Color: A Balancing Act
We have all had the experience of sensory overload..as well as sensory deprivation. We may experience overload when entering an environment filled with loud sounds, bright colors, an array of patterns, and a variety of textures…to say nothing of what we may be sniffing, tasting or touching there.
We may experience sense of deprivation when a space is too quiet, neutral, bland, uninteresting, and feels just plain boring. We know something is “wrong”, but we may not be able to put our finger on it, literally speaking, especially if there is a dearth of textures, colors, patterns, and other visual stimuli.
Although our tolerance for visual complexity and variety, as well as unity and coherency varies from person to person, we do expect, and maybe even need, our senses to be stimulated to some extent at all times. Perhaps we are experiencing this through dreams while we are sleeping!
Not surprisingly, even our health and physical well-being can be affected by exposure to over or under-stimulation. Extreme unity, or monotony, can result in restlessness, irritation, a lowered ability to concentrate, wandering attention, and an overly strong emotional response. Extreme complexity/variety can result in higher blood pressure, pulse rate, and muscle tension. Not a good thing, as we can probably all agree.
Knowing this, our job as color consultants/designers becomes charged with even greater purpose and meaning…how to create environments of balance (which doesn’t mean symmetry or the sum of equal parts, which might become monotonous), which support both our physical and our emotional well-being, as well as the function of the spaces themselves, and even our life’s purpose!
Before we get either too lofty, or too weighty about all this, lets look at some color designs and palettes that achieve balance in a variety of different ways. I hope to continue to investigate, explore and disseminate the subject of color balance in further posts. Have fun!
A nearly monochrome palette relieved by creamy white trim can be stately and restful, especially when enlivened by a multitude of decorative detail.
Even a deep, rich, dominating hue such as a burgundy purple can be set off by accents of an even deeper value. The dramatic shift to white in the trim frames a building that the owner wanted to simplify and streamline, while still acknowledging its details.
A slight amplification in field color from the original,
makes this building more satisfying to look at, as it is more “complex”(contains more color) . The addition of a dark accent color on the window sashes, and a more intense door color add variety, which also increases complexity, and protects against visual monotony.
The temptation to “go color crazy” on this magnificent Queen Anne Victorian could have created so much complexity, that our attention may have been distracted from actually seeing and enjoying its beautiful period details, such as the shift in shingle pattern, decorative insets, and dentils.
Instead, by limiting the colors to a set of resonant neutrals (field color, field color 200% formula and off white trim color), and adding accents in earthy hues of complimentary sage green and brick-red with just a touch of gold leaf,
we are not so overstimulated by too much variety, and can actually take in and enjoy the details, colors and shapes that integrate to create a unified whole.
The complex but neutral beige body color, and white trim are punctuated by a rich red service door, a singular detail on this building, which has very little embellishment, or even trim.
As the owner wanted to reduce the possibility of visual complexity, subtle interest is brought in by the use of a slightly darker and more intense foundation color, which grounds and visually supports the structure. Thus both over and under-stimulation are avoided, and we experience enough visual simulation to provide a pleasing experience physically and emotionally.
The size, style,, “stateliness” and foliage around a structure can influence color design choices, as well as how much its body is broken up by its trim. Here the deep blue-green color of the house body is significantly relieved by the crisp white trim and garage door, as well as bright green foliage, which becomes a color accent or counterpoint to the dominating blue and white. As the building reads tall and thin, our eye is drawn upward to the sky, which completes the picture. Not seen here is the warm brown accent color used on the planters in both the entry way and back patio, which provide contrast to the blue and green, and complete the triad of blue, green and brown “nature’ colors.
A unified palette can make a building stand out…even if it doesn’t contain an extreme shift in accent color. Our richly hued “old burgundy” beauty commands the street view here. All the more regal for being contained and restrained in color variety, the palette is retrained yet fun, making a statement without overwhelming our senses. The building itself serves as an accent for a block dominated by pale, nondescript and rather unimaginative hues. Maybe, stimulated, but not overstimulated by our royal example, the neighbors will be inspired to follow suite and add more local color!
If You are feeling either over, or under-stimulated in your environment, try experimenting with adding or subtracting color, pattern, texture, changing the value (light to dark), or intensity/saturation (brightness) of the colors, changing your accent color to the compliment of the dominant color in the space, or if there is no dominant color, creating one.
You may just find yourself feeling better on all fronts!
Until next time…wishing you balance, variation, complexity, unity and coherence in your Life!
Some stories have happy endings…like this lovely outside patio at the new Benny’s Tacos in Santa Monica, CA. But let us start at the beginning of our color story.
It was actually a great, solid little building, but the colors inside and out just did not make it special-looking.
The building came up for sale, and Benny, the owner of Benny’s Tacos decided to purchase it, and open a Santa Monica location of his popular “Benny’s Tacos and Chicken Rotisserie” already located in Westchester/West Los Angeles. He asked me to provide some consultation on interior and exterior paint colors.
As construction got underway, a number of samples were painted up inside. Benny was interested in greens, and I thought warm earthy hues such as Dunn Edwards DE5340 “Wheat Bread” would work well for a neighborhood eatery that was sure to become popular with the locals quickly.
Because the building was set somewhat back from the street, and could be dwarfed by a large structure to one side, it needed a strong, exterior body color, as opposed to the off-white it had been painted before.
Benny found the amazing Dunne Edwards hue, “Gothic Revival Green” (DET 507), from the beautiful “Then, Now and Forever” collection. Warm and rich, it evokes the green of avocados and guacamole!
A deeper color that could be used as a unifying factor on all of the trim both inside and outside, offsetting the body colors was key. From several deep grays Sherwin Williams “Iron Gate”, SW2926 was chosen.
A bucolic exterior setting was created, enhanced by bright blooms, dark shutters and the ever-present Southern California sunshine.
The large windows and outdoor dining create a seamless continuity from inside to outside.
On the inside, Gothic Revival Green (DET 507) the exterior body color, was painted below the chair rails, its strong hue lending a sense of stability and solidity to the foundation.
The softer, lighter DE5340 “Wheat Bread” was painted above, creating a sense of light, height and spaciousness to a relatively small room.
Reflecting the exterior, “Iron Gate”, SW2926 graces the Dado rail, and the interior trim details including windows and door frames.
This was a demanding project for Benny, and I was happy to be among the color voices he asked to chime in on the scheme. The result is beautiful, and the building is completely transformed, both inside and out.
“We sat down recently with Santa Monica based artist, Debra Disman, who recreates rooms and objects with her arsenal of painting techniques. Her company, 
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