Recently on a walk through Georgetown, I noticed this beautiful house. Not just for the gorgeous greek key design on the entablature but for the paint finish.
So often, we architects try to mimic an older house and details such as peeling paint are a way to create instant 'history' but there is no subsitute for the real thing. Do you like patina like this or do you prefer clean and new?
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24 comments:
Both. I've always had an affection for certain older buildings that are not so much neglected, as just nicely flaked and faded...and too few people nowadays appreciate the subtle textures and shades that result. And there's also such a thing as too fixed up....
Doesn't matter much around here. We start with clean and new but it quickly morphs into patina.
Actually, I like a little wear better.
I love the layered peeling painted brick look!
Many old houses of the white painted variety 20s and 30s were originally White Washed with Lime. It didnt peel it just faded softening the brick with a pickled effect. Its much easier in the long run on the brick and the budget. Lime Washing is also the proper way to "paint" stucco- it breathes and does come in colors.
I think the Greek Key is such a fascinating design. It is present in some of the most influential buildings, both in their decoration and actual floor plan organization.
I am so glad you shared this. Totally going on a hunt for this house.
xx,
Samantha
I actually love it. I live in a town where there is a good mix of old and new but every now and again, someone takes a sandblaster to get rid of the paint and put on a new face. Always makes me a little sad. Love the greek key detail and what looks to be working shutters...
Marija
patina hands down. in our "cookie cutter" world i will always appreciate the historical perspective and a vintage patina.
debra
always prefer patina!
I prefer the Greek key motif... adds a certain character.
I'm a big fan of the patina. It adds so much more character with a hint of mystery that makes your mind wonder about it's history. Thanks for sharing the images and as always AD, nice post!
Best regards,
Reynolds Still
One of my favorite homes as a child has a turret and a lovely patina, My father loves to tell me each time I go to visit and we drive by that home, how much I loved it then and I remind him that I still do - Something about age and patina that only looks better with age.
pve
I'm a patina person. In homes, in furniture. It shows they have history and are not new made to look old.
Both for me too. I'm thinking of the new paint on the old scraped shingles on the back of my house. A beautiful, vibrant green, but with the texture of old wood and paint underneath.
I'm mad for a good patina the beauty of sun-spent or sun-kissed & wind-blown shutters & siding can't be discounted, in my opinion. It reminds me of one of favorite books on New Orleans - "Elegance & Decadence". Such beauty in all stages.
Give me the old look. I don't mind if they do a good fake on a new building.
Love the look of patina, also think a great tutorial on achieving the look ail would be wonderful. David? Stefan?
Karena
Art by Karena
I like this look very much. It's beautiful and has character.
Patina! I love it and want it. Someday I hope to have an old Virginia house with a bit of age on it.
I'm back. A comment on my site about the heartless remodeling of an old house, which also referenced this post, made me come back to say more. I live in a part of the world filled with beautiful buildings, and have watched with my jaw dropped as so many have changed hands and been almost gratuitously upgraded, losing texture and patina, and often the very details that made them attractive in the first place. And as the commenter in my site pointed out, once begun, the slide is inexorable. What is lost can rarely be brought back. In nearby Bangor, Maine, a town where the architectural heritage is appreciated, but underfinanced (mcmansions on the outskirts are preferred by the well to do, so grand in-town houses become at best offices, at worst cheap apartments, and always vinyl sided), was a brick house of particularly elegant regency influenced lines, c. 1840. Buff painted brick from the time of construction, handsome deep shutters in old green. A few years ago, it got 'restored'. First the sandblasting. Then the too white mortar re-pointing the bricks. Then the plastic shutters like fake mustaches...and though still a fine work of architecture, that elusive 'other' quality is gone. It's like a dog pissing on it's territory....
*sigh*
I'm late to this party and I am glad I am because I had time to read of these interesting comments. I think DED is spot on, sadly, sadly so. In world time, we are still a newby and yet we cannot revere out past. Our national character has been so influenced by TOO MUCH: too much room, too much money, too much lack of understanding history. All of which allow us to kick the past to the curb and start over. At 60, with my gray hair and wrinkles, I think patina is a good thing. It tells a story. It has endured.
patina
I like the patina and a decorated entablature, love that word too!
I like the patina but it shouldn't be too shabby, and it should be stable. If it starts to peel and look neglected, the charm is lost!
I also agree that designers should stop trying to age things. The elements and time do this quickly enough and it is not necessary to speed the process. The same can be said for fashion designers who intentionally fray and distress the fabric and leather that garments are constructed of. We see this a lot in jeans nowadays. All I can say is, "Get real!"
I have to admit the window design frames are gorgeous. I love the looks of the wall it looks classically elegant.
I like the look of patina but I wanted the interior wall to be clean.
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