Plush Pigment

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Latest update on the Fairview hearth project, pictured. Jane put the first coat of paint on the back and floor of the ingle today. It might look dark grey, or black, even; but it's actually a dark shade of powder blue, not dissimilar to the colour of Bethesda slate. It's a colour called "Hague Blue" by its makers, Farrow & Ball. Cheap paint, this ain't: whisky is cheaper, pint-for-pint, but as my old man always used to say, skimping on paint is a false economy. This stuff went onto raw plaster and pretty much covered in one coat: the second will really only be needed to gild the lily and cover up a very few marks. And we'll still have nearly three-quarters of the two-quart can left for other jobs: sometimes you really do get what you pay for...

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