After the heaviness, clutter and dark colours of Victorian interiors, people wanted something less formal. Edwardian style was seen as a breath of fresh air. Homes were less status symbols and more refuges.
There were fewer, larger rooms, with lighter spaces and there was a return to a simpler more pared down approach to colour and generally the use of fewer colours.
Fresh, pastel colours were used to create this sense of light and space. Pastel blues like ‘Skylight’ No. 205 or ‘Pale Powder’ No. 204, fresh greens like ‘Tunsgate Green’ No. 250 and ‘Green Ground’ No. 206, and pinks such as ‘Calamine’ No. 230, as well as simple creams like ‘Tallow’ No. 203 and ‘Ringwold Ground’ No. 208 can all be used to create this look today.
Wallpapers were similarly feminine with flowers and floral designs highly favoured to achieve the Edwardian ideals of freshness and light. These would be best represented by ‘Peony’, ‘Wisteria’ and ‘Jasmine’.
To complete the scheme woodwork, cornices and ceilings were painted bright whites like ‘All White’ No. 2005, ‘Wimborne White’ No. 239 and ‘Pointing’ No. 2003.