians are not shy about painting houses any and all colors of the spectrum, including purple. I've actually been thinking of doing a poster on that theme.
ReplyDeleteHi, Gina - I agree with you completely, but isn't it interesting how orange is that one color that evokes a strong reaction one way or the other?
ReplyDeleteHi Mark! Nice blog!!! About the color orange... studies have shown that it stimulates the appetite, as well as red & yellows. Have you noticed how often these colors are used in fast food signs? While I'd "never" paint my house orange, I did install a copper ceiling in my kitchen. hmmmm? subliminal???
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in Costa Rica and current ties with many Latino friends, I've grown accustomed to seeing orange, red and yellow interior walls. I wonder how many of these homes you posted, have a Latino connection?
I believe it was a Gemini who coined the phrase, "Variety is the spice of life."
CFN! (Ciao fer now)
Hello Mark:
ReplyDeleteOrange....never. Perhaps it looks better in the Florida sunshine?!!!! The houses you show all look like giant fruits, goodness knows what impact they make on the landscape and what must they look like from outer space?
Hungarians seem to have a distinct penchant for orange.[Even as a hair colour!] We are permanently having to avoid it!
Hi, Don - Now that you mention it, my kitchen is painted orange, and the color for that small room (which is primarily white tile) is indeed very appetizing. Ciao.
ReplyDeleteHello, Jane and Lance - Should you ever have the opportunity to visit St. Petersburg, Florida, you will need to map out a very circuitous route to avoid orange!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't paint my house orange, but I love the colour and like to wear orange shirts with khaki or olive slacks. There seems to be an aversion to bright colour, but many houses in tropical climes are orange, coral, or terra cotta, or shades between those colours, and it looks very good.
ReplyDeleteI like the aspect of orange when it has a utilitarian/ safety aspect to it. Certainly some colour is refreshing after the monochromatic Belgian decor that is so prevalent in interior and exterior design.
The light in Florida seems to look fondly on orange houses. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea for a Halloween post, Mark.
I wouldn't do orange for a house, but I'd consider red. However, the smaller the house, the brighter you can get with the outside color. In my view anyway.
Hi, Terry - Like you, I'm over monochromatic decor. I grew up in a house (a series of houses, actually) that always had white walls. My parents were collectors and believed that their paintings and artifacts would show off best on absolutely neutral walls. And so in my own house I use a lot of color, and I repaint walls often. It's the most dramatic change for the least amount of money, and if you don't like the look, you can always get another can of paint.
ReplyDeleteHi, Yvette - You make a very interesting point about the relationship of brightness to scale. I have also noticed that large walls in public spaces can use darker values of a color and still seem bright.
ReplyDeleteWow....I don't think there is an orange house within 100 miles of where I live! I would not personally paint my house orange....plaster maybe in a terra cotta? Maybe! Smart post Mark!
ReplyDeleteHi, Theresa - I'm guessing that by next Halloween I could display as many more different orange houses from St. Petersburg — it's really quite amazing how many people choose this color.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on the house I guess. Some houses benefit greatly by being painted in bright colours. The houses you have shown would look really boring if they were in neutral colours. Love it.
ReplyDeleteAnyes
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Hi, Anyes - I live on a street that is 90% beige houses, so I certainly welcome a little individuality in my neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who got tired of people asking her what color her house was and then copying it. So she decided to paint her house pumpkin aka orange, and it was actually stunning. She had the taste to pull it off. I think it can be done without looking like Cinderella's coach, though Cinderella's coach was a fun vehicle. ;-)
ReplyDeleteP.S. The former color was sort of a squash color, only toned down a bit. She went for the veggie look.
ReplyDeleteHi, Anon! - You're quite right to say that orange can be very stylish. The last house of my posting employs several oranges and has a chic New Mexico feel to it.
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