British Colonial
buildings often feature brightly painted shutters on neutral-colored exteriors.
During the height of its power, the British Empire stretched from east Asia to the Americas and included colonies in India, Africa and the West Indies. Far from home, British colonists brought housewares from England, mixing them with indigenous architecture and furnishings to produce a welcoming, homely environment. Paint colors featured in the British Colonial style embrace a wide range of regional shades, from muted, airy neutrals to eye-popping brights used by local people.
Neutral Shades
Ubiquitous in British Colonial design, neutral shades appear frequently on both exteriors and interiors. Shades of white are the most common, although subdued shades of blue, green and yellow are also used. Bright neutrals achieve an airy look desirable in the warm, tropical climates of many British colonies, as well as providing a backdrop for the eclectic furnishings found in colonial homes. In addition to walls and exteriors, neutrals like enamel-white appear as accent colors against brightly painted exteriors. White balances bright colors, subtly accents architectural elements and creates visual interest without overwhelming the simple symmetry of most British Colonial-style buildings.
Dark Tones
Used sparingly in British Colonial design, dark tones appeared most frequently on furniture and painted floors. Dark woods like teak and ebony, common in the colonies, are now a key element in British Colonial decor where they are employed to create a rich, clean look. Deep chocolate or coffee paint colors achieve a similar feeling when applied to wood furnishings and floors. Similar to neutrals, dark tones provide little distraction from the eclectic and exotic furnishings characteristic of British Colonial interiors, while at the same time subtly accenting them. Caribbean colonial style, in particular, uses dark tones on floors and window ledges, typically in conjunction with brightly painted window shutters in shades of turquoise and aqua.
Bright Hues
Generally kept to the exterior of colonial buildings, bright hues appeared as both wall colors and accent colors depending on the level of saturation. Bright, sherbet-like shades of pink and yellow could be used in large quantities without appearing garish and so were favored for overall exterior painting, often with enamel-white accents on shutters and window ledges. Saturated hues of blue and green were kept purely to accent pieces on white or neutral-painted exteriors and were sometimes used under the eaves for an additional pop of color. The practice of using bright colors was mainly restricted to the Caribbean and Central American colonies, although it sometimes appeared in southern India during the British colonial period.
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