This is an automatically translated description

Why were basic colours popular in post-war kitchens? Why did the Art Deco era favour clean lines and pastel shades? This comprehensive, illustrated history of the use of colour and paint in interior decoration answers these questions and many more.

Drawing on his vast specialist archive, historian and paint expert Patrick Beaty traces the evolution of paint pigments and colours, along with colour systems and standards, and explores their impact on the colour palettes used in interiors from the 1650s to the 1960s. The author begins by describing the development of common and expensive colours made from traditional earth pigments between 1650 and 1799. He then explores the emergence of colour systems and standards and their impact on paint colours, together with the impact of industrial production on the texture and durability of paints. Finally, Beaty turns his attention to twentieth-century colour standards. Interwoven throughout the authoritative and expressive text are specially commissioned photographs of pages from rare colour reference books.

Reproductions of interiors from home décor books dating from different eras are included in each chapter, highlighting the colour trends and painting styles characteristic of each period.