Lovely Los Gatos Houses

Recently I visited my sister and brother-in-law in Los Gatos, CA. I shared some photos of the shops we popped into, here.  While visiting, I also fell in love with the town's adorable houses. There was so much to love, like the blue-and-white paint scheme of this house and its double porches:

Double American flags, too! How sweet:

The strong roof lines, river-rock chimney, and sunny yellow door make for an eye-catching cottage style:

Pale yellow siding, intricate brackets atop the porch pillars, and a pop-out mini-turret. How cute is that?:

It takes guts to paint your house purple. I think these folks did a great job:

This is a very modest row of bungalows running up a alley. Even though they are small, they still look so appealing. If I lived in that first one, with the slightly popped-out, double-hung windows, I'd make sure to have a cat. A black cat in that window would be perfection:

This is a new house, but strongly reminiscent of the century-old Craftsman style. I especially love the slightly exaggerated pillar bases and the built-in white flower box just to the left of the left-most pillars:

A very typical little bungalow with a front porch that spans the entire front of the house. What caught my eye is the plantings on the porch step.

What wonderful pink colors! And look how the hues are echoed in the two pillows tossed on the porch's bench. Whenever you can, pick outdoors fabrics to match what's already growing in your garden. Or, plant things that match fabrics you already have on your porch. The effect is always smart and pulled-together.

Here's another example of a well-done purple house. The wild color is tempered by all the white trim, and the slightly fanciful style places it somewhere within the realm of Victorian Painted Ladies--houses famous for their crazy colors.

To a fairly predictable slate-blue and white color scheme, this homeowner added two red Adirondack chairs and three red lanterns. Perfect!

Another Craftsman-style bungalow. This one has exaggerated brackets under the roof line. A bit of fanciful detail that makes this quiet brown house sing:

I could see myself living in Los Gatos some day, in one of these appealing houses. Now, how to break the news to The Hubby....