insideKENT Magazine Issue 56 - November 2016 | Page 137

INTERIORS

COLOUR TRENDS
A SHORT HISTORY OF COLOUR IN OUR INTERIORS
COLOUR HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT IN INTERIOR DESIGN. IT’S ONE OF THE
MAIN COMPONENTS OF DECORATING ANY ROOM, AND IT IS THE THING THAT
IS CONSIDERED BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. OVER THE YEARS DIFFERENT COLOURS
HAVE PROVED POPULAR, CREATING THEIR OWN FASHION AND DESIGN STYLES.
WHAT DIFFERENT HUES HAVE INFLUENCED DESIGN OVER THE YEARS?

1900
In the early twentieth century there wasn’t much
choice when it came to colours. Paint companies
didn’t have the sophisticated mixing tools that
they have today, and yet the colours that were
on offer were enough for those late Victorians
and early Edwardians to make some really rather
impressive interior designs from. Colours revolved
around natural hues such as clay, salmon, sage,
forest green and cadmium blue. Deep red was
also popular, although that was really as far as
it went in terms of straying from the colours of
nature. Along with these there were variations
on white such as cream, ivory and canary. Just
a century earlier and you would have found the
interior of houses awash with vibrant yellows,
reds and blues – but the staid Victorians kept
things more muted. It was much more sensible
and respectable, after all!

1930
By the time we reach the 1930s, things had
moved on. Modernism was creeping in. Women
were becoming more independent. Times were,
indeed, a-changing. And so were interior designs.
The 1930s was the age of the stunning Art Deco
movement, and much of this was featured within
houses of the age. Perhaps surprisingly, despite
the advances in technology and society, the
colours used were strikingly similar to those of
the Victorian age – lots of sea-foam greens and
golden highlights were used. There was one big
difference though. Whereas the early 1900s saw
these colours in deep, dark hues, in keeping with
the dour image that we have of Victorian life (even
if it isn’t entirely accurate), the 1930s saw a
brighter, lighter version of things. Everything
became lifted and more joyful. Everything was
clean and clear and crisp.

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1950
Those heady, joyous days of the 1930s were
soon eclipsed by World War II. Rationing, air
raids, make do and mend… these were the terms
that had become part of British culture. By the
time the 1950s rolled around, the economy was
on the up, and so were the spirits of the nation,
and this was reflected in the interior design colour
choices of the time. Pastel colours were
particularly popular, and hues such as pink,
purple and blue were used to good effect. Chrome
was another new look that was becoming
increasingly seen in 1950’s homes, albeit in small
doses. If the feeling in the country was that the
outlook was positive, the colour choices certainly
made that clear.