This 2001 Sherwin Williams Classical Colonial Interior color palette is a collection of historically accurate hues popular during the American Federalist Period. There was little color in the lives of early colonists. Even after simple frame houses had replaced log cabins, interior walls were usually painted with homemade white-wash mixed from lye and water. It was an off-white much like Classic Ivory.
Doors, woodwork and furniture were painted with other colors to accent white walls. As the colonies prospered, subtler tones and hues with old world elegance appeared on interiors. Additionally, colors like those on this Classical Colonial Palette made good backdrops for Chippendale, Sheraton and Duncan Pfyfe furniture.
Seventeenth century America was marked by strong regional differences. There was no architectural unity among the colonies founded by rival nations. The eighteenth century brought a greater homogeneity of style, based on British Classicism, as the Colonial style spread across the United States. Houses were larger, with higher ceilings and bigger windows. These grander homes required more complicated color schemes. This Sherwin Williams color palette captures the warmth and charm of the era. Use them as the backdrop for cozy interior spaces.
