Crick Smith

Following the enormous success of its first collection of authentic historic paint colours, "Colours of England" The Little Greene Paint Company has once again collaborated with English Heritage to create a brand new collection: 'Retrospectives'. Comprising 32 stunning - and genuine - colours from the 1960s and 1970s, 'Retrospectives' will be unveiled at Decorex on the 25th September 2011.

Crick Smith University of Lincoln were commissioned by Little Greene and English Heritage to identify and research the interior design history of these two iconic decades and have spent this summer researching and identifying the colours and colour ranges. In each instance identifying provenance, usage and context. Wherever possible the use of these colours by prominent interior designers of the period such as David Hicks has played a part in ensuring accuracy and authenticity. Following extensive research 64 paint colours were identified as being representative and iconic for the two decades. Hand painted colour swatches and numerical colour references were provided for colour reproduction purposes. Of these, 32 colours have been taken forward by Little Greene to form the 'Retrospectives' range.

The research also included identifying cultural and social trends of the period which influenced and affected the colours adopted for the decoration of interiors. Paint research was combined with on-site investigations of late C20th iconic buildings such as the Telecom Tower, The Barbican, The Trellick Tower and Park Hill Flats Sheffield. Documentation held within the National Archive for Historic Decoration, curated by Crick Smith University of Lincoln, provided details of related C20th interior design. An in-depth study of the archives for Ideal Homes and House & Garden magazine was also undertaken.

These fully-researched and validated late 20th Century colours represent the most iconic shades from the 1960s and 1970s: confident and uncompromising, yet surprisingly useable in the 21st Century interior! But 'Retrospectives' is more than just a paint collection: it is also a social commentary, encapsulating the rapidly changing face of Britain in the late 20th Century, when the country and its inhabitants were exposed to more external influences than at any time in the past. Its shades are derived from a number of influences: the increasing affluence of the baby-boomers, the pop generation, immigration from the Indian subcontinent and the West Indies, with all the vibrancy and vitality of their bright (and often clashing) colours and the expansion of air travel and the increased availability of holidays abroad, not just to Europe but to farther flung exotic destinations such as the Middle East and North Africa

The 'Retrospectives' colours make a strong statement in their own right, but also blend harmoniously with the existing shades in the Little Greene colour card. They pick up the heritage story where it left off, in the 1950s, and give a strong sense of continuity to the English Heritage paint range, which now stretches from Georgian times to the late 20th Century!

As Little Greene has pledged a generous donation to English Heritage, every can of paint sold contributes to the protection and conservation of England's inheritance for both present and future generations.

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