There is more to selecting paint color than meets the eye

Color consulting is a fundamental component of my design practice, intertwining and embracing other design and architectural elements.

Connecting with color

All sorts of artistry comes into play when making color selections. The given conditions: architecture, spaces, surfaces, objects and light, all have their influence over the final outcome. Rough surfaces absorb surrounding color while glossy surfaces reflect more light. The flatter the wall paint is, the more it will take on the qualities of the surrounding colors.

Colors that work well in New York may be out of place in California light. The closer to the equator the more vibrant the use of colors become in the home and in the arts and crafts. Even the colors of animals and plants are more vibrant in the tropics and duller further away from the equator. Colors in the north of France are different from the colors in the south of France. Colors that work one way in the countryside work differently in the city. The colors used by Flemish artists differ from those used by Italian masters in the same time period. Every geographic location has unique qualities of light and therefore a unique relationship with color. The Italian artist, Giorgio Morandi, perfectly portrayed the Mediterranean color and light of his home town of Bologna in his remarkable still life paintings of vases and bottles. His paintings emanate color, the viewer can almost feel the warmth of the sun radiating from the casually arranged objects as if they were cliffs and rocks baked by the sun. His unassuming paintings convey an understanding of time and place that expresses a humility of deep appreciation and gratitude for the nature of light and the passage of time.

Most paint colors of commercial brands are lifeless

Unfortunately, most big paint brands offer a selection of up to 2,000 more or less lifeless colors each ranging from dark to pastel on their fan decks. The reason these colors are lifeless is the way they are mixed. The colors are usually made from two or three colorants and as a result lack complexity or subtlety. In an attempt to create complexity, black or raw umber is added, which to a degree works, but these colors are not able to sustain interest. They have no mystery, no life.

A day in the life of a color

Some colors are made with as many as 12 high quality colorants, sometimes referred to as Full-Spectrum Color, resulting in a more complex color. A complex color easily transforms according to the surrounding conditions of light and shadow in mysterious ways; the day in the life of a complex color. This metamorphosis of color is constantly giving, nourishing and surprising.

There are some exceptional brands of paint on the market that showcase a much smaller tailored palette of 100 to 200 colors. The following are some examples:

Flamant: colors from Belgium

While wandering the streets of Saint-Germain, Paris, in 2004, Marie, my wife, and I discovered the Flamant store on Rue Abbaye, and we found their colors. Here is another link to their colors.

We were so impressed by these colors that we brought their color book back to California. We have had a lot of success having custom colors made for our clients influenced by those stunning Flamant colors ever since. Flamant does not export paint to the USA.

To best describe the Flamant essence I will quote directly from their website; “To reflect its aesthetic values, Flamant decided to publish its colours in response to a search for a palette of 128 colours, in vegetal, earthy, marine and sandy tones that would enable it to recreate an atmosphere of authenticity, elegance and originality, with the reassurance of good taste”.

Benjamin Moore

In the last few years Benjamin Moore has cottoned on to the Flamant (and other European) colors as reflected in their collections; Affinity and Color Stories Full-Spectrum Color.

Donald Kaufman

Donald Kaufman is probably the foremost architectural color specialist in the country. He has meticulously created a limited set of colors. This is what Donald Kaufman has to say about architectural color, “Our sensations of color on architectural structures are unique to those structures. Architectural color is nothing less than the medium through which we experience the architecture. It is more than mere decoration. It is more concerned with light and dark than red, yellow and blue. It can create or destroy the harmony and balance of the spaces.”
Reading through his website is informative and poetic. The glossary is particularly instructive in finding language to express thoughts of color.

Tips

1. Don't confuse a paint color with light. For example, you can't make a poorly lit room lighter with white paint.
2. Don’t paint color rectangles on a wall of color you are planning to get rid of, because the old color will spoil the experience of the new colors. Instead paint on a large board and walk it around to different parts of the space.
3. If you are developing a custom color, be deliberate and careful to get the right color and right meaning. Make sure the person at the paint store is very experienced at the process of color making/matching and understands the subtle nuances of color. The wrong color is not acceptable.