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T W E N T Y T H I R D E D I T I O N
INTER IORS
5
construction materials has narrowed and, in
the case of paints, mainstream manufacturers
now offer thousands of colours at price parity.
The visual record of the Georgian period
should also be treated with care. Portraits and
room views are a vital source, but of course
they tend to show affluent or even imaginary
interiors. Similarly, coloured proposals
made by the comparatively new profession of
architect in this period are also to be treated
as just ‘proposals’ unless paint analysis can
prove the schemes were executed.
PAINT INVESTIGATIONS
Among the most important contributors
to modern research in this field are John
Cornforth, Ian Bristow and Patrick Baty,
who have all greatly added to the body
of knowledge about how colour was
made and deployed in historic interiors.
Their written works are invaluable and
should be consulted by anyone keen
to develop a good understanding of
interior colour, particularly paints.
Paint analysis in John Cornforth’s day
(the mid to late 20th century) was a matter
for a scientific laboratory and he (with John
Fowler) tended to rely on paint scrapes. As
a result their findings cannot be seen to be
that reliable. They did, however, interest
themselves in the practicalities of the painters’
and upholsterers’ trades and their resulting
insights were a useful step in a direction that
has been superseded by what is thought of as a
more scientific approach these days.
Paint analysis now conforms to an
industry ‘best practice’ and involves high
magnification observation and chemical
testing. It can reveal the chronology of
surviving paint layers fairly reliably, it can
assess colour and it can identify pigments
and binders. Typically, a modern equivalent is
then provided for the colour match required
– usually the ‘original’ scheme. This will be
a specially prepared sample or an industry
equivalent matched using a colour chart such
as the NCS (Natural Colour System). The
assumption is that this colour will be mixed
in a modern paint which, since the 2010 VOC
regulations, has essentially meant a plastic
emulsion or eggshell (based on an acrylic or
alkyd binder). In other words, we learn a great
deal about the paint layers but in the cases
where a historic recreation is required, we
usually ignore what we have learnt about the
binder, the solvent and even the origin of the
pigment, in order to recreate the colour using
commercial dyes and petro-chemical binders.
RESTORATION – THE IMPORTANCE OF
THE MEDIA
For those seeking to restore a period
property authentically this is important.
Many decisions arise, all of which have
cost implications and all of which affect
the appearance of our work as well as the
architectural and historic significance of the
surviving fabric. Choices may include the use
of timber or MDF, stone or cast dressings,
marble or resin, vinyl or leather, joiner-made
window or manufactured UPVC. In most
cases the correct choice will be obvious since
the vast majority of decisions are made from
the standpoint that the ‘real thing’ will be used
wherever possible. However, in 30 years I have
seldom been asked to engage in this debate
when it comes to paint. Plastic is fine as long
as the colour is right!
Paint is a building product, it is there
to protect and to decorate. Period buildings
tend to have dynamic substrates that
require breathability to prevent moisture
becoming trapped, leading to decay. The
character of a period building relies on the
detailing of the components that make up
the rooms: their line, their execution and
their surface texture. The paint film strongly
influences the amount of light reflected
from surfaces and hence their appearance.
Traditional paints were made with
ground pigment in a medium based on lime
or chalk (with a binder such as casein or
size), or linseed oil and lead carbonate. Most
modern paints are universally made with the
same crude oil derived binder and are tinted
with colorants. The appearance rendered is
different and the way they behave in light
is very different. More importantly, their
porosity is vastly different and they cannot
equal the breathability of traditional coatings.
Logically, the type of finish and the choice
of medium is even more important than the
choice of colour. Is cloth or wallpaper right,
or should it be a paint colour applied directly
to the substrate? And if so how should that
paint be made? To follow historic precedent
the probability is that rooms in all but the
most important Georgian houses would have
been painted with earth pigments in a white
base. This gives an aesthetic that works well
in a period and modern way, but we are also
lucky enough to have a great range of other
cost-effective wall coverings and colours and
so we tend not to restrict ourselves to the
common colours for these (typically Grade II
listed) buildings.
The right approach in every case is to
pay attention to tonality rather than colour
because this will ensure that you choose from
the right palette. To arrive at the right tonality
for historic interiors is easily achieved if you
start with the right range of pigments. Artists
and house painters have shared a palette for
centuries and I offer my selection to act as a
summation to this brief exploration of colour:
• earth pigments: yellow ochre,
raw umber and red ochre
• mineral pigments: chrome yellow, Prussian
blue, ultramarine, viridian, black and white
• organic pigments: alizarin and carmine.
Further Information
P Baty, ‘The Hierarchy of Colour in Eighteenth
Century Decoration’, 2011
(http://bc-url.
com/colours)
IC Bristow,
Architectural Colour in British
Interiors 1615–1840
, Yale University Press,
New Haven and London, 1996
IC Bristow,
Interior House-Painting Colours
and Technology 1615–1840
, Yale University
Press, New Haven and London, 1996
N Eastaugh et al,
Pigment Compendium:
A Dictionary and Optical Microscopy of
Historical Pigments
, Routledge, London,
2008
J Fowler and J Cornforth,
English Decoration
in the 18th Century
, Barrie & Jenkins,
London, 1983
C Saumarez Smith,
Eighteenth-century
Decoration: Design and the Domestic
Interior in England
, Weidenfeld and
Nicolson, London, 1993
EDWARD BULMER
specialises in the
redecoration of historic buildings as well
as the creation of historic schemes for new
buildings. His company Edward Bulmer Pots
of Paint now offers a range of paints made
with traditional materials and coloured with
powdered pigments (see page 135).
The Hall at Carlton House after redecoration in 1804: the columns were in scagliola but the rest of the
decoration was painted in imitation of bronze, Sienna and Verde Antique offset by a granite green on the walls.