House of Color was established in 1946 in the heart of San Francisco, California in the Mission district.  The original store was a tiny 600 square foot shop that solely served the city of  San Francisco  residents paint. When current owner Francisco Cerda purchased House of Color in 1988, he moved the company to a bigger location and expanded the number of stores throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Cerda and his wife moved to the United States from Nicaragua in 1981 and planned to live in Los Angeles. When he visited family in San Francisco, however, he knew this is where he and his wife wanted to spend the rest of their lives. While driving by the original House of Color, Cerda was reminded of his old job at his father’s paint store in Nicaragua. He yearned to get a job as an employee at the House of Color, but for the first few years in San Francisco, Cerda worked for a bigger paint company while completing a business degree. His boss at the bigger paint company decided to sell off the company’s stock of wallpaper, which inspired Cerda. He used money in his savings to purchase rolls of wallpaper and attempted to sell them to smaller San Francisco,CA paint stores.   As fate would have it, one of those smaller paint stores happened to be House of Color.

House of Color is Owner’s American Dream

When Cerda met with House of Color’s original owner, he expressed how much he would love to work at his paint store. After many interviews, Cerda became an official House of Color employee. In 1988, the owner decided he did not want to run the House of Color and Cerda purchased the store from the original owner. In the beginning, Cerda strictly sold paint, as well, but after the independent hardware store around the corner closed, he noticed that there was a void to fill. He began to carry various types of tools so his neighbors would not have to venture further into the city to purchase necessary tools. After selling out of his small tool selection, Cerda decided to partner with Orgill. Although he purchases his high-end paint through drop ship, Cerda continues to buy electrical, plumbing, and other hardware products through Orgill.

Family Owned and Operated Since 1946

Cerda and House of Color’s number one priority are customers and the community. He regularly donates and gives discounts to schools, churches, and other local organizations, and he values his reputation of being the friendly neighborhood paint supplier. What started as a small store in the heart of San Francisco morphed into one 7,000 square foot showroom and an additional two showrooms in South San Francisco and San Bruno. House of Color offers customers complimentary color consultations in any of our three locations, so please visit the nearest House of Color to find your dream paint!