Italianate Farmhouse - Tecumseh, MI

This house posed an interesting problem because of its yellow brick. The elaborate, highly detailed trim was white and was lost with the very light brick color. The utilization of colors from a post Civil War paint book allows all the various wood details to stand out as they were originally intended.

The use of contrasting period colors on the porch steps, porch floor, and posts provide historically correct visual interest.

The bay window is an important feature of any Italianate style home. Introduced in America on this architectural style, it is shown in the 1840s via the pattern books of Andrew Jackson Downing. The colors here were designed to link the bay to porches and the roof belvedere.

The crowning glory of this Italianate house is its belvedere (Italian for beautiful view). The colors on it and the building’s cornice work together to fasten the top of the house collectively and emphasize the wonderful brackets and moldings.

Copyright 2000-2006: Robert Schweitzer, Revised December 22, 2005