David and Elvita Rocha’s home is the kind that has elicited more than one double take.

Intricately painted with 26 colors, the two-story Victorian is a showstopper and possibly the brightest house in Mattapoisett.

“I thought there would be a negative reaction to it, but there used to be five or six cars stopping to see it every day. It’s been gratifying,” said David.

The Main Street house, originally owned by a whaling captain, was built in 1846 in the more simple Greek Revival style.

“It’s been transformed by everybody who lived here,” said David.

“The wives transformed it,” he said. “Every time their husbands went out to sea, they changed the house.”

When the Rochas, who are both artists, purchased the house, Elvita said a family member called it “the money pit.”

“It was in really rough condition,” said Elvita, a hospital interpreter.

Inside she said, “The stairs were on their side. We had to lift the whole foundation.”

Outside, the house already had a Victorian look, but David said, “It was all white, peeling white.”

Undaunted, the couple got to work, slowly transforming the dilapidated interior and exterior with their own style.

“David is brilliant with colors,” said Elvita who also paints.

As a retired art teacher, David put his experience with color theory to work, selecting a color scheme with 26 hues that range from purple to bright blue.

Professional house painters were given a “paint by numbers” photo of the house to keep all of the colors straight.

Much like the hues on one of David’s lacquered airbrush paintings, Elvita said the colors melt into each other. “Some of the colors are so close you can’t tell,” she said.

The same color theme is employed inside the house, on the walls and with the couple’s furniture, much of it from the Victorian period.

The intricate hand-carved staircase, thick velvet curtains, teapot collection and intricate tapestries hearken back to a different era.

But the couple’s art, which is displayed throughout the house, as well as pieces collected from their world travels, add a personal touch.

The couple isn’t finished with their renovations yet. They have plans to revamp the kitchen and studio as well as their garden.

“We’re not millionaires. We’ve changed it little by little,” said Elvita.