i + D - January/February 2021 - 46

Material
Matters
Paint
& Color

Beyond
the Home
At The Paint
Laboratory, paint
color chips are
hand-painted to offer
a truer sampling of
the color.
(Image: Courtesy of
The Paint Laboratory)

The COVID Effect
Haller notes that the monthslong lockdown of 2020 had a
distinct impact on the colors with which residents chose to
surround themselves. " [Previously] people had pared-down
color palettes in their homes-colors that had minimal emotional
impact, like beige, off-white, and cream, " she notes. " Their life
outside was so hectic and busy that when they came home,
they wanted to almost desensitize themselves, and they were
doing this with color without even realizing it. "

While paint color is a personal choice
in the home, color in commercial or
hospitality projects follows a different
trajectory, and various factors must
be taken into account.
" The feeling you want to express
in a hotel lobby will be different
from what you need to convey in a
corporate meeting room or hospital
patient room, " says Waddell. " For
example, it's important to create a
warm, welcoming environment in
a hotel lobby, and certain colors do
that well. In a meeting room, you
may want to use reds and yellows,
color families known for their ability

to energize and focus, or darker
neutrals that help blend technology
into its surroundings.
Magno sees a blurring of lines
between residential and hospitality
or commercial design. " People
will take inspiration from a hotel
they've stayed in or something great
they've seen in a store that they
can incorporate into their home, "
she says. " You're starting to see
more of a crossover; color plays
an important role in what mood
you want to create, whether it's
moody and elegant or light, bright,
and energetic. "

A rich brown makes
for a dramatic
backdrop for a
fireplace in a dining
room designed by
Rocky Rochon.
(Image: Ben Benschneider)

She says that during the pandemic, many people felt like their
home wasn't emotionally supporting them, since they were no
longer getting stimulation from elsewhere. As a result, she says,
" They were bringing more saturated color into their home...
they were painting walls, just going for it. "
But Haller cautions that even as homeowners transition away
from the uber-neutral palettes of pre-pandemic times, color
should still be incorporated judiciously: " It's like a box of
chocolates. Do you eat just one? Or do you overdo it and eat
the whole box and then feel ill? " She looks forward to seeing,
when people return to pre-pandemic lifestyles, whether the
choice of living in a more colorful home will remain.
The pandemic has also demanded more on our homes than ever
before, and Waddell says that many have turned to paint color
to differentiate work spaces from living spaces. " We've seen
a focus on renovating home offices or using paint to designate
workspaces, since so many people are working from home
and need a space they love and can work in successfully, " she
notes. " Homeowners are now more conscious of the paint
colors in their home office, as it now serves as a backdrop for
video calls and is seen by more than just family. "
Commercial establishments are also using paint to set their
customers at ease, as businesses reopen. Says Waddell,
" Designers need to create solutions to the latest set of
guidelines that include universal cues to assist in creating
comfortable social barriers without being distracting,
obvious, or non-approachable. "

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i+D - January/February 2021

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i + D - January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i + D - January/February 2021
