"An uplifting, dazzling masterpiece.
Perfect and a must for academic and public libraries."


- Southeastern Library Journal

Design & Coloring Book



Chromatic Homes

A Design & Coloring Book

This coloring book is like no other on the market. It’s a celebration of chromatic homes, the alluring and ornate structures that grace our most charming and beautiful cities, such as Louisville, Cincinnati, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Miami, and have been around for centuries in far-flung places such as Havana, Venice, Amsterdam, Brazil, and Moscow. This captivating collection also teaches and explores the art and science of the use of color in historic preservation, architecture, neighborhood design, and planning.

As this book illustrates, color is a powerful tool—it enlightens, entertains, and transforms—and when color graces chromatic homes, it can enhance, revive, and regenerate a community. This vibrant, engaging, and inviting book provides an escape to a world of inspiration, artistic fulfillment, and appreciation for these homes. Containing fifty-seven pages of illustrations, this edition is an effective and fun-filled way to enjoy and appreciate the homes’ beauty, while also encouraging imagination and the creation of a unique work of art.

Published by the University Press of Kentucky.


Chromatic Homes Book Cover



Chromatic Homes

The Joy of Color in Historic Places

John I. “Hans” Gilderbloom explores and celebrates the appeal of these captivating houses in Chromatic Homes: The Joy of Color in Historic Places. Highlighted in gorgeous detail are the relevance of the homes’ styles and colors as well as their history—many believed to have been around for decades in American cities such as Louisville, Cincinnati, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Miami, and around for centuries in far-flung places such as Havana, Cuba, Venice, Italy, and Moscow, Russia.

Filled with 182 engaging and eye-catching photos of homes all across the nation and the world, Chromatic Homes perfectly illustrates how the simple act of painting an ornate structure in bright or bold colors can inspire, empower, sustain and enlighten an entire community. Chromatic Homes creates prosperity, pride, and joy for the homeowner and neighborhood.

Published by the University Press of Kentucky.


A Glimpse Inside Our Two Books

Louisville, Kentucky
Burano, Italy
Cincinnati, Ohio


New Orleans, Louisiana
Nashville, Tennessee
Portland, Oregon

"Painting houses is a worldwide practice for self-expression. It also cues in that someone of responsibility and concern is around. Color, and its maintenance, can thus be an urban force for confidence. Chromatic Homes takes such concerns seriously and helps us see what, when taken to exuberant forms, can be the delightful result."


- Harvey Molotch, Professor of Sociology, New York University, and author of The City as a Growth Machine

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Chromatic Homes
c/o Dr. John I. Gilderbloom
Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods
426 West Bloom
Louisville, KY 40208