Color in the Built Environment: Past, Present, and Future

Keeping color in building designs relevant to psychology, culture, and emerging trends.
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Sponsored by Glidden Professional
Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED-AP

By the early 1900s popular western culture magazines began to convey messages related to fashion and home, including commentary on the use of color. Rose shades and pastel colors carried over into the home as the Victorian era ended and William Morris introduced a range of natural colored dyes. Of course, this was also the time that Henry Ford is attributed with his famous quote "You can have any color car as long as it is black." He was counterbalanced by Paul Poiret who advocated use of brighter colors of red, purple, gold, emerald and lime green via Ballet Russe. During the "Roaring Twenties," satin and pearls were all the rage, Coco Chanel did tan and beige in every fashion style, and art deco buildings introduced a range of colors including strong black and white combinations. Things changed during the Great Depression, which had Americans in a dark mood while Hollywood tried to overcome it with platinum blondes, a sense of "lightness" and glamour.

As the Depression subsided, designers became intent on using bright colors but dyes were rationed due to World War II so textiles which were intended to be bright, actually became muted and chalky. Bright reds became muted plums, bright limes were grayed and yellowed, therefore, women in Britain and the U.S. wore suits of khaki and olive. With material in short supply, denim was introduced but when servicemen returned from foreign ports, tropical motifs began to appear with bright primary colors influencing home fashion.

Color has been used in the human environment throughout history based on social, cultural and technological conditions.

Photo: Used under license from Shutterstock.com

 

Things were looking up in the 1950s when manufacturers could take some risks since it seemed that everything they made would sell. As technology influenced the market, titanium was used to create brighter whites and mass produced colors were available in everything from lipstick to Tupperware. Psychedelic colors led the way in the 1960s through a long, unusual color trip where designers like Pucci used swirling prints for both women and men who were trying to make a fashion statement. Ethnic looks began to influence the country and shopping malls and boutiques brought new focus to fashion and to color. Those who lived through the 1970s certainly have colorful memories of it, even if they aren't particularly fond ones. Navy, browns and rusts were popular along with denims, jumpsuits and granny floral dresses while disco and top stitched polyester suits were "cool." Red, white and blue fashion pointed out the influence the bicentennial had on the country. Interior building colors moved to an overabundance of beige, green and grey, probably as an escape from the fashion overstimulation going on at the time, although avocado and gold appliances were in vogue.

The 1980s were characterized by extravagant hair dyes, dramatic and theatrical eye make-up, multi-layering of jewelry, floral accents and a punk influence. Opulence in fashion and architecture led to jeweled colors and faux finishes while music videos brought neon bright colors to the scene. During the 1990s the internet and other media changed the way we interact with the world with an accompanying explosion in television and internet shopping. With more American brands being sold overseas and more designers doing international work, lessons were being learned about cultural differences and sensitivity to colors and design. Our most recent decade of the 2000s has seen an almost constant influence on all aspects of design from every direction. Sophisticated urban highlights were dominant mid decade with eclectic mixes and strong influence from all things internet. The current trend and color pace could certainly be described as intense from both mass and micro levels with customization and unique personalization becoming a key to meeting consumer demands.

 

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Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in December 2013

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