"Correct" colour for windows internally

[Craig89]

My new timber sash windows are about to be start being made and im going to paint them before I fit them. I have got the exterior colours sorted in the form of Bedec MSP which they mixed in Farrow and Ball colours for me (brilliant match I must say). The colours being French Gray (green), for the frames, and House White (cream) for the sashes.

Now my question concerns the colour to be used on the inside. Is white considered the best colour to use? Is white what would have been used traditionally?

The house is an Edwardian miners terraced house. Not listed nor in a conservation area so just wondered what people consider the best way to go with the colour for the inside.

Many thanks, Craig

 

[kreyszig]

whatever colour you want is what I'd say
I did the interior of our bathroom window in an off white called ... err... can't remember but it was quite yellow.. I think it looks better than white white.

who mixed your Bedec to F&B colours, out of interest?

 

[Craig89]

whatever colour you want is what I'd say
I did the interior of our bathroom window in an off white called ... err... can't remember but it was quite yellow.. I think it looks better than white white.

who mixed your Bedec to F&B colours, out of interest?

As the house is still a building site its hard to think as far as interior decor yet. Maybe the way to go is just to put a couple of coats of white on now and then change it to suit decor at a later date of required.

I got in touch with Bedec and they said I had to order it through a stockist (Brewers in my case, who were very helpful) Brewers then placed the order with Bedec, who mix it themselves and post it to Brewers for me to collect. Minimum order of 5L and a £12 tinting charge per colour if your interested.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Well just like today I'm not sure there is a right colour but I suppose there were conventions. I think that by Edwardian times the trend was for lighter colours, but then some of the smaller houses were a bit behind the times when it came to trends. My house is an Early Edwardian terrace,and like yours, the windows had coloured frames and white or pale sashes. I know this as I have a photo of the road from 1910 and all the houses had the same paint scheme, pale sashes and dark box frames. I don't know what the dark colour was, but from stripping my windows and doors it was either black of dark green. The windows were brown wood grain effect internally. There were many many layers of paint om them, including many whites, a pale blue, a beige and lastly a reddish brown with dark varnish as the first coat on the wood. This tallies with a door frame that was boxed in a long time ago, that was also a woodgrain effect which was really just a dark varnish onto a lighter red brown. I an recreating the dark woodgrain in my hall, but have done the windows and room woodwork an off white. Unless you have some sort of proof, and are trying to be very historically accurate, then any colour you please really! Look at this guys blog, he is doing up a Victorian cottage with painstaking accuracy, even down to getting original wallpapers made and making sure that all of the items in the house are the right kind of quality and status for a small cottage such as his. Paint analysis revealed that much of the wood in his house was woodgrain effect too.

https://mrvictorian.co.uk/

 

[Flyfisher]

I'd agree that there is really no 'correct' colour and it's largely a matter of personal choice. However, if that personal choice extends to being as authentic to a particular period as possible then I'd say that colour choice should typically be limited to those available during that period. In very general terms, early colours were limited to naturally occuring dyes but the industrial revolution opened up a whole new world of colour through synthetic chemistry.

One example of which is the use of titanium dioxide to create a 'brilliant white'. This is basically a 20th century invention at or around the time of the end of the Edwardian era - let's say the end of WW1. Thus, it could be reasonably argued that 'brilliant white' would not be an 'historically correct' colour for any period earlier than about 1914. I'm sure that similar arguments could be used for other colours.

 

[Craig89]

Thanks for that blog, its an interesting point of reference.

Im not looking for exact historical accuracy just something that is in keeping and looks good, which I appreciate is very much a matter of personal opinion

 

[88v8]

Stain & grain of varying qualities was a popular choice, even up to the 30s.

Alternatively, as with the exterior, the boxes and the sashes could be done in different colours.

Ivor

 

[Cubist]

Such choices in this household are the exclusive domain of the First Lady but since we're talking about your household I agree with all the advice above.

It's your choice so please yourself - unless of course theres another half telling you what that choice is. :shock: