By Neil Turner, Director, Howarth Litchfield.
I read with interest that the Pantone Colour Institute selected Mocha Mousse as its colour of the year, apparently for its ‘warming brown hues imbued with richness’, reminding us of coffee and chocolate. Last year’s colour was Peach Fuzz, a pink-orange!
So, does this mean we should all be painting our walls in browns and buy a new sofa in earthy tones that look like a coffee house? Probably not I would suggest.
Well Pantone is influential in providing designers around the world with the ability to define colours, just like the German RAL system or British standard (BS). The choice of paint has never been greater from a huge range of manufacturers ranging from modern emulsion to lime based paints.
Colour is hugely important to all of us and especially so in architecture and design. Whilst some colours appear fashionable, other are stylistically more resilient and stylish.
Certain colours become synonymous with periods of time or an era – and as a conservation architect I have to be extra sensitive to the appropriateness of colour.
The buildings in our region and across the country are affected by the clays and soils found, which were the constituents in early paints. In the medieval periods colour was limited but was focused on stained glass with reds, blues and greens. The Baroque period saw rich coloration and gilding. The Georgian periods of the 18th century favoured more muted colours of sage green, blue grey and pastel tones, restricted by the lead content. The Victorians moved towards darker and richer tones, chestnut brown, dark green and burgundy.
Through the 20th century tastes have been more influenced by themes from the Bauhaus and its use of primary colours and international style of minimal whites.
History can teach us so much about why colours were created or used, often the meanings now lost, but we are accustomed to seeing them.
I was in Norway recently and they have used red, yellow ochre and white on buildings. The red was made from earth pigments, the yellow from copper mines – a little more expensive – and the white made from zinc, which was the most expensive and therefore reserved for only special houses. So, the status of the buildings was clear from the colours creating a hierarchy through colour.
We have further seen the influence of different countries, as people have travelled more over the last fifty years with rich Mediterranean hues, Oriental and Asian influences.
Add in spiritual and social influences; then the choice of colour becomes more eclectic.
It’s always fascinating to see what clients ask or request on buildings and also what designers think is suitable. It can make or break a good piece of design if the colour choices are wrong.
If you have a historic house or modern building, then there may be certain colours that work best and it’s wise to stay within certain rules.
But on most houses the choice is down to individual taste, moods and preferences. If you are not confident in colour, then seek advice and help.
At the end of the day, we all see things differently. So, whether you are an all-white person or primary colour person it’s worth thinking about the building, the use of the space, the furniture to go into that space and maybe, just maybe, the answer could be Mocha Mousse.
Neil Turner, Director, Howarth Litchfield can be contacted on 0191 384 9470 or email n.turner@hlpuk.com
www.howarthlitchfield.com