We’re currently seeing a fantastic trend in the restoration painting of Ballarat’s older homes. But we know it can be a little daunting to repaint traditional homes and still do justice to their heritage. That’s why we’re here to help! Join us for a closer look at heritage exterior colours and how they were typically used in Ballarat’s traditional homes.

Iconic colours

The timeless colours of Red Oxide, Deep Indian Red, Deep Brunswick Green and classic creamy tones epitomise the character of Ballarat’s heritage homes. These colours reflect the richness of the unique Ballarat landscape. For inspiration, think of the deep red of the earth, green shades of rainforests and the neutral tones of light stone and sand.

Read on for some tips about which exterior colours were popular in our most-loved Australian homes:

Victorian 1840-1890

Light Stone, Biscuit and other fawn-like colours were used on the exterior body of Victorian houses. Features like window sashes and doors were painted in colours to contrast with the walls. Traditional colours for these features were Deep Brunswick Green, Brown, Deep Indian Red and Olive Green.

Deep reds were predominantly used for roofs, as well as Blue Grey and dark green shades. Bullnose veranda roofing was often painted in a wide stripe pattern of creams and deeper colours to match the roof.

Federation 1890-1920

For Federation homes, more muted tones in a range of colours were introduced and used alongside the Victorian colours. These new colours of soft pinks, greens, blues and greys were used on the wooden trims of the Federation brick homes.

Simpler Federation homes used a three-tone colour scheme. The more complex and detailed exteriors made use of a larger range of tonal variations.

If you’re looking for a modern update that blends well with heritage colours, it can be really effective to pick tones out of the existing brickwork. For example, many of the red-bricked Federation homes have bricks with blue and grey flecks. For this reason, charcoal is an excellent colour to introduce alongside the traditional heritage colours.

Californian Bungalow 1920-1940

The iconic heritage colours of Red Oxide, Deep Indian Red, Deep Brunswick Green were still used for the much-loved Californian Bungalow. But greens started to really come into their own, so Grey Green and Pale Green were often key picks. The greens were generally used as accents, with the exterior body of the house keeping to neutral creamy shades like Buff, Light Stone and Cream.

Pro tip

When choosing to paint your heritage home in Ballarat, it’s a good idea to check with council about caveats on heritage overlays.

Time for a refresh on your gorgeous heritage home? Contact us today!

1800 WE PAINT or INFO@BCRPAINTING.COM.AU