The Geffrye, Museum of the Home

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17th Century WallsPage 2

From the middle of the century walls were panelled in pine. This was less expensive than oak but also less durable, and it was not considered an attractive wood so it was almost always painted. The most common and least expensive paints were colours known as 'stone' which included browns, greens and buffs. The more costly paints were made with imported pigments, such as indigo for blue. The parlours and new dining rooms of the second half of the seventeenth century were also frequently furnished with hangings of gilt leather, printed 'stuff', baize and tapestries.

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Room 2, Geffrye Museum, which represents a middling Londoner's parlour in 1695

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