Could Susan and I have been painted with a more precise brush? In a sidebar to David Zanhiser’s reportedly exhaustive and outstanding piece on gentrification in this week’s L.A. Weekly (I’ve yet to read it) we get pegged on of all things… subtrim:
Subtrim.When a newly purchased house gets painted, some exacting buyers go the extra mile by adding subtrim — or, in other words, a third color. Here’s how it works: While the house gets a base color, the window and door frames receive a second trim color. Then the windows and doors themselves receive a third color, or subtrim. Subtrim is a surefire way to Pimp My Bungalow, giving it a bold shade like brick red or blood orange. Unfortunately, the most common color in a gentrifying neighborhood is the ubiquitous hipster green — a shade of olive slapped onto nearly anything – Spanish-style courtyards, Art Deco apartments, even medical buildings.
Well, the house ain’t newly purchased so ha! But he’s nailed our brick red trim and the siding is an olive-y green… though I wouldn’t call it “hipster.”