The Anatomy of Colour: world-renowned paint consultant Patrick Baty reveals his top tips for adding colour

Who can one turn to when a palace needs painting? Meet the Chelsea king of historic colour matching...

The Evening Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

1/6
Philippa Stockley29 June 2017

We all love choosing the colours to give our home a fresh new look, and the story of colour in home decor down the centuries is fascinating.

World-renowned historical paint consultant Patrick Baty, of the specialist Chelsea shop Papers and Paints, traces it in his new book The Anatomy of Colour, a history of house painting and colours since 1650.

He reveals that a 17th-century decorators’ handbook included “recipes” for making specific paint colours. Some were deadly, particularly lead-white.

Banned from commercial use here in 1992, this loveliest of all whites was a key constituent of most coloured paint, too, going into a vast range of colours from creams and stones right through to deep pinks and pea greens.

The chemical bond of lead and linseed oil makes it durable, while lead repels lichen —useful in external paintwork.

To make lead-white, coiled lead was set in pots over vinegar, heated by rotting horse dung and left for months.

Flakes of white lead carbonate built up, which, scraped off by hand, formed the basis of the paint. The workers died young. Dating back to Roman times, the process was described by Pliny. In the 20th century it was made in factories — without dung.

Other historic paints, such as king’s yellow, were full of arsenic. Lick a wall painted with that and you’d regret it. Today, paint colours are safe, the whites made with zinc or titanium.

For the reinstatement of the Eating Parlour at Headfort School in Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland’s only interior by 18th-century neoclassical architect Robert Adam, Patrick Baty advised, colour-matched samples, and supplied the paints
Alamy Stock Photo

Patrick says his father, Robert, founded Papers and Paints in 1960 “when the DIY craze was just starting”. Patrick, 60, still runs the shop with his wife, Alex, and after 36 years in the business, he is an expert in historic colour matching.

He is responsible for the red, white and blue of Tower Bridge; the dramatic red and gold of Holborn Viaduct; the khaki-brown inside the Great Hall at the Royal Dockyard; the lovely pale colour scheme inside the Queen’s House at Greenwich, and the posh-store green of Hammersmith Bridge.

The Anatomy of Colour shows that the basic dozen or so colours never really change, and that early 19th-century colours had daft names, too. One classification system named a shade “belly of the warty newt”.

At the back of the smart store, the family business resembles an alchemist’s workshop, where for restoration jobs — including for palaces such as Hampton Court — Patrick studies historic paint scrapes under a microscope.

But he and his staff will mix and match paint for anyone, on top of the 600 colours that you can buy off the shelf, which are also specially mixed.

The machines, juddering away and covered in a rainbow of splashes, look as if Jackson Pollock operates them.

With a naturally good eye, Baty senior had a reputation for perfectly matching colours. Patrick “hoovered up books” in the V&A and RIBA libraries and did a course in specialist finishes, plus a degree. His father matched by eye, but Patrick uses a spectrophotometer, which analyses colour by measuring light wavelengths. It’s super-accurate.

Patrick and Alex have built up a computerised catalogue of colours. Whatever colour you want, they probably have the recipe. If they don’t, they charge an extra £40 for a perfect match. “People bring all sorts of things into the shop, from a baby’s mattress to an aubergine,” Alex says.

Colours are displayed on hand-painted samples — you can buy a set — and a big 2.5L pot costs £42. Young Londoners are currently keen on dark blues and a bold new range called Camouflage, says Alex.

Fifties- and Thirties-inspired ranges, and historic colours, are always popular. All colours can be made in finishes from water-based to oil-based and floor paint.

For advice on dealing safely with old lead paint in your home, email helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk or call 08459 335577.

Patrick and Alex Baty’s tips for painting at home

  • Never skimp on preparation and always apply the recommended undercoat as directed, before applying the coloured top coat.
  • If directions on the tin tell you to stir or shake thoroughly, do just that. It’s important.
  • Just because it’s a different room, it doesn’t have to be a different colour. Colour works best as a backdrop, rather than demanding attention.
  • Go with a colour that makes you happy. Stones and greys may be fashionable but you don’t have to use them, and feature walls are a passing phase.
  • Use tester pots. Ideally paint on to the actual walls — paint across a corner so you can see how light changes the colour.
  • Only get three testers, or you can confuse yourself; and don’t use small dabs — paint a decent area so you can really see.
  • A brush gives the best finish, but you can use a roller and “lay off” (finish) with a brush.
  • To paint a panelled door, a four-inch roller works very well.
  • Bristle brushes should be used for oil paint and synthetic brushes for water-based paints (emulsion).