Then, Now and Forever® Collection Highlight: Fallon House

Color and History

To honor human connection to color and the history it brings to life, we created our Then, Now and Forever® Collection. The collection consists of a curated line of 142 historically-accurate paint colors inspired by historic architecture of the American West and 158 trending paint colors, all of which tell a story of styles and trends from architectural eras ranging the 1800s to the present day. Color holds the power to transport us to a different time.

To bring this paint collection to life, each of the 142 historically-accurate colors in our Then, Now & Forever® collection were carefully matched to actual samples from historic buildings and sites like San Jose’s Fallon House. To do this, we worked with Architectural Resources Group (ARG), a collective of architects, planners and conservators who believe in the value that history adds to modern life, and work specifically in preserving historic structures.

About The Fallon House

Ok, not that Fallon, this one can’t be found on late night television. No, rather the Victorian-era Fallon House located in San Jose, Calif., is named for its original inhabitants, Tom and Carmel Fallon. Tom Fallon was originally born in Ireland in 1819 but sought a life in the American west, first as a fur trapper and frontiersman in Colorado and Oregon, then as a fruit grower and politician in San Jose where he ultimately settled with his wife and family. Tom Fallon would go on to be elected Mayor of San Jose in 1859 followed by an unsuccessful run at State Senate.

Carmel Fallon was the daughter of one of the most prominent Mexican landowners in California, according to History San Jose. Together, they built their grand Italianate style home in downtown San Jose in 1855. The home was situated within a pear orchard, a plot of land that stretched down to the Guadalupe River.

Photo Credit: Eugene Zelenko

The Fallons occupied the Victorian-era home for approximately 20 years before divorcing in 1876. Then in 1900 the Italianate structure was given new life, being reborn as the Italia Hotel. As the Italia Hotel, the original Fallon home would eventually receive an extensive renovation and remain in operation until the 1960s. The structure still stands today as a notable San Jose landmark and in fact can be toured in conjunction with History San Jose.

Photo Credit Eugene Zelenko

Historic Victorian Paint Colors of the Fallon House

When conservators evaluated the home, they found a color palette of oranges and blues reminiscent of California’s native landscape, from orange groves, to oceans and adobe abodes. In total, 9 colors were discovered in the Fallon House.

Citrus Honey (DET461): This light orange from the Fallon Home’s interior pays homage to California’s citrus growing history.

Bittersweet (DET462): This bold orange hue was found on the interior of the Fallon home. This hue was a popular choice of the Victorian era found within a number of other paint catalogs of the time, such as the Whittier Coburn Co catalogue.

Sunny Disposition (DET481): This bright gold-orange paint color found on the home’s interior nods to the laid back attitudes of those in California and the American West, in general.

Verdant Views (DET508): This deep green found within the home is representative of the verdant landscapes found throughout northern California and the Northwest.

Avalon (DET552): This watery green-blue was identified as an interior color of the Fallon House. Avalon is named after the eponymous town on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles.

Maritime (DET588): This periwinkle blue hue, was discovered on the interiors of the Fallon House. The inspiration for Maritime was coastal life by the Pacific Ocean.

Marine Layer (DET599): This cloudy, blue-gray hue, was identified as an interior color of the Fallon House. Named for the morning marine layer which blankets coastal towns in a fog until burn-off later in the day is the perfect Victorian era cool neutral.

Pueblo White (DET675): Pueblo White, a weathered desert white found in the Fallon House interior. This color's name is inspired by the King House, a Pueblo Revival residence, in Phoenix, Ariz.

Kiln Dried (DET692): Kiln Dried is a sandy cumin seed, warm neutral paint color that was discovered on the interior of the Fallon House. The name was inspired by the method of drying and firing process of clay going as far back as far back as 6000 B.C.

Want to see what other historic resources serve as the basis for our historically-accurate Then, Now & Forever® Collection? Take a look at our other Victorian-era architectural resources like the Joseph Mora Moss Cottage in Oakland, Calif., or the John Muir House located in Martinez, Calif.