Thursday, July 23, 2015

Hot Mustard

"Bring me a nice sandwich. One of the usual. You know the kind I like. No, wait, hold the pastrami. Not really in the mood for that tonight. Come to think of it, no salami either. And hold the Swiss cheese. While we're at it, forget the lettuce and tomato and onion and garlic and mayo. Oh, and what the hell, why not? Just forget the bread. Italian bread is all we've got right now, and that gets stale pretty quick. You know what? Just bring me a jar of hot mustard and a spoon, and then leave me alone. I've got an invasion of Russia to plan. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that, right?" ~ Napoleon Bonaparte, May 5th, 1812

Hey, he could have said that. This house is in the downtown core of Ottawa. It's divided into three units, and has often struck me as odd because of the colour. Personally speaking, it's not a colour that generally works for homes, and in this case was quite off putting for me. Last summer, however, there was a paint job on the trim, rendering it a dark brown that at least seems to offset the yellow. 

44 comments:

  1. People pick a color and say how great. Then it gets on the house and it looks like garbage. Never paint your home the brightest color it never looks good. Plus when you look at all the other homes in the neighborhood it looks very out of place. Maybe thats is what they wanted but it doesn't make for good neighbors.
    A nice creamy yellow would have been much better.

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would love this house in a green colour, but then again, green is my favourite colour. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like this yellow color in this beautiful house.
    We have a lot of this color houses here in Finland.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think yellow can be a nice color for houses, but this particular shade is not my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bright colours work subject to the backdrop. Few object to a row of brightly coloured seaside cottages, for example. The problem with painting walls, though, is you need to keep doing it... Love the Napoleon bit - but did they have pastrami in 1812? Just asking.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i think it looks rather attractive especially with that vrooom vroom parked in front

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like yellow houses, you see them a lot in southern countries in Europe, gives me a kind of holiday feeling.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like the color combo and WAIT don't hold my pastrami!

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's a bit too dark for a house, I think. I do like yellow houses, though, just not this dark.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love that color for that house.

    ReplyDelete
  11. my kind of person ... not afraid of color!! power on person who loves a colorful house. neat-o!! i have not had a pastrami sandwich in years. sounds delicious!! ( :

    ReplyDelete
  12. You are so right, without that brown trim I think this would be too yellow.

    ReplyDelete
  13. A quite strange color, but the house is not bad at all!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That's a great looking house. It is rather odd that they would choose such an odd color. I like your quote!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That is beautiful with the brown now.

    They do say that Canadians are not color splash shy. It seems they are right.

    Wen I went to Halifax . They have bright colored homes. And I mean bright.

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Parsnip: the irony is that the architectural style, I like- though I wonder about the size of one of the units!

    @Linda: I'd be inclined to go with a soft colour.

    @Orvokki: in this area, a lot of homes tend to go for red brick, and tend to be decades old. This one's unusual for its construction materials, but also feels like it has been there a very long time.

    @Halcyon: I tend to find that yellow works very well on flowers, but not homes, though I can admit it depends on the geographic area.

    @Mike: now I'd like to figure out... that would be a good sandwich though... but I'd substitute honey mustard for hot mustard.

    @Gerald: oh, the motorbike definitely appeals to me!

    @Marianne: they would be more suited to life by the sea.

    @Revrunner: before it got divided up, it would have been quite big for one family.

    ReplyDelete
  17. @Birdman: pastrami's good!

    @EG: I find myself wondering if it was ever painted a different shade.

    @Randy: I imagine it would fit better in the Southwest.

    @Beth: I tend to go more for roast beef, with lettuce, tomato, mozzarella, mayo, some honey mustard... really hits the spot!

    @Sharon: it was quite a striking difference. I can't recall the colour of the trim before, but this shade really did help things along in contrasting with the yellow.

    @VP: it's a style that does appeal to me, particularly with all that porch they've got on the one side.

    @Red: I remember a purple house on the road up to Guelph to see my grandparents when I was a kid. I don't know if it's still there.

    @Carolann: I've seen some bright houses out in the East.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The colors really make a statement. Now, I will always think of pastrami @Birdman!

    Janis
    GDP

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think the house looks pretty. The colour makes it stands out from the others.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ha! Spicy gambit, William!





    ( '>
    /))
    //""
    ALOHA
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

    ReplyDelete
  21. This looks like a craftsman house to me. I like that style. And that was a great quote.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I like the yellow. Makes me think of houses in Scandinavia.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I don't mind it at all, William!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yellow's my favorite color--but not for a house!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Every time we happened to pass a little cottage, one of my favorite persons always sighed and said how much she loved it and wished it were hers. The little house was a plain frame, with a rose-covered trellis over the front stoop and a flower garden to the side. And yes, it was yellow.

    I always shuddered inside but agreed enthusiastically that yes, it was beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Mmmm...not sure, I don't think it's for me although I'm sure it's regarded as pretty..

    ReplyDelete
  27. I like yellow houses - but something a little more muted!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. @Janis: the colours certainly stand out!

    @Tex: when I was a kid, I loved bologna and mustard sandwiches. Haven't eaten them in years, and these days, if I have mustard, I go for honey mustard.

    @MB: Indeed!

    @Nancy: it certainly contrasts with the surroundings, at least in colour. The architecture itself fits in with the area.

    @Cloudia: somewhere in the comic strips, Dagwood Bumstead has made that sandwich.

    @Jennifer: I can't think of the last time I had pastrami!

    @Stuart: from time to time my twisted sense of humour gets the better of me.

    @Marleen: I wouldn't have thought initially of Scandinavian homes, but they do tend to get some bright colours in photographs I've seen.

    @RedPat: I'm liking that there are some contradictory opinions on this one.

    @Norma: it works so well with flowers, I find, but not in this case, but not everyone agrees!

    @Cheryl: I can see that!

    @Geoff: the property is at least very well kept up.

    @Hamilton: a light tan would be different, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Nice house like the motor cycle but the colour of the house is a bit to dark yellow for me . Nice photos though . Thanks for sharing , Have a good weekend !

    ReplyDelete
  30. I agree, it's a great house. if it were mine, the first thing I would do is paint it .

    ReplyDelete
  31. You don't like that color? Actually, I kind of like it. I grew up in a yellow house.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I think the brown trim works and yes I do love that Napoleon quote.

    ReplyDelete
  33. And see, I dream of a yellow house with white trim. That's my dream house.

    ReplyDelete
  34. If you think that's bad you should see the house that was built behind ours a couple of years ago. Toothpaste green-blue in direct violation of our CC&Rs. It's surrounded by mowed pastureland and in prominent view as we look to the mountains. It's like a visual form of a car alarm that never stops. I'd trade it for the one above in a heartbeat.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I like the colors, but I'm affraid the house is way too big for us.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I do like the colour contrasts on this home. They highlight the design beautifully. And what an awesome bike parked outside. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I like yellow houses, as long as they are not on my street.

    ReplyDelete
  38. @Country Gal: it works on flowers, not homes!

    @Mari: that's my feeling.

    @Janey: me too.

    @Jack: I just don't go for it.

    @Denise: it felt appropriate!

    ReplyDelete
  39. @Whisk: not me!

    @Kay: ick!

    @Jan: thanks.

    @Gemma: thank you.

    @Linda: me too.

    ReplyDelete