Color plays a significant role in the world. Partly because of the significance attached to each hue, the use of color in architecture – especially in interiors – changes the ambiance of each project. In commercial establishments, color has a considerable influence on highlighting a given brand, and in homes, it can reflect the resident’s personality and complement the language adopted in the project. This exploration can take place directly in the tectonic object (architecture) through the surfaces that constitute the building, or it can take advantage of mobile elements, easily changeable.
If colors can evoke specific emotions and those emotions can change, it might appear simpler to 'change' a sofa or wardrobe rather than reupholstering. However, there are exceptions to this general idea. Colored furniture provides a more dynamic option for experimenting with color. In terms of design, the choice of colors applied to furniture can create distinct effects, drawing from artistic principles or specific cultural influences and reflecting the prevailing aesthetic values of the era. Additionally, the scale of the furniture in relation to the surrounding environment also plays a role in the versatility of color in design, influencing various effects.
Featured Element
In design, color can be used prominently to enhance a building element, making it the central focus of the composition. This single, eye-catching element attracts attention and might even be the sole feature in the environment. A solid, substantial block or surface already possesses inherent visual weight. When color is applied to it, the volume gains even more visual prominence, though this doesn't imply an increase in physical weight. The substantial element can also conceal colorful surroundings, which changes the visual impact, even if it maintains the core concept of a solid and uniform volume.
Using color to create a focal point does not necessarily rely on volume or the concept of weight. The highlighted element can be expansive and lightweight, seamlessly connecting various project environments, thus providing unity. It involves using the same fundamental elements but expressing them uniquely through different colors and visual effects.
Apartamento da Rua Girona / Raúl Sanchez Architects
Los Alexis Taco Place / RA!
LC354 House Refurbishment / Al.Irene Escudé y Aleix Gz Call
Doki Doki Concept Store / The Architecture Story
LVWA Bookstore / Studio YUDA + Studio NOR
Discrete
Introducing a few colorful elements into an otherwise uniform environment can infuse color without overpowering or taking control of the space. Both in fashion and architecture, this approach is considered a safe and reliable technique as it adheres to principles of visual composition. Its safety does not diminish its effectiveness. The colored elements continue to attract the occupant's attention and establish focal points, albeit on a more modest scale. Furthermore, they do not divert attention from the design and the materials.
Interiores Edifício Dsenho / Leandro Garcia
Apartamento Conjunto Nacional / Navarro Arquitetura
Apartamento Nido / Sala2 Arquitetura
Color Splash
Just as one can employ color with subtlety or restraint, there is also the option of injecting vibrancy into particular areas of the project by incorporating a wider spectrum of lively hues, as if they were scattered throughout the spaces. This combination can follow a "traditional" approach, such as the primary colors favored by the Bauhaus and Mondrian, or it can be more blended and harmonized, resembling a rainbow. Different colors in more than one environment “liven up” the whole, and saturation tends to hold the occupant's eye more. In the specific case of the Edifício Brasil apartment, the expansion contributed to the use (and reinforcement) of the colors spread throughout the property.
Furthermore, the variation of environments where the colors are applied, the areas of the colored elements, and the change of nuances itself – and their combination – tend to stimulate the vision all the time along the observer’s path. Even if the highlight is punctual, the whole becomes dynamic and stimulating.
Apartamento Edifício Brasil / Alvorada Arquitetos
Expansion of Apartment in Brazil Building / Alvorada Arquitetos
DM HOUSE / Studio Guilherme Torres
Apartamento Harmonia / a GR a u
Blue and Glue / HAO Design
Andradas Apartment / OCRE arquitetura
Large Areas
Typically, commercial settings have a more exaggerated use of colors indoors due to the visual impact created by the contrast between different hues. However, entirely colorful environments encompassing the building and its furnishings can also serve residential purposes. This departure from the idea that residences should lean towards neutrality or tranquility is a direct response to compositional interpretations and cultural influences within their specific context. It makes a lot of sense that extremely nuanced houses are built in Mexico, inspired by Barragán and Legorreta, or that the myriad of pastel tones combined with more saturated ones refer to the Memphis Group movement.
In any case, the color intensity is enhanced by the dyed area. The contrast of a few colors – or the combination of different shades of these few colors – on large surfaces is enough to dominate the eye to the point of non-perception of the construction. The improbable mix of tones or the frank use of many colors in the same environment can cause the viewer to feel a sense of theatricality. But for that very reason, the effect is certainly more fun and visually attractive.
Mo-Tel House / Office S&M
Restaurante Vegano Tolstoy / studio8 lab
Del Río Pharmacy / güey studio
The Gym Of Accessory Store / 45tilt
Refuse! Indoor Cycling / EstudioFernandaOrozco
House TEC 205 / Moneo Brock Studio
