Exterior Motives

Photo by Timothy Bartlett

We asked four local designers to select a new color palette for this house at 68 Lyman Street in Waltham, on the market for $749,000.

Andra Birkerts

“I’m all for showing off historic detail, but too much emphasis can neutralize everything. My approach would be to simplify.”

From left:
House: Pointed Fir
Shutters: Pitch Pine
Window Sashes: Curry
Trim: Swiss Coffee
Porch Columns: Jewett White
Door: Curry

Liz Caan 

“So many houses are beige. They have no personality. Go more edgy and fun—color the house and keep the trim classic.”

From left:
House: Potpourri Green
Shutters: Black
Window Sashes: Black
Trim: White Dove
Porch Columns: Stormy Sky
Door: Stormy Sky

Heidi Pribell

“I really liked the classicism of the house, but it’s treated like a Victorian. I’d bring it back to its roots in a 21st-century way.”

From left:
House: Kingsport Gray
Shutters: Silhouette
Window Sashes: Desert Shadows
Trim: Meditation
Porch Columns: Meditation
Door: Moroccan Spice

Sally Wilson

“Subtle colors can give your house a unique look—without having to overdecorate it with trim lines.”

From left:
House: Iron Gate
Shutters: Midnight Oil
Window Sashes: Cloud Cover
Trim: Cloud Cover
Porch Columns: Cloud Cover
Door: Concord Ivory

All paints are by Benjamin Moore, except for Pointed Fir, Pitch Pine, Curry, and Jewett White, which are by California Paints.

Andra Birkerts Interior Design, 47 Church St., Wellesley, 781-235-7073, andrabdesign.com; Liz Caan Interiors, 1064/1066 Centre St., Newton, 617-244-0424, lizcaan.com; Heidi Pribell Interiors, 299 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 617-354-1445, heidipribell.com; Wilson Kelsey Design, 37 Dearborn St., Salem, 978-741-4234, wilsonkelseydesign.com.

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