A dad has admitted that he gave his eight-year-old daughter free rein to choose the colour of their home, which has sparked mixed reactions from his neighbours. Sam Hewitt’s house is now painted in a vibrant green, yellow, and orange due to the schoolgirl’s choice of three unexpected colours. The 50-year-old artist says he enjoys the striking pattern and appreciates how it distinguishes their terraced property from other houses in the neighbourhood. As a result of his daughter’s decision, the house now boasts orange window frames, yellow headers and a green main hue.
While artist Sam admits the house colours have “clearly” divided opinions, the dad-of-one, whose professional work is displayed throughout the UK, insists the statement mural is a tremendous hit with children.
He told The Sun: “Kids particularly love it. I watch them go past grinning and laughing.”
However, the dad-of-one has also received negative comments about his property in Brighton, East Sussex.
He said: “People do scoff at it and say ‘that’s ridiculous’ and ask ‘what are they thinking?'”
A retiree neighbour described the paintjob as “dreadful”, as colours don’t “fit in” with the other white-painted houses.
“I think he should paint it white like everybody else,” the unnamed man said.
The reason behind painting his house with such extravagant colours is the fact Sam got “really bored” with how “dull” all the white-painted houses looked on the street.
“I thought, ‘what happens if you mix things up?’ Well, this happens,” he said.
The retiree, a self-described “conservative” and “older” man, noticed “lots of people” walking past it “laugh” and “take pictures”.
He added: “I’m sure kids love it but my wife and I don’t think it’s particularly nice looking.”
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A 20-year-old resident agreed with the retiree, saying the three colours “don’t necessarily go together”. But he appreciated the “individuality” as mixing the three colours is “quite bold”.
Other residents on Millers Road like the singularity of the house, which stands out amid the white-painted houses on the street.
“Every time I walk past it I think, ‘oh wow, this house is so nice’. It’s so different from all the other ones,” said Alessia Basoli, a Co-op store manager from Italy who moved to Millers Road four months ago and passes the house on her way to work every day.
“I would love to do something like that to my house, maybe paint it bright red or something. If you buy a house and you own it, you should be able to do whatever you want to it.”
Kate, who has lived on the same road for just over a year, agreed it was a “nice, colourful addition to the area”. Ambi Newboult, a flat lodger on the street, said: “It’s nice. It reminds me of Studio Ghibli.”
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