At last, the finalized color for this hall design. The client selected the blue option, which we then matched to a selection of paint swatches. The final main color for this space is Benjamin-Moore's Marlboro Blue from their Historical Collection. It is a brighter, slightly more turquoise version of the Edwardian Blue option I'd first rendered, with a dark blue accent and gold coloring at the very top finishing off this palette.
The client chose this color through both personal preference and by being drawn to the historic connection in this hue. However, if absolute strict historic accuracy were the goal, I would have a much more difficult time selecting the color.
See, paint companies are still businesses, and determining how much research went into a "historic" line can be a research project in itself. Benjamin-Moore, for example, introduced their Historical Collection "in 1976 to celebrate the US bicentennial, a collection of 191 colors inspired by America's historic landmarks."1
Color Swatches from Benjamin Moore's Historic Collection.
Yet something is unclear here: which era each paint swatch is taken from! Or are any swatches "inspired by" a certain period rather than a proven hue used at that time? I am fairly confident that Marlboro Blue at least matches the blue everyone today thinks reflects the Edwardian Era in San Francisco (source: me using my eyeballs when I walk around the city2), but does perception truly match history?
Excerpt of color card by Masury's Liquid Colors, Whittier Coburn Co. catalog, 1909. I'm a little surprised by how teal that blue is!
A fuller color card of Masury's Liquid Colors, estimated 1900-1910. Again, more greens than the blues I was expecting.
Finding these Edwardian-era color cards has me reconsidering my previous assertion of powder blue as an Edwardian staple. I am seeing some connections between these and Benjamin Moore's set at least, but would want more proof.
So was this color historic? Well, at best, I'm going to call it "historic nostalgia." And that's okay. That's what the client wanted, and we are both very happy with how the space turned out. Finished photos to follow soon~
Credits:
1 “Benjamin Moore Color Collections.” Benjamin Moore Paints & Exterior Stains, https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color-collections.
2 KLA.Gustflo. “HaRe Hall Render - Blue + Notes.” Fine Lines, 25 Aug. 2021, https://artbykla.tumblr.com/post/660513165325565953/hare-hall-render-blue-may-2020-im-going-to. Accessed 28 September, 2021.
Photo Credits:
1 KLA.Gustflo. HaRe Hall Render - Cyan. October 2020
2 “Benjamin Moore Color Collections.” Benjamin Moore Paints & Exterior Stains, https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color-collections. Accessed 28 September, 2021.
3 McLean, Sara. “Then, Now & Forever® - The Victorian Era Color Collection.” Dunn-Edwards Paints, Dunn-Edwards, 1 Jan. 1416, https://www.dunnedwards.com/colors/specs/posts/then-now-and-forever-r-the-victorian-era-color-collection.
4 Joslin Hall BooksSelling. “1900 MASURY'S Liquid Colors Paint Brochure with Color Chips Interior Exterior.” Worthpoint, https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1900-masurys-liquid-colors-paint-1894867495.
