Skip to content
  • Proudly presenting Proudly presenting Dura
  • Find a store
  • Contact
  • Find a store
  • Account log in
Dunn-Edwards Paints and Stores
  • Colors
      Explore our colors
      • With 2,006 Perfect Palette® colors from which to choose, you're sure to find more than a few that spark your imagination! Dunn-Edwards

        See All Colors

      • With 2,006 Perfect Palette® colors from which to choose, you're sure to find more than a few that spark your imagination! Dunn-Edwards

        Perfect Palette®

      • Icon

        Instant Designer

      • A close up of a bowl on a table

        New Neutrals

      • A large brown dog standing next to a sign

        Front Door

      Color Resources
      • Order Color Samples
      • Download Digital Color Swatches
      • Professional Color Consultation
      • Color Trends
      • Color of The Year
      Color Tools
      • Paint Calculator
      • Specs+Spaces® Design Blog
      • Dunn-Edwards InstaColor®
      • Color Visualization Tool
      • Color-Ark® Pro
      • Color-Ark® Home
  • Products
      Discover our products
      • EXQUISITE Interior Matte Paint Can

        Interior paints & coatings

      • EVERSHIELD Exterior 100% Acrylic Velvet Paint Can

        Exterior paints & coatings

      • A coffee mug

        Industrial & high-performance coatings

      Learn More
      • Products
      • Paint & Sundries Catalog
      • Coatings Reference Guide
      • Case Studies
      • Specification Guides
      • Technical Bulletins
      • Certifications and Conformance
      • Dunn-Edwards DURA
      Solid- Color Promo
  • Environment
      What makes Dunn-Edwards paint greener?

      It's not only the performance we put into our paint, but also what we leave out. Dunn-Edwards constantly seeks to reduce or avoid the use of harmful ingredients.

      Our Green Legacy

      A sign on the side of a building

      Our LEED® gold certified paint factory

      Learn more
      • Why Dunn-Edwards?
      • Case Studies
      • Painting Green Articles
      • Certifications And Conformance
  • Explore
      Start Exploring
      • Dream It
      • How-To Do It
      • Share It
      Get Inspired
      • Inspiration Image Galleries
      • How-To Videos
      • Color Trends
      • How-To Brochures
      • Color Of The Year
      • Choosing A Painting Contractor
      Need Kitchen Color Inspiration?

      The classic white kitchen aesthetic remains a perennial favorite but - inspired by a new-found optimism, the heart of the home is ready for color!

      Check out our gallery

      A kitchen with a dining table
  • Professionals
      Explore by profession
      • Architects and Specifiers
      • Education
      • Builders and Developers
      • Government Agencies
      • Commercial Contractors
      • Interior Designers
      • Dealers
      • Property Managers
      • Design Student
      • Residential Contractors
      Learn More
      • Professional Blog
      • Case Studies
      • Credit Services
      • Account Application
      • Find A Store
      Contact A Rep

      As your paint partner, our priority is to ensure you have every tool, product, and service for all your paint projects. Search for a Dunn-Edwards representative if you would like to be contacted.

      Get Started

      A woman sitting in front of a window
favorite icon
user icon
  • My Account

  • Color-Ark Pro

  • Log Out

search icon
Popular searches
  • Terra Rosa
  • Decoglo
  • Exquisite
  • Swiss Coffee
  • Everest
  • Art and Craft
  • Classic White
  • Aristoshield
Trending colors
  • Terra Rosa | DE5096
  • Art and Craft | DET682
  • Big Sur Blue Jade | DET577
  • Rose de Mai | DET432
  • Pink Punch | DE5048
  • Mahogany Cherry | DE5020
  • Reclaimed Wood | DET625
  • Golden Appeal | DE5382
  • Even Growth | DE5494
  • Trail Dust | DE6123
  • Blue Tapestry | DET545
  • Nomad | DET697
Products
  • EXQUISITE Interior Matte Paint Can

    Interior paints & coatings

  • EVERSHIELD Exterior 100% Acrylic Velvet Paint Can

    Exterior paints & coatings

  • A coffee mug

    Industrial & high-performance coatings

SHOP
Select shopping experience to find products and pricing
A person standing in front of a window
Consumer
A man standing in front of a door
Professional
  • Colors

    Colors

    • Explore our colors
      • See All Colors
      • Perfect Palette®
      • Instant Designer
      • New Neutrals
      • Front Door
    • Color Resources
      • Order Color Samples
      • Download Digital Color Swatches
      • Professional Color Consultation
      • Color Trends
      • Color of The Year
    • Color Tools
      • Paint Calculator
      • Specs+Spaces® Design Blog
      • Dunn-Edwards InstaColor®
      • Color Visualization Tool
      • Color-Ark® Pro
      • Color-Ark® Home
  • Products

    Products

    • Discover our products
      • Interior paints & coatings
      • Exterior paints & coatings
      • Industrial & high-performance coatings
    • Learn More
      • Products
      • Paint & Sundries Catalog
      • Coatings Reference Guide
      • Case Studies
      • Specification Guides
      • Technical Bulletins
      • Certifications and Conformance
      • Dunn-Edwards DURA
  • Environment

    Environment

    • Our Green Legacy
    • Why Dunn-Edwards?
    • Case Studies
    • Painting Green Articles
    • Certifications And Conformance
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Start Exploring
      • Dream It
      • How-To Do It
      • Share It
    • Get Inspired
      • Inspiration Image Galleries
      • How-To Videos
      • Color Trends
      • How-To Brochures
      • Color Of The Year
      • Choosing A Painting Contractor
      • Check out our gallery
  • Professionals

    Professionals

    • Explore by profession
    • Create an account
  • My Account

  • Color-Ark Pro

  • Log Out

favorite user
Contact Shop
Proudly presenting Proudly presenting Dura
Specs+Spaces®
Specs+Spaces® Color

Then, Now & Forever® Collection Highlight: the Bell House

09/12/2022 | Marni Mervis |

Color and History

Color carries with it symbolism and meaning. As a result, particular colors have defined eras and empires, as well as architectural styles. As a way to pay tribute to the distinct connection humans have with color and the history and emotion it evokes, we created our Then, Now & Forever Collection. The curated collection consists of a line of 142 historically accurate colors inspired by historic architecture of the American West as well as 158 trending colors, all of which tell a story of styles and trends from architectural styles ranging from the 1800s, such as the Victorian era, to present day.

A house with bushes in front of a building

To ensure the accuracy of each of the 142 historic colors in our Then, Now & Forever collection, Dunn-Edwards collaborated with Architectural Resources Group, a collective of architects, planners and conservators who believe in the value that history adds to modern life, and works specifically in preserving historic structures. Each of our 142 colors historically accurate paint colors were carefully matched to actual samples from historic buildings and sites across the American West. These include historic resources, such as the Bell House, in San Francisco, California.

A large room

About the Bell House

Known today as the Bell House, this Stick-, or Eastlake-, style home was originally constructed for Edward W. and Ada Strange in 1883. The Stick-Eastlake style was a late Victorian form of architecture named for Charles Eastlake, a British architect and founder of the Eastlake movement. The style is notable for its exterior use of decorative arts and linear ‘stickwork,’ which are meant to replicate the look of a half-timbered frame. Key characteristics include intricate woodwork, such as posts, spindles and lattices. The specific color combinations of Stick-Eastlake homes were also originally chosen to highlight the details of this ornate work, helping them stand out from the rest of the home’s body.

A living room filled with furniture and a large window

To design such a house, Edward and Ada Strange tapped architects and brothers Samuel and Joseph Newsom. Newsom Brothers Architects were, in fact, famous for their many Eastlake-style and Queen Anne-style Victorian homes throughout San Francisco. However, according to the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco, most of them did not survive the city’s 1906 earthquake—making the Bell Home quite unique. Outside, the house features detailed carving around the windows, columns, decorative entrances and eaves, and a wrought iron fence, which encloses the front garden. On the interior, the home boasts details like ceiling moldings and medallions, an oak dining room fireplace mantel and a built-in buffet.

Edward and Ada Strange called the Hayes Valley-area house their home for 64 years before it sold and resold, eventually landing in the hands of the current owner, Nick Bell, in 1998, who updated it while maintaining the integrity of the Newsom Brothers Architects’ design, notes the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco.

A room filled with furniture and vase of flowers on a kitchen counter

A room filled with furniture and a large window

Historic Victorian Paint Colors of the Bell House

When Architectural Resources Group conservators first evaluated the house, they found an original palette that included a cool shade of blue and green, as well neutrals. In total, four colors were discovered on the interior and exterior of the Bell House.

Icon

Dapple Gray (DET511) - This gray-green tone was found on the exterior of the Bell House. The color is named for a coat color found on the horses—the free-roaming mustangs of the American West.

Evergreen Forest (DET534) - This saturated green hue was also discovered on the Bell House’s exterior. The inspiration for the color’s name comes from the forested areas in and around the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.

Bell Blue (DET554) - This namesake color was discovered on the interior of the Bell House. It is a reserved blue color with teal-green undertones.

Mission White (DET673) – Found on the exterior of the Bell House, this creamy white was also discovered throughout multiple resources in the Bay Area by Architectural Resources Group. It was even discovered on the Mission Revival/Richardsonian Revival style building, the Stanford Green Library, located at Stanford University.

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, such as the Alta Mira Club in San Leandro, California, or the Meek Mansion also located in northern California.

All images courtesy of Anson B. Moran

 

Featured Articles

  • A New Beginning: Dunn-Edwards Unveils the 2024 Color + Design Trends
  • Dunn-Edwards Unveils its 2023 Color of the Year: Terra Rosa (DE5096)
  • 9 Beiges That Are These Top Designers’ Go-Tos
  • March Color of the Month: Grassy Knoll (DEFD30)

Color Tools

  • Home InstaColor
  • Order color samples
  • Download color swatches

Stay Updated

  • Subscribe via Rss
  • Get specs+spaces email updates

More stories

A boy sitting in front of a window
Color Confidence: A Step-by-Step Guide to Dunn-Edwards In-Home Color Services
A screen shot of a bed
Desert Boho Modern: Best Pink Paint Colors to Achieve a Dreamy Oasis
From Blush to Bashful: The Best Pink Paint Colors for the Living Room

Sign up for our newsletter

Get the latest color trends and design inspirations. Unsubscribe at any time.

Follow us

Colors
  • Colors
  • Order Color Samples
  • Professional Color Consultation
  • Color Trends
  • specs+spaces® Design Blog
  • Dunn-Edwards InstaColor®
  • Download Color Swatches
  • Color Archives
Products
  • Interior Paints & Primers
  • Exterior Paints & Primers
  • Industrial & High Performance
  • Documents & Certificates
  • Coatings Reference Guide
  • Paints & Sundries Catalog
  • Specification Guide
  • Technical Bulletins
  • Our Suppliers
  • Certifications & Conformance
  • Lifetime Warranty
How To
  • Choosing Color
  • Selecting Gloss
  • Paint Calculator
  • Paint Problem Solver
  • Videos
About Us
  • History
  • Made in the U.S.A.
  • Why Dunn-Edwards
  • Environment
  • Case Studies
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Donations
  • Contact Us
Directory
  • Find a Store
  • Store List
  • Find a Dealer
  • Find a Paint Pro
  • Contact a Pro Rep
  • Sitemap
  • Vendor Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • CA Privacy Notice
  • Terms of Use
  • Social Media Policy
  • Mobile Messaging
  • Web Accessibility
  • CA Supply Chains Act

© 2023 Dunn-Edwards Corporation. All rights reserved.

Please log in

To save and access favorites, please login.

Share to social networks

Share this link via:

Or copy link: