Color Advice for Professionals
Using the right colors in the right place is an essential component of successful architecture. The sense of vision, which is by far the most important source of environmental information for humans, sees only color differences. No shapes, surfaces, or forms, only boundaries formed by reflection differences. The color concept specifies these boundaries and determines how your architecture is perceived. Our professionals know how each specific color interacts with light to create color concepts that are perfectly tailored to your project and its requirements.
Individualized Color Concepts
We develop customized solutions that align your values and goals with the structure of the building, the light, and the environmental reflections. The lower photo shows an ornate ceiling which needed to be preserved. Painted white, it looked dirty and old-fashioned. Repainting the plaster base with our dark, deep matt paint color Blue velvet creates dramatic contrasts that raise the ceiling, suppress the yellow LED-reflections and the diffused shadows. The luminaire and the elements painted with authentic Gold bronze take center stage (top photo).
Sustainable Paints and Classic Color Concepts
Our advice is based on the selection of natural paint colors and timeless color concepts that transcend all the trends while highlighting your personal style. Color concepts based on ecologically top-quality, microplastic and PFAS-free paint colors allow your architecture to stand out clearly. Beautiful elements will be at the forefront of attention and the environmental impact will be reduced.
In some cases, we formulate new paint colors to match the location and your specifications. In the stairwell, for example, the wall paint based on standard titanium white appeared grayed and the oil paint to be preserved looked yellowed. The paint we developed in collaboration with the architects, Porto Pearl Gray, was made with natural white, gray and blue pigments. It is in fact darker than the old white, but it stands out more clearly and the architecture appears to be lighter and more spacious thanks to the healthy contrast. Concept and photographs: Isabel Droste von Senden, Droste Architekten PartG mbB, Berlin.
A Step-by-Step Process
The concept for the townhouse in Porto was developed step-by-step in close collaboration with the architect Isabel Droste zu Senden. The focus was on the requirement to sensitively harmonize the special location and history of the building with the desire for a luxurious, inviting ambience. The first step was to find the correct background colors. On site, the selection fell on Marble White and Porto Pearl Gray.
Photo left: The natural paint color Spanish Green behind the bed and Porto Pearl Gray, the “white” in this space, testify to the sensitive handling of the building's substance. The photo before the renovation is only worth mentioning to make it clear that green is not just green. Natural greens create timeless effects, while synthetic, organic greens quickly lose their appeal.
Individualization and Implementation
In the third step of the design collaboration, accent colors for individual rooms or wall surfaces are added. In this step, the desire for individuality is taken into account. The final step of the concept work is all about implementation.
The finishes are matched to the exposure of the surfaces. Primers are selected, and the craftsmen are introduced to the concept and given instructions. The overwhelming, positive feedback we get from clients confirms the success of this approach.
The photo shows a second bedroom, just as stylish and timeless, but with individual flair. Spanish Moss, a pale natural green, is on all the walls. The ceiling profiles and the plinth are painted with Marble White.
Conclusion and Offer
Partnering with ktCOLOR offers architects and interior designers a wide range of benefits, from the development of tailor-made colors and color concepts to valuable color advice in our Masterclass lectures on light, color, and architecture. Our professional advice and the high-quality, handmade colors from ktCOLOR are an asset to any project that commits to the highest aesthetic and ecological standards. Our success stories from past projects prove this. The experience we have gained from these projects is available to you for your own work and makes ktCOLOR your reliable partner for color.
Katrin Trautwein
published October 2024
References
ktCOLOR Designer and architect Isabel Droste zu Senden, Droste
Architekten (Berlin) was responsible for the entire redesign . The photos are by DROSTE Architekten and Nina Struve (Hamburg).