A history of colour in the home - part 5

A History of Colour in the Home - Part 5

As well as looking back at the way colour was used in the past, we can also learn about the scientific discoveries surrounding it.

The Science of Colour

In the mid-17th century, Sir Isaac Newton and his contemporaries discovered the components that made up light and the colour spectrum within it. Along with the science of how we all see colour, he also recognised that how we experience and interpret it will be partly based on the individual too.

Novelist Johann Wolfgang van Goethe also explored this concept in 1810 with his work 'Theory of Colours'. He observes both the logic and cultural fashions behind using colour, and makes suggestions for why certain colours are popular or appealing.

Colour and Paint in the Modern Day

As we've learnt, the use of colour has historically been dictated by certain pigments being prohibitively expensive and unavailable to the majority of society. The biggest change to our experience of colour in the modern world is the increased accessibility of pigment.

This has expanded the amount of choice exponentially and while this is brilliant for design democracy, the previous parameters - although limiting - did provide a certain amount of guidance, the removal of which can make it more difficult to choose colour.

Rather than looking at paint charts with a seemingly infinite number of shades on offer, I would therefore advise looking at a more limited offering that has been carefully curated to meaningfully communicate with the other elements in your scheme.

Further Reading

• Modern Paints Uncovered - The Getty Institute
• Colour in a new light - Smithsonian
• The Secret Lives of Colour - Kassia St Clair
• The World According to Colour - A Cultural History' by James Fox
• Theory of Colours - by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• Download a wide range of essays and publications on the use of paint