![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ahf03UeuVXd0dqvi2uJSbQXzixvTIAh8QT5m5zoz4dd57jOL_sZHZwGofAtRmnA-HwmdAT5HxDnTFu4qo-eSEdK1-Fr4Hob2CLcxfRmapkazJSe17o8QIUoknwUZ8xsjSSfxAjPfp1VT/s400/white-room.jpg)
My favourite colour for surfaces - bar none - is whitewash. It's soft, rustic, natural and has a very long history. Whitewash is not paint as we know it. It is pickling lime (calcium hydroxide) and chalk. In the past it was used because it was the most inexpensive surface treatment available for wood and brick. It is still used a lot in farming, and you can still find the 'lighthouse keeper's formula.' Traditionally, the colour could be changed slightly with the use of earth or even animal blood!
(image via jginteriors.com & design sponge)