Victorian Interior Decoration

[Moo]

Actually, Matthew's post seems to refer to the 10017th post. Perhaps, in the interests of accuracy, we should identify the 10000th one and mark it with appropriate smilies. Any offers?

And, Nigel, a suggestion: would it help if you were to paint the stripes on largish pieces of paper* rather than directly on to the plaster? That way you could try all sorts of combinations without clogging up the mouldings.


*and blu-tack them to the wall, of course

 

[Schoolmarm]

That was the 10000th post at that point in time. All posts get the number count increased even if they were number 1 or number 1000.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Thanks for the ideas Moo. I probably should be doing this anyway.

One of the interesting things I am finding is how the light, the colour juxtapositions, the shadows cast and the angles of different components of the mouldings change one's perception of the colours. The scheme I put up yesterday afternoon in artificial light, for example (yellow, mid green, salmon, yellow, ultramarine/deep red combination, yellow, salmon, pale blue/light buff combination, etc) looks much better this morning in the dim natural light coming in through the fanlight above my front door than it did in the glare of a close range low energy light bulb.

I understand now why one seems to come across so much pale grey/blue disptemper when cleaning old Victorian ceilings and cornices. If you add about one part of French ultramarine pigment to about ten parts of whiting then make a distemper with it (by soaking the dry ingredients overnight and adding warm size) you get the most delightful pale blue which looks very fine on the ceiling. It can be made a bit greyer by adding some raw umber, but I am not clear whether this was done or whether the slight greyness came about from the ambient smogginess in an era of coal fires.

I am going to try a small quantity of gold on the cornice. According to Christopher Dresser gold works as a neutral, like white or black in a colour scheme, not as a yellow colour. My yellow line adjacent to my red wall looks too harsh.

 

[Penners]

According to Christopher Dresser gold works as a neutral, like white or black in a colour scheme, not as a yellow colour.

Wouldn't its neutrality be affected by how much of it there is? A subtle touch of gold could perhaps come across as just that - subtle. But a larger expanse would surely leap off the wall/ceiling at you.

Not that I have experience of such grand schemes - it's just a suspicion.

 

[CatherineB]

Nigel, that cornice is amazing - have you got any practice colours you can present to us yet? I agree that a small amount of gold could make a stunningly effective "neutral" colour.

 

[Nigel Watts]

I will post something very soon.

I reckon one of the biggest problems is that the hall is currently painted an acid yellow and all this extraneous ambient colour is disturbing things. I am now putting up more of the dark red and am already noticing differences.

The cornice still has traces of old pale blue distemper which is looking surprisingly good against the red, the shape of the hall looks different (it now seems shorter) and the contrast between my future dark red hall and my dark green and yellow drawing room is looking very promising. This is the fun part of decorating that makes up for all that drudgery!

The back of my front door is currently dark grey (F&B downpipe). I am now thinking of graining it in medium oak. This will lighten things up a bit. My other doors are grained in mahogany though and I am reluctant to repaint them. Will two contrasting woods in a small space work I wonder?

 

[Moo]

I am now thinking of graining it in medium oak. This will lighten things up a bit.

I don't understand why you want to lighten things up, Nigel. You're in the process of creating a really dramatic space, so why not go the whole hog and stick to mahogany?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Moo's right in my opinion. The two finishes on the wood, plus I think you intend a painted colour on the stairs - too much going on.

Your grained mahogany is utterly lovely - use that!

Also, perhaps best to make the final decision on cornice colours after painting the hallway in the red?

I agree - red into green, gorgeous. Just imagine it at Christmas time.

And then you have your nice, light, modern kitchen as a lovely contrast downstairs. It all sounds very nice indeed.

 

[Nigel Watts]

too much going on.

There will be quite a bit going on if this is going to be the kind of Victorian interior I am aiming for. Whether this works or become too much I am not yet sure.

I don't understand why you want to lighten things up

With the newly dark red walls I have dark mahogany doors to the living room and all other woodwork in a dark slightly bluey grey including quite heavy moulded architraves round the doors. I have just painted the skirtings a very dark green that looks almost black and this has improved things by adding more contrast but the grey is still too leaden. If the cornice is to be done in more than one colour I feel that the architraves also need to be broken up visually. Victorians could probably have handled this but I feel very off piste at the moment. A stencilled pattern on my echinus perhaps?

best to make the final decision on cornice colours after painting the hallway in the red

I am sure this is good advice.

My folio sized The Grammar of Ornament has turned up at last, a facsimile edition printed in the early 1980s. The colour in the illustrations is a little disappointing but the book is packed with ideas.