COLORFUL PAINTING CONTRACTORS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAXIMIZE ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT
When you’re hired for a commercial or residential project and the client looks to you for advice on choosing paint colors to enhance the impact of the architecture, are you confident about your recommendations? We asked three renowned architectural color consultants in the U.S. for their guidance on how to select the best paint colors for a particular job.
BY DEBRA GELBART
Here’s a quick look at who they are and some specific examples of how they’ve made color work for them and their clients: -JILL PILAROSCIA, COLOUR STUDIO (colourstudio.com) “I think you have to be obsessed with architectural color to become a consultant,” says the owner of Colour Studio in San Francisco, CA and an accredited member of the International Association of Color Consultants/ Designers–North America (IACC-NA). B “You have to understand the human
seem to have in common is keen discernment of the elements of color and knowledge of how color can manipulate a space.” - AMY WAX, YOUR COLOR SOURCE STUDIOS (yourcolorsource.com) The former president of the IACC-NA and owner of Your Color Source Studios in Montclair, NJ, Wax says the single most important characteristic of a successful color expert is an instinctive understanding of color. “Applying color should take into consideration the style of the architecture, the period in which it was built, the lighting, the environment, the paint product and, most importantly, the people who will be living (or working) inside.” Part of the challenge, she added, is to balance those elements with respect for the original architectural design and not overshadow it with too much color.
Color as the solution According to Pilaroscia, questions that can prompt the best selection of colors to enhance the architecture, especially for a commercial project, include: 1) What are the strengths of the architecture that the client wants to play up? 2) Which characteristics of the architecture does the
biological response to color and how much we’re affected by color and light.” And, Pilaroscia said, it’s important to recognize that every geographic area has its own intrinsic color palette, impacted by geographic conditions and their influence on light and color. A
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client want to play down or diminish? 3) What does the client want to achieve with the project—increase leasing activity? Make the building more attractive for sale? Be mindful of the balance (or lack thereof) of the architectural elements that are part of a home or commercial building, Brown said, along with the building’s size and orientation. In addition to enhancing architectural elements, Brown said, “the proper use of color
Photos: A & B – Your Color Source Studios
- ELIZABETH BROWN, EB COLOR CONSULTANTS (eb-color.com) Design education, experience working in retail paint design, and “further intensive color study through the IACC” are what propelled Elizabeth Brown of EB Color Consultants in Seattle, WA into a successful career. But “it’s each renewed experience on the job that really prepares you [for this profession],” said Brown, an associate member of the IACC-NA. “What my colleagues and I