Joanne Sisco

Feeling a Little Blue … and Yellow

I started this post a few weeks ago, but it just never got any real traction.  Today I’m dusting it off and trying again.

I chose these photos for Thursday Doors because of the much needed splash of colour they were providing.

village-by-the-grange2

I grew up in a yellow wood house – later covered with aluminum siding – and I think that’s why I seem to have a natural attraction to yellow houses.  Although these doors are rather ordinary by themselves, the total package is attractive to my eye.

village-by-the-grange
I could find nothing about the history of this heritage building, but obviously it’s seen several reincarnations

The blue roof on the above house is so striking with the yellow.  Carrying forward the theme of blue trim takes me to a heritage building from 1891.

old-town
Main entrance – I love the detail on the centre post

I like the rounded features that complement this building … from the gentle arch on top of the door and windows, to the small overhang over the front step, and the wrap of the two hand railings down the stairs.

king-st
The side entrance complements the main entrance around the corner

For a last splash of colour, this building always makes me smile.  Its boring utilitarian door is more than made up for by its baby turret.

yellow

Thursday Doors is a weekly photo feature hosted by Norm Frampton at Norm 2.0.

91 comments

  2. I recognized the first building in the post but I couldn’t place it. Today I walked past it – for about the 50th time, give or take a few 🙂 and immediately thought of your post!

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  3. In my dreams as a girl, I had a butter yellow house, Joanne. There’s a warmth and sunny disposition to them. Yours are very sweet and colorful with the addition of trim in a different color. I enjoyed the blue door tucked under a porch roof and the idea of a meal behind the other door made me smile. I ate Indian food last night at a pretty restaurant called, Saffron. Love that golden name! 🙂

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  6. A varied mix just perfect for eyes that are getting fed up of looking at the white stuff.
    That second one is just amazing. I can only imagine all of the interesting nooks and crannies in that place.
    As for the last one, the yellow and the mini turret more than compensate for what it lacks in the way of doorliciousness 😉

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  8. Crikey! That first house with the yellow and purple is pretty garish! I have seen some peculiar combinations over here, but that one is definitely up there with them. I can’t say I am a fan of yellow houses, possibly because the very few I have seen have always been so bright. A soft lemon is far more appealing.

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  11. Definitely more colour in Toronto than Calgary I think Joanne. Or perhaps I am just not looking in the right places. This time of year we could use some vibrant shades that’s for certain.

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  12. I stayed at an old Victorian that looked a lot like the first house in college. When the grad students on the top floor made love, the whole building shook! Those were the days of living on peanut butter sandwiches and Top Ramen!

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  15. I love yellow and blue always looks good with it, even on houses. That first house looks like someone went nuts with a box of crayons. Still I kind of like it. I say, never grow UP.
    Someone here painted their house a Royal Bank Blue and you should have heard the uproar. Sheesh. I don’t understand why it should matter. It was somewhere close to downtown and not a new house in a subdivision. Love these photos. You share such interesting ones.

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    • Thanks Tess. Glad you’re a fan of my quirky side 😉

      The problem is that taste is so individual and picking a colour scheme is fraught with drama when parties don’t agree. The end result is endless blandness.

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    • Thank you 🙂 They’re all in Toronto in the downtown area. I recently developed an interest in the heritage buildings of the city and have been delighted to find so many old structures still tucked away among all the glass and concrete of the high rise buildings.

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  18. These color combinations work so well, Joanne. An ordinary door can be part of a wonderful entrance. I like blue accents on houses, and I like blue doors. Thanks for the burst of color on a winter day.

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  19. Thanks Joanne, I’ve really enjoyed your Thursday buildings and think it will be a successful off shoot to the doors series. I’m struggling to pick a favourite but if pushed would suggest the last one by a small turret. 🙂

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      • Yes, yes it is 🙂
        I seem to remember a post where you were not quite in agreement on the colour scheme for a kitchen wall. If only you’d had the turret as a bargaining chip then 🙂

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  20. These are some very cool buildings Joanne. The first image has that 1960’s “flower power” kind of look with the color of the trim. I love the Mansard roof of the second building and it looks like its been around for quite some time. I really love the paint scheme and the colors chosen for the trim on the third image.

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    • I hadn’t put my finger on it, but you got it exactly. The first house does look like a 1960s hippie influence.
      … and thanks for giving me a name for that style of roof. That blue roof is what originally caught my eye. I know this building was built in the 1800s, but I haven’t been able to find any information on its history. Now it bears all the scars of its transformations over the years. In an odd kind of way, it manages to make the building look more interesting.

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    • I just realized as I was reading your comment that this house we currently live in used to have yellow siding on the upper half. Why they put yellow siding on a building with pinkish brick on the bottom half, I’ll never understand.

      I tried to find a colour photo of the house I grew up in for this post, but came up blank. The only photos I could find were either poor b&ws or after the white siding had been put over it.
      Now the house is gone completely.

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  26. I have definitely lived my life in way too boring of houses. No yellow, blue or even green houses in my history…they have all been mostly grey…or dull brownish! Each of your buildings immediately made me want to venture inside…especially the Shawarma place!

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  29. I love the second house! So they bricked in the middle window and then put in ……another smaller window? Oh, I would love to know the history on this one. The very first house I bought on my own was in a very old section of town and was a yellow gold. I cried when I had sell that house. Great houses…..I mean doors, Joanne!

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    • Isn’t that 2nd house a beauty? … in spite of all her renovation scars. That centre oblong window is interesting … partly because it was open on a cold, snowy day … but largely because I thought it added to the unique character of this house.
      Yes, there is something joyous about a yellow house 🙂

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    • I love homes with character … and blue would be a great colour to stand out from all the ubiquitous brown 🙂

      I live in a 1970s era cookie cutter area, but after 40+ years, many of the homes have a distinct character because of the embellishments that have been added over the years. Landscaping thankfully corrects a lot of that sameness!!

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  32. I LOOOOVE, LURVE if you will, that second house. That’s a wow-er. I live in a yellow house, and I have always loved yellow houses. They’re warm and welcoming. ❤
    Corner doors are always a hit, and that's a striking set!

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    • Yellow houses – big points.
      Corner doors – big points.
      Turrets – HUGE points.

      Aren’t yellow houses great?!! You’re lucky to live in one that you adore. Our current house originally had yellow siding on the top half but honestly, if was awful. The colour had faded badly over the years and just didn’t complement the pink brick on the bottom half. Happily, that nasty anemic yellow siding is now gone 🙂

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      • I do love my yellow house, but I long for it to be a warmer tone, which means cleaning the green off the siding to eliminate the tinge. Bleh.
        What color did you choose to go with the pink brick? Most people around here stick with white.

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