Color Theory
Brennan Broome
Brennan Broome is an interdisciplinary artist, curator and designer born in Portland, Oregon and currently living and working in Miami, Florida. His practice includes video, installation, web-development, publications and printed materials which have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Brennan is one-half of Miami-based design studio Raneytown and was previously a co-director and curator at Recess (2010-2013) in Portland. Brennan holds a BFA in Intermedia from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and is receiving a Masters in Interior Architecture at the Florida International University.
Table of Contents 01 Module 1: Color + You 05 Module 2: Color + Theory 07 Module 3: Color + Designers 25 Module 4: Color + Film 39 Module 5: Color + Balance 03
41 Module 6: Color + Photography 67 Module 7: Color + Rhythm 69 Module 8: Color + Emphasis 77 Module 9: Proportion + Scale / Unity + Harmony 79 Module 10: Color + Rendering 85 Module 11: Color + Hospitality 95 Module 12: Color + Workplace 103 Module 13: Color + Culture 113 Conclusion
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Color + Theor y
Color theory is the study and practice of a set of principles used to understand the relationships among colors. There are two basic types of color mixing: light and pigment. Additive color involves mixing light, and subtractive color mixes pigment. In additive color, the primary-light colors red, green and blue are mixed. When these three colors are mixed, they result in white light. In additive color, 05
the absence of all colored light is black. When the primary light colors overlap, multiple color combinations are possible, creating the secondary colors. Subtractive color applies to paints, dyes, inks and pigments where blue, red and yellow are the primary colors — or in the case of printing and photography: cyan, magenta and yellow (CMYK). The combination of the subtractive primaries results in the secondary colors violet, green and orange. Further combinations of varying degrees of secondary colors with each other and/or their respective primaries results in a multitude og various hues. Hues, or pure color, is the property of light by which the color of an object is classified in reference to the visible spectrum. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. The purity of a color, or chroma, is measured by the absence of white, gray and black in a hue. Adding any ammount of white to a color produces a tint. Adding gray, produces a tone, and adding any ammount of black, a shade.
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Color + Designers
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Rietveld-Schröder House The largest and only architectural realization of work in complete accordance with the De Stijl style and thought to be one of the earliest buildings of Modernist architecture. Located on what was once the edge of the Utrecht city limits, the Schröder House is a two-story residential with a revolutionary design by Gerrit Rietveld, largely in collaboration with his client, Truus Schröder-Schräder. After Mrs. Schröder’s death, the House was fully restored and opened as a museum. Since the year 2000, the Rietveld-Schröder House has been a registered UNESCO World Heritage site.
LOCATION Utrecht, Netherlands
COMPLETED 1924
CLIENT Truus Schröder-Shräder
ST YLE De Stijl
SIZE 1,200 Square Feet
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Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Gerrit Rietveld (b. 1888, Netherlands), was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. A principle member of the De Stijl movement, Rietveld is noted as being the first to bring the group’s esthetics into 3D form. Trained as a cabinet maker, Rietveld began his career as an architect while studying under P. J. Klaarhamer in 1919. 09
In 1921, Gerrit Rietveld began his collaboration with Truus Schröder-Schräder, for and with whom he designed the paradigm of De Stijl architecture, the Schröder House. After the death of his wife, Rietveld moved into the Schröder House and lived there until his death in 1964, one day after his 76th birthday.
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De Stijl
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The Movement De Stijl, Dutch for “The Style�, was an artistic movement in the Netherlands founded in 1917 by a group of artists and architects headed by painter and writer Theo Van Doesburg. The group was centered around a publication by the same name, in which they discussed their theories on ultimate simplicity and abstraction of art, graphic design and architecture into a universal language devoid of the individual. To do so, the members employed pure geometric shapes and the use of primary colors as the groundwork for a future Utopian.
Piet Mondrian
The Red And Blue Chair
A founding member, and possibly the most
Designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1917, two years
celebrated of the De Stijl movement in
before his adoption into the De Stijl movement,
popular culture, Piet Mondrian is known for his
the Red and Blue Chair represents one of the
paintings of basic geometry in red, blue and
earliest explorations of the group’s principles in
yellow. In what he deemed “Neo-Plasticism”,
3D form and the earliest in the style by Rietveld
or the New Plastic, Mondrian developed his
himself, It was not until 1920, at the suggestion
own ideas on “pure” abstract art and design
of fellow De Stijl member Bart van der Leck,
based on a strict composition of vertical and
that color was added in the standard primary
horizontal lines and the use of primary colors —
palette of red, blue and yellow. By painting
red, blue and yellow — and black and white.
the base of the chair black, meant to be as unobtrusive as possible, it gave the illusion that the areas of color were floating in air.
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Floor Plan 13
The design of the Schröder House represented a new view of living at the time — a harmony of individuality and community. On the second floor, there was no static accumulation of rooms, but a dynamic open area that can be partitioned into different spaces using flexible, moving walls. This allowed for an open space for Schröder’s 3 children to play during the day, and private bedrooms at night. Custom, adaptable furniture designed by Rietveld and Schröder, lends to the concept and mix-use of the space. On the ground floor is a more traditional floor plan, consisting of a kitchen, dining area, offices, and maid’s quarters, arranged around a central staircase.
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Exterior Color The outside of the Schröder House is made up of asymmetrical compositions of achromatic horizontal and vertical surfaces and lines painted in the primary hues of red, blue and yellow. Rietveld’s goal with the Schröder House
“What were the simplest sensations of seeing
was directly in line with the principles of
that a visual object could be made up of?
the De Stijl movement — total abstraction
The experience of color, space and form...”
consisting of only the most basic design components — vertical and horizontal lines, and primary colors. In subtractive color mixing, the primary hues were colors in their purest form — from these three colors, all other colors could be made.
— Gerrit Rietveld
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Rietveld set out to construct an object in the
planes emphasizes the intensity of the light
most elementary of visual parts.
reflection which influences the appearance
Rietveld desired to diminish the material-
of the surface in space.
like characteristics of the materials used by
Rietveld designed these structures to appear
painting everything white, gray, black, red,
visually independent of one another by having
blue and yellow.
surfaces run past the point where two meet —
The primary hues provide accentuation to the 3D form. Columns, railings, nonstructural posts and even window frames are the lines rendered in primary colors against the achromatic planes. The planes in the front are painted white, and as they recede back, further into the house, they become darker. The grayscale of
favoring points of contact over angles. The same concept had been experimented with in his early furniture designs, such as the Red and Blue Chair. Colors were chosen as to strengthen the plasticity of the facade, while the primary colored details form a striking contrast with the gray, white and black surfaces.
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Yellow painted, vertical I-beams detail.
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Exterior blue bench detail.
Interior Color Smooth transitions of planes, lines and color make the distinction of the interior and the exterior disappear. Rietveld sought continuity in the architecture of the house, allowing spaces, inside and out, to communicate with each other and with the infinite space that surrounds it. Exterior accentuations continue to the inside, further breaking 19
down the boundaries of indoors and outdoors. This flow of lines and planes make the house feel like continuous planes. The colors on the interior of the Schrรถder house follow the same principles as the outside, though with different intensity and contrasts. Inside, Rietveld used color to give identity to space and functional objects. Dark colors could be found painted around often used items, such as door handles, drawers, and light switches, to hide marks that would accumulate over time. Rietveld anticipated the front door would be accessed the most and would therefore be easily soiled, so he painted it black.
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Interior Color Color played an important role in the flexible nature of the second floor. At times comprised of divided, private rooms, and other times an open living area, the second floor used color to divide space, while working as a unified whole. Rietveld used color to mask the limitations and influence visual perception of the small space. Just as the architecture of the building is made up of simple, flat shapes, the components of its custommade furnishings are based on basic, geometric shapes that fit seamlessly in the structure of its design. The red, blue and yellow color palette was carefully applied to articulate these items. Rietveld’s famed Red and Blue Chair, even had a permanent home in the SchrÜder House, as its basic design principles greatly influenced the design and construction of the building. In the decades after its completion, when Mrs. SchrÜder would buy new furniture, she would paint it in the color palette developed by Gerrit Rietveld.
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Light Large glass doors, windows and a skylight on the second floor bring in ample amounts of natural light. The house is continually changing in appearance depending on the time of day — fulfilling Rietveld’s requirement that architecture “[must] not be an observation but an intense experience of space”. Overhanging parts of the roof function as awnings above the glass sections to temper the light on sunny days. The colored paint, illuminated in the natural light, dominates the individual elements and materials, providing an articulation 23
of space in a three-dimensional color composition. Rietveld put an emphasis on “the view” of the house, a large glass opening directed towards, what was at the time, the countryside where his Red and Blue Chair was highlighted as it looked out.
Summar y The Rietveld-Schröder House is an icon of the Modern Movement in its radical approach to design and functional use of space, and its purity in representing the De Stijl movement’s principles of harmonious order, with bold primary colors and geometric shapes, while adapting to the lifestyle and needs of the client. In the Rietveld-Schröder House, Gerrit Rietveld achieved his desire — and the desire of the rest of the De Stijl movement — to synthesize painting, architecture and design in a single form. His success on such a large scale is what have made this work such an inspiration to those who came after, from the Bauhaus to contemporary design.
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Color + Film
Pierrot Le Fou Bored with his life, Pierrot, leaves his wife and children to run off with a former girlfriend, Marianne Renoir. Upon discovering Marianne is running from a group of gangsters, the two run off on a cross-country crime spree from Paris to the Mediterranean. With their relationship straining, Pierrot and Marianne become separated while on 25
the run. Once reunited, Pierrot realizes that Marianne has had a double life all along, with her real boyfriend Fred. Pierrot shoots and kills both, then proceeds to blow himself up with dynamite. Godard is well-known for his use of custom typographical title cards at the beginnings and ends to his films, as well as spliced in between scenes. In Pierrot Le Fou, Godard uses the titles to introduce his strict and deliberate color palette of the primary hues of red and blue.
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Primar y Colors It is clear even before watching the film, evident in the disc box and promotional materials, Godard’s deliberate color palette that he set out to use in his film. Pierrot Le Fou is made up of pure, bright primary hues of blue and red with pops of yellow, white and black. It is seldom, if at all, that you see any other colors, aside from those found in natural elements such as lush green in plant life, or tones and tints like a pink or baby blue. All this only demonstrates the consciousness and care put into the wardrobe, props, design and location scouting Godard and his team did to carry out their vision.
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Godard’s Color Although not his first film in color, Pierrot Le Fou was an early exploration of Godard’s breaking away from the narrow spectrum of black and white film. Godard frames every shot with washed out primary colors; blues, reds, yellows and white and stark black. His use of such stylization was greatly influenced by the American pop-art movement. Godard’s use of color extends beyond aesthetics, to set a scene, drive emotions and subvert the viewer’s expectations. The blue, red and white also represent the French flag and nautical themes of the French Riviera.
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Triadic Godard’s use of primary hues is also a triadic color scheme. The dominant color for the majority of the film is blue, with red and yellow used for accents, or to represent specific elements. Although not a common color scheme seen in film, the triadic color scheme does create a striking image, much like the use of primary hues in De Stijl art. It also adds to the playfulness of the tragicomedy storyline.
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Blue Pierrot, his name meaning sad clown,
In one of the final scenes of the movie, after
is symbolized by the color blue. Recently
Pierrot’s life had fallen into complete disarray,
fired from his job and unhappy with life,
he paints his face his symbolic blue, much like
blue represents Pierrot’s despair and
the face of a clown. Wearing a red shirt now,
stagnant life. Various tones of blue make
Pierrot has gone through a change since
up the majority of Pierrot’s wardrobe,
his life became entangled with Marianne.
along with sublime images of the vast blue
He holds two packs of dynamite, one red and
ocean, also representing his emptiness.
the other yellow.
The image is balanced with the three primary colors. The triadic color scheme is dominated by red now. The colors are clearly divided in the frame, with deliberate placement by the director.
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Red Marriane leads a life much in contrast to
Red dominates this scene. The stolen car is red
Pierrot’s. Always seen wearing the color red,
—the dashboard and upholstery are red — along
Marianne represents a life of danger, crime
with Marianne’s dress. As Marianne looks back
and murder. She is often seen holding red
over her shoulder, her presence fills the frame,
colored objects, or riding in the stolen red
her skin almost a tone of red too from the
car. When Pierrot writes about Marianne in his
reflection of her surrounding materials.
journal, it is with a red pen, in contrast to the
The red narrates a story of its own.
blue he is previously seen using. The red composition is balanced by the (mostly) blue shirt of Pierrot and the compliments of the natural green in the background, almost separating the frame in half.
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Balance This scene demonstrates Godard’s masterful control over every detail within his film. The characters, each in their respective colored wardrobe, ride in on a boat in the same red and blue. In the background, the red is reflected in the shutters on the house and other boats. Shades and tones of blue and yellow can be seen in the background to balance the dominant red in the triadic color scheme. Below, Pierrot’s environment is a blue-dominant room, with blue cars inside and out, balanced by details of the other two primaries, red and yellow. Black and white details further balance the room as the camera pans the perimeter.
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Unexpected Color Here, Godard exemplifies his mastery in color on film. The change in tints of the primary colors red and blue, jars the viewer, informing a change, or that something is off. The bed, pink, symbolizes that we are in Marianne’s apartment. Pierrot’s shirt, a light blue now, signifies that something unexpected is coming, as this scene sets the pair off on their 35
run from the gang. Note the chosen props in Marianne’s apartment. Even the items in her open refrigerator compliment Godard’s chosen color palette. The green, used sparsely throughout the film, compliments the red that dominates much of the apartment.
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Conclusion Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot Le Fou was a turning point in his career. As the director experimented with the use of color film, he also began to experiment with new themes and methods, leaving behind his old gangster, noir genre. He continued to explore the primary colors in his later films. Pierrot Le Fou has become known as one of the most renowned explorations in 37
color on film and a masterful display of a primary color scheme.
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Color + Balance
Balance refers to the relationship of different hues to one another when each is percieved to be equal in perceived visual weight. Formal balance, or symmetry, is the arrangement of elements on either side of an implied axis that are equally balanced and of the same shape and form. When symmetry is achieved, a state of beauty and blance occurs. Asymetry (or informal balance) results when elements on either side of an implied axis are equal in color weight, but vary in shape and size. Radial balance is achieved by the equal rotation of design elements around a central axis. Radial balance could be applied to a situation where one color is used as a focal point within a space where neutrals are predominant. In this instance, the colored focal point would be centrally located and all other design elements would extend outward. Interiors, at a minimum, should attempt to contain a three-value color scheme. Contrast is opposition in order to show or emphasize differences between two objects. When working with color, adequate contrast creates more stimulating results. Color interaction involves the contrast of light and dark values; when one value is placed next to or surrounded by the other, the visual weight of the smaller of the two color areas is intensified.
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Color + Photography
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A curated collection of photographs of urban decay, architectural geometry, raw building materials and graffiti removal throughout the city of Miami. By focusing on details and tight crops, these Minimalist photographs hold a resemblance to Modernist art, such as the paintings of Rothko and Rauschenberg.
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Color + Rhythm
Rhythm is a a natural evolutionary trait in nature that can be transferred to interior spaces and can be further emphasized with color. The purpose of rhythm is to provide an opportunity to move the viewer through the space, creating moments for emphasizing or downplaying various design elements. Alternating hues, progressive values, or contrast of saturation are methods whereby a designer can manipulate interior elements to bring a better rhythmic 67
order to a space. The hierarchy we assign to architectural elements with color helps to communicate the activity for a particular space, assist in wayfinding (physical awareness of one’s place or orientation) in a space, and adds priority or focus. There are 5 types of rhythm associated with color: repetition, alternation, progression, continuation and radiation.
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Color + Emphasis
Design District, Miami Loewe is a Spanish luxury fashion house based in Madrid, creating functional products across multiple categories, including ready-to-wear, accessories, home and lifestyle leather goods. In 2013, the young, acclaimed Irish designer Jonathan Anderson took over as Creative Director. Under Anderson, Loewe has taken a new direction, being presented 69
to the world more multi-faceted and dynamic than ever.
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Focal Point When Anderson set about creating his first Loewe’s store in North American since being appointed as creative director, instead of creating an industry-standard clean white retail space he imported an 18th century stone granary sourced from a small town on the border between Spain and Portugal.
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Anderson see’s the luxury house as moving away from the traditional retail experience and more towards a cultural brand — he is known to host art exhibits in the store, along side the product. This dichotomy of art and commodity enhances the luxury of the product and likens it to that of high-art.
The discordant placement of the stone granary (an anomaly) in a luxury store automatically attracts passersby inside, drawing attention to the product placed on and around the granary. “I think in today’s world, and with consumerism, I feel like we have to be able to push the envelope in terms of shopping environments. My whole thing has been that stores are public spaces so it’s important they are changeable.” — Jonathan Anderson
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Contrast of Design Feature The shape and form of the stone granary is used to direct the viewer’s eye through the narrow space. Its open, frame-like structure, runs through the space parallel to the walls, creating small walking paths on both sides, leading to the back room and back around the focal point. The large size of the sculptural structure in such a small space creates even more emphasis. The placement of products on and around the granary can be seen from all angles while walking around the room. The shape of the granary, its division within the room, and the items placed around it, creates symmetry — evenly dividing the room.
Contrast of Hue The Loewe interior is a mostly-minimalistic, achromatic environment, in which the granary has been placed — also fitting within the achromatic color scheme of natural tones — along with bright pops of leather goods, in their full intensity of hues, on display. The low contrast of the warm, natural materials and white walls, make the product — the selling point — stand out. Small clusters of curated goods are arranged by hue, creating individual palettes throughout the space.
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Contrast of Value Upon entering the store, one’s eyes move along the elongated shape of the granary, directed towards the back wall. The stark contrast of a black marble wall anchors the rear of the store, draws the client along the walking paths, through the lines of product and stops them at the clothing rack where their readyto-wear collection is kept. The contrast of light in the foreground and the receding darkness in the background creates a natural movement that feels instinctual, not missing a detail, but was carefully planned in the layout and design.
Contrast of Texture The contrast of texture is most emphasized through the juxtaposition of the natural stone against the smooth, soft crafted leather goods. The aged, weathered granary and chairs highlight the luxury of the leather items and high end clothing of the brand. The texture of the granary is also in contrast to the space as a whole. Polished marble on the floors and back wall, along with pristine white walls make the product display pop.
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Propor tion + Scale Unity + Harmony
Proportion is defined as the size relationships between elements, or parts, and the visual composition or space (the whole). Scale refers to the size of a shape in relation to a given known, in most cases, the human body and its position within space. Proportion and scale are much the same, are often confused with one another, and inevitably are used interchangeably. 78
Color palettes can contain from 1 to 5 colors. Limiting the number of colors in an interior space is crucial for achieving balance and a unified composition. The color with the largest proportional area is the dominant color. Smaller areas are subdominant. Accent colors are those with a small relative area, but offer a contrast because of a variation in hue, intensity, or saturation. Unity is defined as the repetition of color to achieve a unified whole. Harmony is the result of a perfect balance between individual color relationships. The seven color harmonies are: monochromatic (single hue with tints, tones and shades), complementary (including one cool and one warm hue), splitcomplementary (two colors on either side of the complement), analogous (3-5 adjacent hues), triadic (3 colors equidistant on the color wheel), tetrad (4 colors spaced evenly on the color wheel) and multi-hue color harmony (no rules!).
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Color + Rendering
Inspiration The colors extracted from my photograph create a warm palette of neutral tones. 60% of the photo is gray in varying tones, while approximately 25% is an orange-brown and the last 15% made up of black and red. Mostly achromatic, with a pop of red, the photograph is made 79
up of hard, industrial materials that, in the bright light of the sunshine, give off a warm and welcoming feeling — something one might be surprised to find in trash on the side of the road. I found the colors to translate smoothly into a homey environment.
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DOMINANT DOMINANT SECONDARY ACCENT ACCENT
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Color Palette The color palette in my chosen photograph instantly reminded me of the painting to the left by Swiss art-duo Linus Bill + Adrien Horne. Abstracted shapes of warm hues and black on a gray background made it the perfect focal point to build my interior around. Taking inspiration from the materiality of my photograph, the interior uses natural concrete and warm woods to compliment the neutral color palette, grounded by minimal usage of black and balanced by the cooler, compliment green.
Conclusion Following the 60-30-10 rule, I used tones of gray as the dominant colors, browns of the natural woods as secondary colors, black for the hardware and lamp, and pops of red in the art and candlesticks on the sidetable. Overall, the natural wood and warm, neutral color palette lend a classic sophistication to a contemporary, laid back interior.
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Color + Hospitality
1 Hotel Miami Beach Opened in 2015, the 1 Hotel is a departure from the traditional hotel experience of Miami Beach. Designed by hospitality heavy-hitters Meyer Davis Studio, the 1 Hotel has a brand mission of “the luxury of enough”, seeking to be on the forefront of eco-consciousness in an industry known so much for wastefulness. 85
The 426 key, LEED certified hotel stretches 1 full city block, along the Atlantic Ocean beach front and 16 stories high. The lower 8 floors make up the hotel, with residences on the upper 8. Being so close to the natural landscape of South Florida greatly influenced the designer’s process.
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The Lobby color & material The hotel lobby is an achromatic, breezy oasis of white and warm wood tones, creating a peaceful and pure environment. Lush green plants provide high contrast in color and material and bring in an element of nature in line with the company’s philosophies. The use of color and materials in the lobby looks to blend elements of the indoors with the outdoors to convey the idea of sustainability in an urban setting.
The Lobby color & material Beachcraft, the main restaurant at the 1 Hotel, uses the complimentary colors orange and blue to create a balanced and harmonious atmosphere. Warm orange is illuminated through washed natural woods and tanned leather and make the space feel inviting and intimate without having to be too dark. Blue sofas and banquette upholstery feel heavier and emphasize more relaxed, resting places.
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The Lobby line & shape Through the main lobby is a narrow and utilitarian corridor dedicated to guests with suitcases moving from reception to the elevators across a 130 foot axis. Marked by a parallel division of steps, the walkway is illuminated along a horizontal line, guiding the guests from one end to the other, on a clear 89
path. The literal and implied lines of the pathway create two sections of geometric pods of cozy seating for points of rest and relaxation along the central circulation route and outside the way of passersby. Vertical wood slats run up the walls, elongating the height of the lobby. The strict linear guides of space are contrasted by organic shapes of natural materials repurposed into furniture, lamps and decor. Abstract shapes of twisted beach wood and banyan trunks, along with plants, tie in with the environmental ideology and add a softness to the groups of seating.
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Contrast of Value line & shape In the dining room, horizontal and vertical lines work in tandem to give the illusion the space in bigger than it really is. Vertical wood slats add the perception of height to the room, while floorboards and ceiling beams are oriented to widen the narrow space — overall enhancing the dining experience, while helping with the acoustics. Round hanging pendants and surface mounted lights add a buffer between the linear patterns of the ceiling and floors. Long, thin slats, geometric panels, and square table tops are balanced by organic shapes of wood stools, plush seating, pillows and ceramics. A row of circular table tops are placed to divide and further balance the rigidness of the room.
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The Lobby texture & pattern Natural textures of wood, stone, plants, and moss add contrast to smooth, neutral surfaces throughout the hotel interior. Natural elements such as live-edge wood desks, jungled clusters of plants and a moss wall become focal points as the dichotomy of inside vs. outside grows in intensity. Orthogonal wood slats create directional patterns guiding the hotel guests through the space.
The Restaurant texture & pattern Again, here in the restaurant, natural materials of wood, stone and leather create contrasting textures and patterns. Smooth leather and sanded woods contrast with the rough woven fabrics of the rugs and pillows, and textured reclaimed wood on the floors, ground and ceiling. Spaced out slats on the walls create a vertical pattern that is broken up by a variety of vertical and horizontal cut outs.
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Color + Workplace
Wieden + Kennedy allied works architects Allied Works Architects’ design for the Wieden+Kennedy building in Portland, Oregon, transformed an abandoned 1908 warehouse into the headquarters for a world-renowned, international advertising agency. The building is home to 400 designers and staff members, as well as non-profit arts organizations including the Caldera Arts Foundation and was once the home of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art.
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Color + Material
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In Allied Works’ reconstruction of the building’s
The neutral, achromatic space, made up of
interior, a new, five-story concrete structure
heavy building materials, feels warm and
rises in the center of the historic warehouse,
energetic by a flood of natural light from the
uniting the many levels of the building into a
atrium above into the heart of the building.
cohesive whole. This space contains all of the building’s shared resources, with workspaces organized into ‘mini-agencies’ around the perimeter, centering upon an open auditorium constructed of reclaimed Douglas-fir timbers.
The dominant tone of gray grounds each floor, while the secondary tone warm woods brings you up vertically. Black beams and hardware are used throughout the space, while deep, dark shadows flatten space into black planes between materials.
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The architecture was formed by making a
floor, while the concrete floors give a firm
clearing within the existing historic warehouse
ground. Open, negative space makes up the
structure — filling it with space and light
atrium at the center of each floor with offices
— creating a building within a building that
line the perimeter surrounding the central
challenges perceptions of interior and exterior,
auditorium.
public and private space.
Physical and visual connections from one side
Orthogonal lines make up the rectilinear
to the other, crossing the atrium, promote
pathways of each floor. Bright wood staircases
interaction among the many divisions and
bring you up through the space from floor to
disciplines within the agency. By night, the auditorium operates as a public space for gathering, performance, and exhibition.
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Line + Shape
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Texture + Pattern Rough, natural textures of materials are
that encloses a small break room. Once inside,
juxtaposed by the flat surfaces of steel
you feel transported out of the office and into
and concrete. Surfaces are polished smooth,
an enclosed and comforting area.
giving the space a clean, professional design feel. Repetition of line and shape create a pattern throughout the space, providing unity.
The use of industrial materials of wood, concrete, iron and steel, creates a strong palette of materials that speaks to the
Contrast of line, material and texture is used
competitive environment of working in
on the top floor in a human-sized woven ‘nest’
a top-tier ad agency.
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Color + Culture
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Pacific NW, USA portland, oregon Surrounded by soft, muted skies, lush greens and natural tones year-round, Portland’s landscape and mild climate shapes the color choices of the city, along with the decisions of the rest of the region.
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With all its rain and foggy overcast days, a typical color palette of the Pacific NW could be described as monochromatic, while providing a sense of serenity and harmony with nature. Organic greens, desaturated blues, and natural wood tones make up common palettes seen around the city, directly in the abundant nature parks in and around the city, and in the built materials of the city itself. Industrial steel, concrete and other building materials come alive against the natural tones of locally grown woods and accented greenery. The direct references to nature made all around Portland, unifies the city with the areas surrounding it — bringing life to a rainy city with such a natural, neutral palette. In the city’s flag, green symbolizes Oregon’s forests. The intersecting vertical and horizontal blue stripes represent the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, with the central white star signifying Portland at their confluence.
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The Netherlands Despite their flag being composed of red, white and blue, the Dutch keep a close tie to the color orange. Willem Van Oranje, or William of Orange, was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against Spain that resulted in the independence of the Dutch people in 1581. The House of Orange became the first ruling monarch in the newly independent state, and ever since, the 109
color has remained important to the country. While the color orange has its royal roots, today it symbolizes a broader pride in the country. Oranjegekte, or orange fever, is a term that refers to the phenomenon of nationals all over the country wearing orange clothing, hanging orange flags, and painting the streets orange for national holidays and sporting events. The Dutch flag was originally orange, white and blue. It is not known why or when exactly red replaced orange, but it is rumored that being made up of yellow and red, the yellow dyes would be the first to fade, leaving only the red. On national holidays, an orange banner is hung at the top of every flag. Oranje boven, oranje boven. leve the Koning! (Orange on top, Orange on top. Long Live the King!)
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Class Conclusion Through this class I have gained a new outlook on color and its role in everyday life. The book, with each chapter building on the last, provided a comprehensive and digestible introduction to color in the built environment. Through the readings, quizes and modules, I was able to begin to apply what I was learning in different ways. 113
The class has helped me to further develop a dialogue that allows me to interact with space in a different way.
Sources Artwork by Josef Albers from Interaction of Color http://www.archdaily.com/99698/ad-classics-rietveld-schroder-housegerrit-rietveld http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Gerrit_Thomas_Rietveld.aspx https://1hotels.com/south-beach http://www.meyerdavis.com/ http://www.wk.com/ http://www.alliedworks.com http://www.wearedesignbureau.com/projects/wieden-kennedy/ http://www.archdaily.com/117164/wiedenkennedy-headquarters-alliedworks-architecture http://www.portlandoregon.gov/archives/article/284493? http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/321-why-the-dutch-wear-orange
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