Your Ancestors are Begging You to Put Some Pigment in Your Paint
Your ancestors are begging you to put some pigment in your paint.
There has literally never been a point in history where paint has been easier to acquire, safer to use, or has come in a larger variety of colors and finishes. Yet we find ourselves swimming in a world of white walls.
I have to think our ancestors would be ashamed. We have the option to decorate in ways they dreamed of, and we choose not to.
Colorful pigments have been a hot commodity throughout history. They’ve been many things–from rare, to expensive, to dangerous–but one thing they haven’t been is readily available. And here we sit with a wealth of options, casually ignoring them.
Paint in History
Since the beginning of people having walls, people have been putting colors on their walls. We can trace cave paintings back over 40,000 years, with earthy yellows, reds, blacks, and browns gracing the stone walls.
When building their grand monuments, the Egyptians covered the walls in color.
The Romans used frescoes to invoke luxury in their homes, and the designs inspire interiors to this day.
Medieval interiors could be a riot of color, with painted ceilings, tapestries, and colorful soft furnishings.
The Renaissance, Rococo, Baroque, and Georgian periods all embraced elaborately decorated and colored interiors.
With the invention of synthetic colors, the Victorian world employed its unparalleled access to color by leaning in hard. (I’ve included a picture of a dress dyed with one of the new synthetic purples so you can get the full vibe.)
Looking beyond the West, you can find long histories of colorful interiors in countries and cultures around the world.
Where Have all the Colors Gone?
Somehow, after centuries of colorful spaces, we’ve walked into the world of white walls. Minimalism abounds as the mark of luxury du jour. Homes are coated in fifty shades of white.
Many of our spaces are increasingly dominated by a design style that journalist Kyle Chayka has named “airspace” (you can read more about it here). This style is white and sparse, a globalized aesthetic dominated by minimalist, eerily similar spaces.
——IMPORTANT NOTE: I have nothing against an all white space or a minimalist interior, as long as it is truly what you want. There are certainly some lovely examples out there. I merely object to them being seen as the standard while colorful spaces are seen as a deviation. ——
We have access to paint that is pre-mixed. Paint that is formulated for all different kinds of applications. Paint that is lead-free. Paint that is quick-drying. Paint that comes in hundreds of colors. You can probably drive fewer than ten minutes to buy paint.
There has never been a time of greater access to paint and color before in the grand timeline of humanity.
And your ancestors are begging you to take advantage of it.
Notes on Color
This doesn’t mean your home has to look like a crayola crayon box, which seems to be the popular conception talking about making things “colorful.” There is a color palette out there for whatever your taste is and whatever atmosphere you’re looking for.
BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE PAINT COLORS AVAILABLE NOW THAN THERE EVER HAVE BEEN.
I recognize my job as a muralist might seem to rule me out as too biased. Oh, the person whose job is to put colors on walls thinks we should put colors on walls? But I would posit that my job makes me more of an expert in this. My job revolves around colors, paying attention to how color feels in a space, and exploring the color options out there. And there are so many. And they can make your space feel so different and so magical.
It is perhaps this profusion of color that causes some to retreat to the perceived safety of white. It may seem overwhelming to choose paints when presented with a seemingly endless array. But, like any other design elements, color just takes some learning and doing to figure out personal preferences. But don’t worry, unlike the rarity of doing something like choosing a couch, you choose colors all the time. You’re going to be fine, and it’s going to be fun along the way.
So let’s go forth a little more boldly with color, since we’re gifted with this time of colorful plenty. Your ancestors would be proud.
P. S. There are lots of reasons for our current penchant for white interiors, so get ready for a part two post where I dig into some of the nitty gritty of our relationship with color.
***Spoiler Alert***
