Innovations in Color and Texture

Expressive Capabilities for Architectural Surfaces
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C.C. Sullivan

Like the unique approach developed to house the museum's collection, every residential interior demands an individual, personal approach. But while an individual may have particular preferences for color palette or surface texture, architects note that residential clients drift toward certain commonalities.

Architects and Industry Collaborate on Color

The renovation and expansion of New York City's Theatre-in-the-Park in Queens offers a remarkable color solution yet it also serves also as an example of the way in which designers and product manufacturers collaborate for striking results.

The lighting designer envisaged illumination highlighting the form of the building, which has gently spiraling lines indoors and out. "He knew right away he wanted to use cold cathode tubes," says Sara Caples, principal of the project's architect, the local Caples-Jefferson Architecture, known for its colorful solutions.

The firm worked directly with manufacturer National Cathode to develop the lighting concept and enclosures to make it work: enhancing and accenting the existing lines. The lobby's inverted acoustical dome received multi-colored flourishes at its outer edges, with a unified palette of peach, orange and red at the center, rendered in pigmented plaster.

Critics note the polychrome solution reflects the multicultural nature of 106 different ethnic groups in Queens.

The design for a renovated theater facility in Queens, New York, uses a polychromatic approach for the ceiling, with peach, orange and red hues.

Photo by Nic Lehoux

 

"Soothing" tends to be the watchword for today's residential approach. Few want to live in a home whose décor asserts itself constantly, says the color consultant Pilaroscia. "People want textures and finishes that are soothing, healing, calming and uplifting, although those finishes and colors will vary given the individual's personal color likes and dislikes."

On the commercial side, soothing also has its place — but so does the enlivening, engaging surface design. Other factors become more important for the commercial setting, including durability, sustainability, affordability and, not least, aesthetic value.

Staying competitive in the commercial market means focusing on innovations in textured surfaces. "It's something we have been aggressively pursuing since 2005," says Lamin-Art's Goudreau. She, and Trespa's Veraart, note a much increased demand for wood prints and grains in the HPL and resin panel markets. "Fortunately, new trends and technical opportunities make these finish offerings more widespread," she says. Beyond the standard embossing for the ticks and grains of wood, new products include an HPL with an actual wood veneer imbedded in the laminate sheet; the fabrication process preserves the natural grain in the veneer, eliminating the need for a tick or wood pattern to be pressed into the sheet.

Yet the commercial markets often favor textures that are achieved optically, rather than actually. "Actual texture is not ideal for many applications, such as writing surfaces, or table- and countertops in restaurants, which need regular cleaning," says Goudreau. "Specifiers love real texture, but sometimes you need an alternative; that alternative can be an optic texture."

Recent commercial trends have veered into a world of greater variety, as noted by prognosticators like Pilaroscia. "There has been an ongoing trend for façade designers to include a variety of textures, colors, patterns, dimensionality and a mix of materials into the skin of a building," Trespa's Veraart agrees.

In addition to the fashion world, product manufacturers see the influences of the automotive and furniture industries on building materials. At international furniture fairs and auto shows, says Veraart, there's been a lot if interest in wood as well as digital prints and patterns. But the biggest surprise? "We've seen a lot of bright neon colors," he reports.

"It's not about overpowering the senses, but about teasing the eyes. The neon colors are used as an accent to furniture or as a dash of fun for the design."

Color Prognosticators See the Future of Building

Color is big business. According to a report issued in early 2011 from Global Industry Analysts, Inc., the global market for pigmentation and dyes is expected to reach an annual volume of 9 million tons in 2015, representing a staggering market value of more than $24 billion.

As such, there's more than a little interest paid to which colors will be the most sought after, meaning color trend analysis and prediction has become its own industry.

The most frequently looked-to color forecasts in the architectural community include color classifiers like Pantone as well as coatings and fiber producers. Companies like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams are gross consumers of all kinds of pigments and dyes–and thus de facto market-makers on global colors. The same is true of carpet industry suppliers like Invista.

Taking advantage of its unique position as a popular and ubiquitous color matching system, Pantone markets itself as a "worldrenowned authority on color" and unveils a "Color of the Year" every late fall.

While architects may not give much credence to the paint industry's best guess at which colors will be popular in the coming year, they will nevertheless discover that the prices of coatings and finishes are driven by market forces that do give credence to color forecasts–perhaps especially Pantone's.

For instance, a maker of textiles or interior lighting fixtures must hedge their bets on what materials and colors will most likely complement the palettes in greatest demand. If bedrooms designed in 2011 frequently include "honeysuckle"— Pantone's poster hue this year, a "dynamic reddish-pink"–then makers of carpets, wallcoverings and linens for the residential market a prudent to take note.

"This is true for any manufacturer of any product; they must follow the palette of the times," says Lamin-Art's Goudreau. Interestingly, this may be truer for the commercial market than for residential. Residences are generally designed for individuals rather than groups, and the color choices reflect that.

"Residential color choices are based on subjective likes and dislikes formed early in childhood," says Jill Pilaroscia, IA CC, an architectural color consultant based in San Francisco. "A positive childhood experience in a sunny yellow room will typically lead to a favorable association with that color for life.

"Commercial color is more fickle."

 

ENDNOTES

1 Gatto, Porter, and Selleck. Exploring Visual Design: The Elements and Principles. 3rd ed. Worcester: Davis Publications, Inc., 2000. ISBN 87192-379-3

2 Stewart, Mary, Launching the imagination: a comprehensive guide to basic design. 2nd ed. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2006.

 

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Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in October 2011

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