Baltic (4): Falun red/brown

You know how every city is a different colour? And how every country has its own colour palette? To do with the light, the climate, the landscape. Sweden, this bit of it anyway, has a lovely pale yellow and a deep, warm blue – not the yellow and blue of the flag or the Ikea logo at all, but colours that even when new seem to have had any sharpness weathered out of them. There’s also a deep reddish brown, everywhere – window frames, doors, whole houses, in places in the countryside whole villages. It’s derived (quote from falunpaint.co.uk) ‘from the naturally-existing pigments in the earth which can only be found in the copper mine in Falun, Sweden. These pigments have a unique mineral composition which includes iron ochre, silicon dioxide, copper and zinc, all of which help preserve and protect wood.’ And it’s pretty damn equivalent to Pantone 484, which is the colour used most frequently by CBe (see the website home page, the logo and booklist; and the print catalogues), so no wonder I’m feeling at home here.