Bright

Bright

Bright

I think I need to go back and photograph these again in better lighting. They were so much brighter in person!

Bright

Bright

The lighting wasn't so great for this photo, so I am not sure if the flourescence of this paint job comes across... it was a pretty stunning example.

Return of the Bright Houses

It's been a few years since I posted my photos of brightly colored houses in the East Bay, and latey some new ones have popped up on my radar. I've always wondered what prompts people to choose these particular paint colors, but I'm too shy to ask. I promise these photos were not enhanced! I'm going to start posting them whenever I see them. Here are two I spotted in Berkeley last week.

Purple Houses

More Blue Houses

Blue Houses

These are some blue houses that have jumped out at me around town. There is one in Berkeley that I desperately want to photograph, so stay tuned for that.

THE Green House

Driving around the East Bay, I've found that this shade of green is surprisingly popular, to the point that I decided it should merit its own photo essay someday. In the meantime, I give you this house, which is located in the middle of a row of beautiful mansions in Berkeley. The rumor is that the homeowners did it to spite their neighbors. Apparently the neighbors approached the owners of this house, after the paint job, with an offer to pay to repaint, but the owners refused. Now it stands out like a day-glo sore thumb. It's a shame because it was clearly once a beautiful brown-shingled Craftsman, and the grounds are still lovely...

Wow House

I know I already posted Orange and Pink houses, but this one falls somwhere in between. It might not look so impressive on film, but in person it practically glows!

Yellow Houses

I saw some amazing houses today while driving around, but I didn't have my camera! I'm going to have to go back. Meanwhile, here are some yellow houses:

Orange Houses

Love the chartreuse trim!

Hot Pink Houses

This week I'm going to be posting pictures of some houses around the East Bay. I've always been fascinated by houses that are painted in garish colors. Although the majority of these are found in poor neighborhoods (where perhaps an interesting study could be made of the aesthetic tastes of different social classes), there are also a surprising amount of homes painted in shockingly bright tones in middle-upper class neighborhoods as well. If I were a gutsier person, I would knock on these homeowner's doors and ask them why they chose their particular paint colors. Unfortunately, I'm not, so the mystery remains. In any case, I think there is a certain sense of pride that goes along with painting your home such a brilliant hue. You will notice that in almost every case, the yards are well-maintained, and the accompanying vehicles are well-looked-after.

bright houses

I'm finally working on my photo essay of extra-brightly colored houses, which will be up here eventually, so if you know of any good ones around the East Bay, please let me know! I'm talking about electric blue, purple, day-glo orange... the houses that make you wonder if the owners are color blind.