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OK, let’s say we agree, that we recognize that color is important. So, how do we take it to the next level? There’s the Right Color…and then there’s the “Everything Right About the Color.”  Color experience is so omnipresent that I was inspired to share this example.

The Swedish design firm Happy F&B has really got it Right, in a subtle  yet effective way.

(Screen shot image)

The changes in the green color, the font style, the shape…these are the seemingly little changes that make the difference.

These same principles can also apply to using color in architecture and interiors.  It’s a broader view on what makes color selections important, and why many factors need to be considered.  Lighting is the one that’s most often mentioned as being important. After all, what is “color” if not reflected light!

As with the logo re-design above, it can be the little things that become the most important things. And getting to these can mean asking a lot of questions. Among them might be something like:

• What’s the purpose of the shape of the area considered for a color? Is it intended to be read as a collection of flat surfaces, or as a mass or volume?

• What about the position of the surface in the space? Is it above you, below, at the side, or behind other shapes? These all apply whether it’s indoors or outside.

We humans actually do respond both physically and emotionally to these qualities even if it’s not something we consciously think about. And, while these might seem like extraneous details—not romantic, fashionable, glamorous or “sexy”—they are exactly the kinds of considerations that can determine the success of a color palette and therefore of an interior, a building, or a product.

Find out more about  lighting design here.

Residential Exterior

The owner of this 1950’s custom home wanted to create a great view of his house from the street. True, the house is in a commanding position at the upper crest of a hill on a corner lot where two streets meet. It’s almost like a punctuation point, since the house is visible as soon as you round the corner.

Originally white with mauve trim, the house is surrounded with homes for the most part “colonial” with taupe, brown, or beige siding.

View from the street - click to expand image

The owner’s goal
The owner wanted to make his home a showplace without it standing out too much. In other words, Stand Out as  unique while serving as a focal point and complement to the neighborhood.

Note: existing vertical siding  on two sections.
Each of these two areas in the updated home will have new horizontal trim band to separate it from the lower portion. Also: new shutters will be made and all windows re-glazed. Old stone of chimney is an eyesore against the white background.

At our first  meeting
The owner expressed his interest in making the house ’stand out – but in a good way” – among the more traditional “colonials” of taupe, tan, cream, and brown. His father had built the house and he was interested in respecting the “bones” of the house and the quality of it’s construction.

It was also of primary importance to him that his home have an aesthetically pleasing view from the street since it is on a corner with an expansive front lawn. In the winter, of course the yard is not so beautiful and he  wanted the house to look great even when the yard did not look its best due to the winter weather.

At this time, he showed me his ‘favorite’ paint colors that he’d selected. It’s always good to know what people like, yet it’s essential to not be bound by their preferences. He was open minded and detail-oriented, which I enjoyed, and which helped the process.

Next, back to the studio, where I printed out the many photos I’d taken at our meeting. When use my initial digital photos expanded in larger black-and-white images, I can work with them to visualize the new color palettes. I can also sketch on the photos as much as I have to, to develop the paint palette.

Our next meeting
The objective of our second meeting was to  review the colors and distribution of a couple of the palette options I’d developed based on our first meeting and a few calls and emails between meetings to confirm the direction.  Meanwhile, he’d had a chance to look at all the color ideas on his own. At this meeting I also brought a number of larger paint sheets with me and we finalized the selections.

Then, back at the studio
I created a digital ‘color sketch’ based on our palette selections. This digital imaging is often a good way to communicate the paint scheme before actually doing the work.

Finally, the painting was started…and efficiently completed!
He’d had the carpentry work done, to trim the vertical siding edges and install the horizontal trim, and also have custom shutters made and painted the new color.

The owner emphasized his interest in creating a coordinated “look” between the exterior and the interior, which he had previously painted.  His enthusiastic comment: “When you’re inside, you see the outside. People have commented on the great blend and relationship of colors inside and out.”

Interior view, existing colors

The owner’s question—and his responses
His question: “Color is the first impression someone has. Does it fit?” And he answers: “It’s Spectacular! Really, Really, REALLY came out great! It’s not the same house at all. It’s that dramatic !”

Owner: "The bay windows look twice the size as before – the colors highlight each bay even from a distance."

He continues, “the house is ‘one of a kind,’ and now it looks it. I tried numerous times to pick colors but it was never really right. Anyone could have painted the house but not just anybody could have picked the colors like this.”

“The colors you picked are Perfect!”

Take a chance and make a big change!
Using Color—and Paint—is widely known as the most cost-effective way to do it.

An array of some more of the vibrant colors from Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paints

Whether you’re doing your own painting or hiring a professional painter, you’ll want to be using the paint that gives you the most color-per-can.

Consider
Simply put, color is reflected light. If there’s a black or gray tint in the paint-can-mixture, that means “color lost.”  Black, as ‘reflected light’ is a virtual dead space where color is concerned.

How to get the most ‘color-rich environment’ possible?
Use paint that is mixed with the full spectrum array of tints. Even in a color we’d typically call “neutral,” each can of color from Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint includes the full component of spectral hues in tint form.  Most of the usual paint mixtures contain 3 (or sometimes 4) tint colors used, and normally include some black or gray even in the light colors.

But Ellen’s beautiful, high quality paint products will literally give you more actual Real Color per square foot!  Thus, not only are your living spaces more color-rich, you’ll also be surprised how much more easily you can select fabrics and accessories of many diverse colors, that look great in your new full-spectrum environment.

Find our more, and see more colors online at Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint.