This is the second part of a look at the changing tastes of the 1930s. Part One can be seen here. In this we learnt that the images came from a work published in 1935 by a large paint company, Pinchin Johnson & Co. It was entitled: New Rooms for Old. Some helpful designs and details for transforming the ordinary interior into the ultra modern. (Please note: ultra modern) The title is clear enough and each room of the house is shown before and after modernisation.

The type of paints that were being produced by Pinchin Johnson & Co. were very similar to those manufactured by Thomas Parsons & Sons at the same time. Using the colours shown in the latter’s extensive catalogue I have tried to show the closest ones, should anyone want to draw inspiration from these images. In most instances a reasonable match can be found, but some colours would need adjustment if a literal copying was desired.

The rest of this essay has been removed after five years. You can now read more about this in The Anatomy of Colour, published by Thames & Hudson and available from John Sandoe (Books).

Papers and Paints can be found here for 1930s colours:


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