Copycat neighbours

[GerbitaFillsbottomMcSimmons]

We're doing some renovations right now and recently I was in the back yard talking about a new type of Victorian door that I was ordering and I could hear our neighbour was also in the backyard at the time. Two weeks later I come home to see our neighbour has exactly the same door fitted! It's quite a specific Victorian design with angles on the top panels. Maybe a coincidence, however they don't even live in a Victorian home, it's a very strange looking 1980's house seems an odd choice.

Now this week we've just had our whole house painted a shade of white by Farrow and Ball. It's a specific shade and no other building in our borough is painted all over with this shade and we spent a fortune on the paint. So today our painter comes to me to say that our neighbour has asked them to paint their house, and that they want to do all the same colours so it 'matches'. Ummmm?

Thirdly, the front door is being painted and the undercoat was applied which is a dark grey. We get an email from our neighbour that evening, joking that we had stolen their vision as they are 'going' to paint their front door the same shade which they thought was down pipe by Farrow and Ball.. Thank god however that it was only the primer before our door will be painted black otherwise our front doors would also be exactly the same!!

Am I being unreasonable to be bothered by them copycatting our every design move? I'm really passionate about design and have some experience in it and have spent endless hours planning my scheme to ensure it is unique and timeless, it's really gotten under my skin! Do you think I could ask them not do it, if so how? Urrggh.

I'm not hearing anything unique and timeless here.
Surely you want your neighbour to choose something that is good taste, nothing something ghastly.
No-one is going to drive past your house and exclaim in horror "look, those two houses are exactly the same shade of white!"

You painted your house white, neighbour saw you had the painter in and he did a good job so used the same tradesman. Probably said just paint it white same as next door, probably didn't realise there are shades of white you spent hours deliberating over.

Gah. Farrow and Ball.... sooooo pedestrian....

How can you spend ages planning to paint your house white and the door black. That's some basic taste.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Our houses are in semi detached pairs, its a 1930s design. Most people choose sympathetic period colours, windows etc., and find it helps with house value if things in the semi pairs "match". However, I always ask if I am going to do something similar, even though its pretty much taken as read that its good economic sense to do so. My neighbour also installed really nice Next lighting, I complimented her on her choice and asked her would she mind if I got the same ones.

I've just had building work done, same neighbour asked him to come round to ask for work to be done in her house. That really is how it works here, I think its an excellent idea to "match" in rows of period houses. However, you said your houses are 1980s and also that your neighbour then complained about something you'd done, so after my long preamble about my lovely period house and accommodating neighbours, I'd say on this occasion, YANBU to be a bit irked. Do think about the "matching" thing though - aesthetically pleasing innit.

Meh it's just paint and it's just a house. Obviously it is nice to decorate in a way that's pleasing to the eye but honestly to place so much importance on being the only house in the borough that particular shade of white is... well a reflection of misguided priorities tbh.

All miserable gits on here as well

OP find your sense of humour, you could so play with them for a laugh.

Next they'll be putting their bins out the same night as you. You mark my words!

shade of white by Farrow and Ball. It's a specific shade and no other building in our borough is painted all over with this shade

White is white, twinkle. Sorry that you have been mislead but there are no 'shades of white'. And there is nothing that is unique to F & B. What you do is get the F&B chart and then get your local Dulux trade counter to mix the colour.

No other building in the borough is painted this colour? What about F&B Troll Grey?

I wouldn't like being copied either. Test it out by doing something hideous first then say something.

How much did you pay for your farrow and ball White House op?

Smear your house with your own excrement. Use a specific shade. Discuss loudly in your garden how you got this shade by what you ate them see if they're really copying you.

SexLube haven't seen you and your fish slice for ages!

Farrow & Ball isn't exactly unique, is it? Teeny but common, I'd say?

We had our entire chateau painted International Klein Blue, the copyright fees were extortionate, but our copycat neighbours (Belgium) got their comeuppance when the Yves Klein estate sued them.

'No other building in the borough'

Is it a competition to have the best decoration? Don't houses that are similarly decorated look better next to each other? Or would it be better if they painted theirs purple and orange, added cladding and pebble dash, removed all the original features and added gnomes and huge flashing christmas decorations so yours looked the best and most tasteful?

I was really happy when I realised 10 years ago that house design and redecoration is about making your house a home not competing to show everyone what great taste you have. It all goes out of date and no one will notice a particular shade of white.... Its just a home.

(And yes my house is a magnificent demonstration of my superlative taste but the things I love most are the occupants and the art not the paint or doors).

Can someone please make their user name nootherbuildingintheborough?

Oh god, I hadn't noticed the 'no other building in the borough' line.

Have you literally driven round with a white paint sample holding it up against every other building in the entire borough? REALLY?

Email back explaining it is an undercoat and you are going for F&B Babouche because it is rumoured to be the colour of 2018. Sit back and watch as they turn their house into a boiled egg with the white and yellow.
It is very annoying when neighbours copy your style, even minor things. Have fun with it though!

White paint and a black door. That's definitely very unique

I have a white house with a black door...oh and it's Victorian. Awkward.

My house is fake blonde with red pubes. Imagine being so mainstream.