Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Red houses

I had read that Swedish houses are often painted red, but I was not prepared for the number of houses I saw that were painted “red with white trim” during my 10-day trip in Sweden.

I’ve read and heard some conflicting reports about why the Swedes have an affinity for red houses. One story states that the red pigment was a bi-product of the mining industry in Sweden. The Swedes then turned it into paint and called it Falu Rödfärg. It was the cheapest and most accessible paint.

Another version of the story is that wealthy Swedish people started a trend by painting their houses red, since colored paint for homes was expensive. If someone could paint their house, then this told others a little bit about the person’s financial standing. Once it was learned that red pigment could be combined with paint cheaply, EVERYONE wanted a red house. Let the painting begin!

Either way, traditions have a way of sticking as the majority of the houses in the Swedish countryside are still painted red. Please forgive my apparent “love affair’ with the red house – anyone from Waxahachie knows why, as my own home is painted red!

Sweden_July 2007_Canon 086

DSC03031

DSC03030

DSC03020

DSC02862

DSC03019

DSC02852

DSC03017

Sweden_July 2007_Canon 080

DSC03028

I have thrown in a couple of other painted Swedish homes for good measure. Apparently, yellow is the second most popular color.

DSC03027

DSC03023

DSC03035

No comments: