DESIGN SEMINAR 079
rapeseed oil. T e yellow was everywhere – it was like a Van Gogh painting, and completely immersive.’
Morgan Lovell’s Norman said: ‘Colour can make you feel up to three or four degrees diff erence in temperature. So, if you are in a really cool blue room, as opposed to a really warm colour room, even though the actual temperature might be identical, you can feel signifi cantly diff erent in one room to the other.’ T e ability of colour to alter our physical and mental state has been well-documented over the years. Traynor highlighted the 1970s experiments that led to the creation of Baker- Miller Pink – commonly known as ‘drunk tank pink’ – which resulted from work undertaken at the Naval Correction Facility in Seattle and named after the institute’s directors Gene Baker and Ron Miller, who gave permission for the work of psychology student Alexander Schauss to be tested within the prison. It was found to have calming eff ects on inmates, with a reduction in violent incidents and some indication that it had the potential to reduce blood pressure for some of those in the space. ‘We have become much more expressive with colour, especially in the last few years,’ suggested Damen. ‘It’s interesting to be talking here about how we use colour, because in a way, we don’t really think too much about it day-to-day. It tends to gradually come into the project.
‘One thing we have started to do is take a good base which is typically a little less intense in colour, before layering on the colour through other elements such as furniture and accents...We are increasingly choosing materials to express colour rather than just taking a colour swatch and painting the wall. Instead, we tend to use more real materials, whether it be marble or wood. T is off ers a more real and long-lasting way of introducing colour to a scheme and I think provides something a little more timeless.’ Do clients need to be educated on colour – or even ever-so-slightly bullied into taking the plunge with something a little more bold than the traditional monochrome? Prescott said: ‘I have a law fi rm client, and the owner asked for rainbow colours to go with his array of artworks. It’s refreshing actually because a lot of corporate clients prefer to stick with their blues or greys, so it’s really great to have that kind of change.’
Damen added: ‘I think the new generation is more expressive about what they like and what they don’t like, which does tend to set directions and moods which we see with clients, but also I see it in our own offi ce too.’
Images of various country pavilions at the Dubai Expo 2022. Many were highly colourful, often reflecting each nation’s cultural use of colour, while others embraced a more neutral tone and off er a strong visual contrast with the colour of the sky and surrounding landscape.
Sustainability is playing a part as well, with colour choice infl uencing ideas on how to ensure longevity. Prescott said: ‘I see materials being reused more in future. With fashions and trends often coming back around, it makes a lot of sense to reupholster furniture pieces. As we go forward, we might see more mixed colour as a result of this changing emphasis and ability to renew or dye existing items.’
Emotional response
Fundamentally, we have an emotional reaction to colour, believes Khurana. ‘I always think colour is really interesting; it’s a big passion of mine,’ she said. ‘But I think we are
intrinsically at some very deep, primeval level, all connected with colour. It’s so subjective and we are so emotionally driven by it. We have such a strong reaction to colour, and I think people underestimate just how important engagement is in order to be able to really harness it in the best possible way.’ Prescott suggests that the desire to return to nature is driving tastes towards a more subtle colour palette, inspired by greens and blues, as well as wood references – softer counterpoints to the bold and brash primary colours that have previously been in favour. Norman added: ‘T ere is going to be a long-term change in mental health, with a really big focus on neurodiversity and
A SPLASH OF COLOUR
The Diespeker project by TTSP shows the blues and greens of the canal used as inspiration for the column and furniture colours. The moody shades with bright pops of colour for the ‘bar-inspired’ area downstairs demonstrate a strong contrast.
LEFT AND ABOVE: SIMON KENNEDY
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