STIR 5.2 2008

s t i rS H E R W I N - W I L L I A M S® W h e r e C o l o r a n d C r e a t i v i t y C o n v e r g e Vo l u m e 5 • I s s u e 2 • 2 0 0 8

Chip Kidd, Graphic Design Rock Star ■ W Hotels Re-Colors an Art Deco Gem

®

EVOLUTIONSherwin-Williams colormix™ 09 color forecastis a palette of a different feather.

CHANGE COMES IN EVERY COLOR

’m thrilled to introduce myself to you as Sherwin-Williams new director

of color marketing. For 22 years, I’ve served the architectural and design

community as a designer, account executive and marketing manager.

I look forward to exploring color alongside you in the months and years

to come — beginning with this year’s color

forecast, Sherwin-Williams colormix™ 09.

To create colormix 09, I assembled a

truly international team within Sherwin-

Williams that included four members of

the Color Marketing Group. In addition

to me, the team members were color

marketing experts Becky Ralich Spak and

Christie Del Ciotto; Kathy Andersson, an

authority in the area of color marketing

for product finishes; and Carol B. Derov,

who tracks international color and

design. Not only did we develop an

exciting, thoroughly researched trend

forecast, we also chose to present the

forecast by color family rather than in precoordinated palettes, to show

how the spectrum is shifting and allow you to combine colors in your

own unique way.

At Sherwin-Williams, our approach to color will never be static — because

color itself isn’t static. Fading becomes patina, passé becomes retro, and

fresh palettes arrive to relieve us from the monotony of stale ones.

Looking ahead is one of the most exciting aspects of being a designer.

I hope you’re as eager to turn the page and see what’s next as I am.

Sincerely,

Jackie Jordan

Director of Color Marketing The Sherwin-Williams Company

I

The trademarks and copyrights of Sherwin-Williams appearing in STIR are protected.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The Sherwin-Williams Company

Director, Trade Communications:Tresa Makowski

Director of Color Marketing:Jackie Jordan

Hanley Wood Marketing

Executive Editor:Bryan Iwamoto

Editorial Director:Dobby Gibson

Editor:Kim Palmer

Executive Art Director:Sandy Girard

Senior Designer:Cate Hubbard

Senior Editor:Mara Hess

Production Director:Pam Mundstock

Production Artist:Karen Wolcenski

Project Manager:Melanie Murphy

Client Services:Lynda Whittle

STIR® magazine (ISSN 1937-2027)is published by Hanley Wood, LLC, on behalf of The Sherwin-WilliamsCompany, for interior designers and architects. We welcome your questions and comments.Please direct correspondence to: Sherwin-Williams STIR magazineHanley Wood 430 1st Ave. N., Suite 550Minneapolis, MN 55401 Phone: (612) 338-8300Fax: (612) 338-7044E-mail: [email protected] site: Click on Contact Us at swstir.comPrinted in the United States, © 2008 Sherwin-Williams, Vol. 5. Issue 2, 2008

STIR Advisory Board

Glen Boudreaux, ASID, RID, IDEC Glen Boudreaux & Associates Dallas, Texas

Laura CulverLaura’s Loft Studio Interiors/ColourConnextionsHamilton, Ontario, Canada

Kathy Davis, CID, IACC/NAKathy Davis Associates, Inc.Solana Beach, Calif.

Jill LambertLavallee Brensinger ArchitectsManchester, N.H.

Michael Scott, IDS, Allied ASIDRobb & Stucky InteriorsScottsdale, Ariz.

Zara Stender, CID, IDS, Allied ASID, CMGZaraDesignsLas Vegas, Nev.

Abby Suckle, FAIA, LEEDAbby Suckle ArchitectsNew York, N.Y.

Order Sherwin-Williams color samples online atswcolorsamples.com.

For product or compliance questions, call the Architect andDesigner Answerline at (800) 321-8194.

For local service and advice, please see your Sherwin-WilliamsArchitectural Account Executive or your local store.

S H E R W I N - W I L L I A M S S t i r 1

C O N T E N T S

s t i rS H E R W I N - W I L L I A M S®

Vo l u m e 5 • I s s u e 2 • 2 0 0 8

PALETTE

PAINTINGSTHAT ROCK

Neal Hamilton’scelebrated rock androll paintings startwith a visit to hislocal “mixologists.”

2

COLOR SPY

HOLY BESTSELLER!

Book-jacket design’sbiggest star, ChipKidd, on color, coversand the CapedCrusader.

4

ON THE COVER

EVOLUTION

Sherwin-Williamscolor expertssurveyed the globe to develop theSherwin-Williamscolormix™ 09 colorforecast.

7

THE W FACTOR

A rich color palettehelps a 1920slandmark blossominto a hip new W Hotel.

14

MOORISH MOOD

The colors ofMorocco informdesign in thisstunning Mexicanbeachfront home.

18

GOING GREEN

WORTHY OFREFLECTION

Color can improveyour project’s LEEDrating more than you think.

22

COLOR TECH

MORE PALETTEPOWER

The enhanced ColorVisualizer now offersdownloadableSherwin-Williamscolor palettes foryour CAD program.

24

FINAL TOUCH

How rapidfluctuations in heatand pure chancecreate the beautifulcolors of raku.

25

®

7

14 184

2 S H E R W I N - W I L L I A M S S t i r

A WORRY-FREE MATTE FINISH

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to use matte finishes more widely,without worrying about scuffs, marring or burnishing? Now youcan. Sherwin-WilliamsDuration Home®

gives you durable hues — including vivid accents — in a matte finish.

Duration Home is formulated withpatent-pending cross-linking technologythat forms a continuous paint film. Thisexclusive technology not only locks in thecolorants, it also provides superior resistanceto staining, burnishing and water-streaking— and ultimately provides washability superior to the competition.

Duration Home is a low-VOC formulawith anti-microbial properties that provideresistance to mildew. Its GreenSure® formulation meets or exceeds the moststringent environmental standards no matter what sheen is used — matte, satin or semi-gloss.

In standard paint, color pigment looselyholds to the binding paint agent, resultingin a loose film — and the potential forcolor to rub off. With Duration Home, the colorant actually embeds itself in the binding agent, locking the color andstrengthening the final product. The resultis minimal color rub-off in any finish, andan unparalleled level of durability andresistance to staining. ■

PaletteC O L O R N E W S A N D S O L U T I O N S F R O M S H E R W I N - W I L L I A M S

STIR Is as Mobile as You Are

You can receive additional color news on your

laptop or mobile device by signing up for

Sherwin-Williams® STIR® eExtra, an e-newsletter

delivered six times a year. STIR eExtra delivers

color research, paint technology and design

developments you won’t want to miss. To

subscribe, complete and mail the business reply

card in this magazine. Or visit the STIR magazine

Web site, swstir.com, which also keeps color news

and resources at your fingertips year-round. ■

Ordering Color SamplesJust Got Easier

Sherwin-Williams has made it

even easier for you to order color

samples by using our new URL,

swcolorsamples.com. Please

bookmark this Web link for

easy reference.

PAINTINGS THAT ROCK Throughout a multifaceted career that’s been marked by exploration — and shaped by tragedy — Neal Hamilton has always rocked.

For a decade, he served as the official photographer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum,where he documented the concerts, regalia and musical icons that pass through the facility. It was in the Hall that he first exhibited his own art: pop-influenced portraits of famous musicians, which werereceived with great acclaim and have now been seen across the country.

Hamilton’s artistic career began in the ’70s as a graphic designer and illustrator with Artist Studios. In the ’90s, he started his own graphic arts and design studio in Cleveland: Livewire Studios. But despite his professional success, it was a disaster that gave birth to his rock painting.

After a house fire destroyed his home and studio, Hamilton found himself left with nearly nothing. He picked up what he had lying around — a few cans of Sherwin-Williams paint and what tools he could salvage (Hamilton doesn’tuse brushes) — and started painting.

Hamilton loves the vibrant hues of Sherwin-Williams exterior house paints, and especially the custom-mixed colors he gets from LeSeanDavis and Greg Smith at his local store. Hamilton refers to Davis and Smith as his “mixologists.” “You can’t get that at an art store,” he says.

Why rock and roll paintings? Hamilton says he simply loves the music. “At long last, my experiences and creative passions have found a home.”Highlights of Hamilton’s work with the Hall include photographing Aretha Franklin (along with Tiger Woods), capturing the grand

opening of the John Lennon exhibition and touring the Hall with President Bill Clinton. ■



STIR: What colors were important in your childhood?CK: Red was my favorite color. In sixth grade, I got permission from myparents to paint one wall of my bedroom red. That was considered verystrange in Reading, Pa., in the 1960s. To this day, I will default to red,white and black when I can’t think of anything else. That combinationspeaks to a certain kind of classicism. When I got to art school, I sawthe Russian constructivists hewed closely to that palette.

The colors used on the “Batman” TV show resonated with me early on: saturated, very intense. At that point, there were still shows in blackand white. And then there’s the simple but ingenious use of color in The Wizard of Oz.

STIR: How do you approach color in your work? CK: It’s hard to talk about color apart from other elements of design.It’s just one tool I work with. Color use is intuitive. Why is the Coca-Cola logo red even though the soda isn’t? But it works really well.

STIR: You once called Batman “a brilliant design solution.”What did you mean?CK: Let me geek out here and go back to Batman’s origins, according to the “Batman: Year One” series. The Gotham police force is hugely

Chip Kidd has probably been in your bedroom

— and on your bookshelf, and under your

holiday tree. As one of Knopf’s top art directors,

he has designed nearly 2,000 book covers that

have helped propel the works of authors such

as Michael Crichton and David Sedaris to the

top of the bestseller list. As USA Today famously

put it, Kidd is the “closest thing to a rock star”

there is in graphic design. Kidd also has written

two novels, The Cheese Monkeys and The

Learners, as well as several books on Batman.

His latest effort — Bat-Manga! — surveys

1960s Japanese memorabilia featuring the

Caped Crusader. Kidd lives in New York City

and Stonington, Conn.

HOLY bestseller!Graphic designer Chip Kidd, famed for high-impact book covers, reveals his color inspirations — and his fascination with all things Batman.

B y C H A R L O T T E S T O U D T

PHO

TOG

RA

PH B

Y K

EN S

CH

LES

C O L O R S P Y



corrupt. Bruce Wayne wants to fight crime, but doesn’t want to become acop. He’d rather operate outside the system. Dressing as a bat is a tacticalthing — the whole concept is to scare people before you even engagewith them. It’s a fascinating idea: the good guy who looks like a villain.

STIR: Batman plays with people’s expectations — a little like whatyour book covers do.CK: I think of the cover as the face of the book. If the cover issuccessful, it’s the beginning of the story.

STIR: You’re known for the economy with which you communicate a complicated idea. How has color played a part in that?CK: Well, now we’re back to that red, white and black scheme. Therewas a novel by Michael Crichton called Disclosure, the book he wroteafter Jurassic Park. It had to look completely different, since the subjectis sexual harassment and not dinosaurs. I didn’t want it to look at allpornographic. I went very abstract, but red was the dominant color.

STIR: What’s the weirdest inspiration you’ve had for a book jacket?CK: The cover for The Abomination, a novel that involves the sexualabuse of a young boy. This photographer’s calling card landed in mymailbox: a picture of an upside-down stuffed rabbit. There was nodirect connotation of pedophilia, but there was a similar sensibilitybetween the photo and Paul Golding’s story. That’s largely a colorlessjacket, just shades of taupe and white and black. The photographer isLars Klove, who mostly does still life.

STIR: If you could design anything, without budget limitations, whatwould you choose?CK: A house. I was just in Grand Rapids, Mich., as part of my book tour,and visited the single best restored Frank Lloyd Wright residence in thecountry, the May House, built in 1908. Every single detail was thoughtthrough by a brilliant sensibility. The design was incredibly radical forits time. It’d be extremely satisfying to think through an entire house.

STIR: What colors do you surround yourself with at home?CK: I choose to live with white walls — the one similarity to my graphicdesign sense. Let’s say I’m working with a photograph that’s in color,maybe even bright colors. That will be the color “star” of the design, andthe rest of the type will be white and black. My apartment follows thesame concept. The walls are white; it’s the objects — primarily toys Icollect — that are in color.

The next book I’m doing is about vintage Batman items from Japan,Bat-Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan. There’s aninteresting issue of color in that book: In the 1960s, the Japanese did a lot of Batman comics, but they couldn’t print full color. They used monotone and duotone, which starts to look like Japanese block printing. It’s very elegant. ■

Charlotte Stoudt writes regularly for the Los Angeles Times.

“I think of the cover as the face of

the book. If the cover is successful,

it’s the beginning of the story.”

Today’s color influences converge in a beautifully modulated palette.

colormixTM 09

EVOLUTION

What makes one color look fresh while another seems toofamiliar? Our collective color preferences reflect the delicatechemistry between culture, commerce and science, as newideas shade our internal spectrum and new products andtechnologies enter our field of vision.

At Sherwin-Williams, a global team of experts has spentmonths analyzing color influences, from consumer electronicsto international street style, to identify the hues that willdefine architecture and design in the year ahead. This year,those influences are converging in new and surprising ways,resulting in a complex, sophisticated palette, according toJackie Jordan, Sherwin-Williams’ director of color marketing.

“Color has been so bold and saturated for the past few years that we’ve beenoverwhelmed,” she says. “We’re looking for a change, something more relaxing.”

The economic downturn also appears to be nudging color in a less chromatic, less intensedirection, says Kathy Andersson, color marketing manager for Sherwin-Williams ProductFinishes Division. “People are trying to be more conservative in their consumer attitudes,spending and color selection.”

There are other color influences at play, but one dominant one remains the green movement,which has matured and gone mainstream. “It’s not even a ‘movement’ anymore, but a globalcommon denominator,” says Carol Derov, global color and design marketing manager forSherwin-Williams’ International Division.

colormix 09 is not intended to be a formula, but a chemistry set of ingredients awaiting your inspiration. “We encourage you to infuse the forecast colors with your creativity, combining these colors in your own unique way,” Jordan says.

B y K I M PA L M E R



Global TapestryIn our hyper-linked era, the world has flattened again, with colorinfluences from many lands now woven together into a brillianttapestry. Hues from Russia and East Asia continue to be dominantthreads, blending seamlessly with those from Latin America, thenew hot zone. Popular travel destinations contribute new shadings:the colorful rainbow of pressed-tin buildings from Buenos Aires’La Boca barrio, or the vibrant fish of Roatan Island, Honduras’barrier reef.

“Consumers are savvier about what’s happening all over theworld,” Andersson says. “They’re traveling more and want to bringthose color memories home into their surroundings.”

And even those who don’t travel are increasingly exposed toglobal palettes via the Internet and high-definition big-screen TV,Derov notes. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, for example,brought China — and its traditional red and gold hues — into livingrooms all over the world, while the 2010 Soccer World Cup will rivetall eyes on South Africa.

Local MomentumThe local movement, with its eco-friendly emphasis on locallysourced ingredients, has spread from the food community to amodern way of life. Natural resource-conservation features, suchas green rooftops and backyard vegetable gardens, are a source ofcommunity pride.

Raw natural materials and handmade items by local artisansare the new look of local, along with locally inspired color palettesfrom the natural world.

“People have an increasing sense that they’re losing theirheritage, and they are looking to support and celebrate theircommunity,” says Andersson.

What color is your local? Look around you. Maybe it’s the blues andsands of the nearby seashore — or the urban hues of steel and concrete.Putting a local spin on the color wheel has never been more timely.


The colorful rainbow of

pressed-tin buildings

from Buenos Aires’

La Boca barrio.


The new luxury reflects

botanical hues, like natural

flower and root dyes to

tint the finest cloth.


Techno-ColorNothing new under the sun? Hardly. Technology continues toupload innovations that expand our design and color possibilitiesin wonder-filled ways. New fiber technologies turn animal andvegetable proteins into tactile fabrics. New finishes add colorinterplay, dimension and luminescence. Biomimicry-inspiredproducts borrow from Mother Nature’s design lab, echoing thefunction found in whirlpools or Nautilus shells.

And going green has never been easier — or more colorful. Eco-minded consumers are no longer defined by soft greens andrustic earth tones, Jordan says. “Now, thanks to technology, thegreen spectrum has opened up. We can create environmentallyfriendly colors that weren’t possible a few years ago.”

Technology-enabled design is also creating new green productsand terminology like “upcycling,” the practice of converting wastematerials into products of greater value, such as beer bottles intobuilding materials.

Conscious LuxuryAffluence has a new face. Today’s young, green-minded customersare savoring life’s luxuries but bringing their consciences with them.Their five-star resort must be eco-friendly, their cuisine organic andtheir gemstones “conflict-free.”

“People with money still want to surround themselves withluxury, but they want to feel like they’re doing something good at the same time,” says Derov. They’re biking to save fossil fuel — on a $3,500 custom-built bike.

The new luxury palette reflects botanical hues, evoking eco-tourism in exotic destinations, and natural flower and rootdyes to tint the finest silks and cashmeres. “Mineral” hues, such as mother of pearl and warm metallic shades, combineearthy sensibility with refined taste.

For these new affluents, green has definitely outgrown itsrustic roots, and ethical indulgence is the ultimate status symbol.


RED/ORANGE

Juicy Fruit. Red gets a mouthwatering new look with a hint of orangezest. Sherwin-Williams’ Enticing Red evokes lush tropical flowers and fruit,with a Latin American accent.

All Grown Up. The sweetness of pink acquires new nuance andsophistication, with shades ranging from brights with subtle infusionsof orange or violet, to dusty and romantic.

New Appeal. Orange transitions in ’09, from the crayon-brightintensity of seasons past to more elegant and restrained shades. Westill savor the spice hues inspired by global influences, but Tigereyetones it down slightly with just a touch of yellow.

VIOLET/BLUE

Purple Reign. Violets and plums continue their regal influence in ’09,although they’re more red-based than in ’08. Plummy and Plum Dandyadd smoky new shadings to the royal mix, and look especially freshwhen combined with neon greens, pinks, grays and blacks.

Liquid Assets. Water is essential — to life and to the palette. Ourgrowing awareness of this vital natural resource keeps blue in the color forefront. Dignity Blue offers a deep Mediterranean take, whileQuench Blue and Aqua-Sphere suggest the Caribbean Sea. Celestialadds a clean, fresh blue with just a droplet of violet.

Color is on the move. The bold, saturated hues that have dominated palettes for the past few seasons

are yielding to more complex, toned-down shades. Our eyes are ready for respite, says Jordan. Colors

are dustier, with intriguing new undertones. And there’s a new MVP in the palette: gray. “Grays play

an ever-increasing role, cooling down our interiors and becoming the new neutral in both commercial

and residential spaces,” she says.

COLOR FAMILIES: A Shift Across the Spectrum

Enticing RedSW 6600

Constant CoralSW 6325

TigereyeSW 6362

Ruby ShadeSW 6572

Zany PinkSW 6858

Insightful RoseSW 6023

Quench BlueSW 6785

Aqua-SphereSW 7613

Dignity BlueSW 6804

CelestialSW 6808

PlummySW 6558

Plum DandySW 6284


YELLOW/GREEN

Mellow Yellows. Yellow has been a recent star on fashion runways,and the sunny shades are now brightening interior palettes, from thesoft Daffodil of spring blossoms to the ripened maize of Gambol Gold.Energetic, green-influenced yellows, like the lime-infused Eye Catching,are a hit with Gen Y and others who want to make a bravura statement.

Grassroots Movement. Greens are on the move, acquiring muddier,more yellow-based shadings than we’ve seen in the recent past. Grandioseand Lemon Verbena bring grayed-down gravitas to the mix, while elegantAlexandrite, a gemstone-influenced green, contributes a touch of blue.

NEUTRALS

Natural Wonders. Today’s neutrals are grounded in the environment,with hues inspired by wood, stone and natural fibers, such as WoolSkein, Mesa Tan and Umber. Wood tones have a new yellow influence,and metallic browns have taken on gray.

Gorgeous Grays. Grays themselves range from cool Zircon to warmKeystone, inspired by the juxtaposition of high-tech steel and decades-old urban concrete. ■

Kim Palmer is editor of STIR magazine.

Get a color card

To receive your Sherwin-Williams colormix 09 colorcard, order online at swcolorsamples.com, contactyour Sherwin-Williams Architectural or DesignerAccount Executive, or call the Architect andDesigner Answerline at (800) 321-8194.

DaffodilSW 6901

Gambol GoldSW 6690

Eye CatchingSW 6914

AlexandriteSW 0060

GrandioseSW 6404

Lemon VerbenaSW 7726

Wool SkeinSW 6148

Mesa TanSW 7695

UmberSW 6146

ZirconSW 7667

Keystone GraySW 7504

Gauntlet GraySW 7019


Guests in search of the unmistakably modern W

experience will also get a history lesson steeped

in the color and character of the 1920s.


INTE

RIO

RPH

OTO

GR

APH

SB

YSU

SAN

GIL

MO

RE

Known as one of the world’s hippest hotel chains,

Starwood’s W Hotels all have a certain wow factor,

from the sleek bedrooms to the destination bars.

While each one is designed independently to reflect

its home city, the brand holds a common thread

with recognizable features and a signature color:

an inky hue that makes for moody hallways and

memorable getaways.

For the new W Minneapolis–The Foshay, creating

an iconic yet independent interior was a little tricky.

The Foshay Tower, erected in 1929 and modeled

after the Washington Monument, was once the city’s

tallest building. It’s listed on the National Register

of Historic Places, posing an immediate design

challenge to preserve its distinctive character and

place in the Midwestern urban landscape.

B y J E N N I F E R B L A I S E K R A M E R

TheWfactorAn Art Deco palette helps transform a Minneapolislandmark into a hot hotel.

“We never wanted to lose the essence ofhow important the Foshay is to Minnesotans,”says principal designer Alessandro Munge of Toronto-based Munge Leung DesignAssociates. “The last thing we wanted to do was put the kibosh on it.”

Instead, Munge set out to celebrate thebuilding’s glory, drawing inspiration from its original heyday.

“I played off the imagery of the Roaring ’20s,” Mungesays, pulling from themystique of undergroundspeak-easies, along withthe “glitz and glam” ofthat era. The look fitthe architecture of the 447-foot tower, but italso had to mesh withthe W brand and tone.

“The colors we chosehad to be sexy,” says Munge.“You expect people to have agood time at the W.”

In addition to using thesignature W colors, Mungerounded out the palettewith hues inspired by thebuilding’s original ArtDeco color scheme ofgolden tones, blues and ocher.

Stephanie Kohnen of painting contractorSwanson & Youngdalerecommended Sherwin-Williams Duration Home®paint, in 10 custom-mixed colors,for the project. “We wanted a productwith superior durability,” she says. And sinceone prominent color in the hotel is nearly black,Duration Home ensured adequate coverage.

Munge achieved the bluish-purple hue that is so recognizable in W hotels by “trickingthe paint with lights” (see sidebar). He alsoused this technique with whites and grays inthe 230 bedrooms, creating flattering shadows.

There are Art Deco-inspired design nods all over the hotel. Large glass front desks aremodeled after vintage perfume bottles, thensoftly lit to create a glow through the facetedglass. Gray tones and metallics throughoutthe hotel evoke gangster gunmetal, while one of the bars is dubbed Prohibition.

With original drawings in hand, RyanCompanies’ project manager Scott Casanovaand developer Joel Schurke brought several

parts of the building back to their original state.While working in the ground-floor arcade, theyopened up drywall to find the original Art Decoceiling. Though it was damaged significantly, theMinnesota Historical Society and National ParksService required that it be restored. With thehelp of a historical consultant, Charlene Roise ofHess Roise, the team was able to make molds

of the plaster and repair the ceiling. Andafter a microscopic paint analysis,

the original colors of mostlyearth tones were matched

to repaint the ceiling’sintricate floral designs.

Nearly all of thebuilding’s originalarchitectural materialsremain in place, including

terrazzo floors, Italianmarble, African mahogany,

iron and brass. The team wasable to save 90 percent of the

original flooring, and the nickel-plated elevator doors were salvaged,

requiring code modifications, but resulting in a unique,

time-honored look.Now approaching

its 80th birthday, the Foshay is ready for a big celebration.Chances are therestored observation

deck will once againbecome a hotspot for

taking in sweeping cityviews. And guests in search

of the unmistakably modern W experience will also get a history

lesson steeped in the color and character of the 1920s.

It’s a fitting and sophisticated upgrade for thelegendary Foshay, which had lost its luster afterseveral earlier renovations, Casanova says. Beforethe most recent makeover, it was “less-than-classy office space.” Now it’s a showstopper.“When people walk in, it’s unbelievable.” ■

Jennifer Blaise Kramer is a Boston-based freelance

writer who frequently covers interior design.


PLAYING WITH LIGHT

Designer Alessandro Munge

achieved the vibrant bluish-

purple hue that is signature to

the W brand with the help of

lighting. The technique, he says,

works with any shade, even

white, as long as you can cast a

shadow. By “tricking the paint

with lights,” shadows intensify

color and create mood. He offers

a few pointers:

• Select a color that reacts well

under a colored gel with

incandescent or fluorescent

lighting. For the W Minneapolis,

Munge picked a custom blue

from Sherwin-Williams and

then relied on light to achieve

the shade he wanted.

• Manipulate the color with

the light. Munge used colored

gels and dark lenses to deepen

and intensify the blue in

desired areas.

• Expect a trial-and-error

process. In this case, contractors

provided mock-ups for testing

purposes until they were able

to get the desired results in the

hotel corridors.

LEARN MORE

Learn more about what went into restoring theFoshay arcade’s Art Deco ceiling at swstir.com.

>>

EXTE

RIO

R P

HO

TOG

RA

PH C

OU

RTES

Y O

F W

HO

TELS

The sleek palette and fabrics of the E-Wow

suite echo the hotel’s overall palette of

custom Sherwin-Williams colors.


hen a home overlooks brilliant azurewater, the interior palette often takesa supporting role. That’s certainly the

design norm in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, anupscale vacation enclave.

“It’s a special place, one of five in the worldwhere the desert meets the sea,”says interiordesigner Sandra Espinet, who has offices in bothCabo (Square One) and Los Angeles (Interiors bySandra Espinet). Her Cabo clients tend to favorsubtle, neutral hues in their beach getawayhomes, she says. “Most of my clients have million-dollar views and want to focus on the ocean.”

But there are occasional exceptions, suchas the woman who recently hired Espinet tocreate a Moroccan-inspired beach house.

“She had just come back from Morocco andhad all the colors in her mind,” Espinet recalls.

Morocco is a world away from Mexico, butthe locales share some of the same aestheticDNA, according to Espinet, who grew up inSouth America and has traveled widely.

“The Moors invaded Spain, and Spain invadedMexico,” she notes. The architecture is different,but the cultures share a kaleidoscope of vividcolors. “In both Mexico and Morocco, nothing isperfect but it all works together. It’s fun.”

That harmonious free-for-all was exactlythe effect this client was seeking. “She said, ‘I want every room in my house a differentcolor, with pattern everywhere,” Espinet recalls.“My first thought was that it was too much.

But it’s her home, and her personality. I reallylisten to the client. And if you met her, that’sher. She’s very colorful and fabulous with largejewelry. She looks like her house.”

Espinet spent a day and a half with theclient, who picked out her favorite colors andjust one element: a bold striped fabric in orange,gold and bright aqua for the dining-room chairs.That fabric set the palette for the home.

Espinet knew that such a color schemecould easily dissolve into chaos. “Thechallenge was making sure all those colorsflowed together so it didn’t look like a circus,”she says. “My job was to keep it sophisticated.”

Every room was painted a different color, justas the client requested. The palette carefully

Morocco meets Mexico in a fiesta-bright beach house.

W

MOORISH mood

B y K I M PA L M E R


Mexico and Morocco share

an aesthetic DNA borne

of conquests and color.


transitions from Rave Red SW 6608 in the diningroom to two shades of orange — Harvester SW 6373 and Torchlight SW 6374 — in theliving room, and golden yellow, composed ofInviting Ivory SW 6372, highlighted withHarvester, in the foyer. The arch separating thered dining room from the rest of the house wasaccented with cool Drizzle SW 6479.

“We did several adjustments,” Espinet says.“In the living room, it went too orange at first,so we added some white.” The client’s vividpink bedroom turned out “too much, too girly,”so Espinet had her painting contractor add awash — white paint mixed with water — tocreate an ombré effect on the walls. “There’s a gradation of color, deeper at the bottom [Lei Flower SW 6613] near the floor, thengraduating to a lighter color [Sockeye SW 6619] toward the ceiling,” she says.

To soften the rainbow hues on the walls,Espinet used a multilayered process. First, aVenetian plaster was applied to add texture.Then the walls were painted, then paintedagain with a lighter color wash, using a faux-finish technique. Finally, to create adelicately patterned Moroccan effect, an artistapplied wall and ceiling details, using stencils.

Espinet chose Sherwin-Williams paint in a semi-gloss finish. “Cleanability was important,”she says. The client has grandchildren andneeded an easily scrubbable finish. And inMexico, the maids customarily use wet mops,she notes. Water splashes onto walls, makingmatte finishes problematic.

Before Sherwin-Williams opened a store in Cabo, Espinet used to bring paint from theUnited States because she preferred Sherwin-Williams to the Mexican brands available.“Sherwin-Williams has the quality for thequality homes we’re doing,” she says. “And itgives me flexibility for creating custom colors.”

For this project, Espinet pored over books on Moroccan design to find patterns thatwould harmonize with the colors and fabricsshe had selected. She finished the home withan eclectic mix of finds and furnishings from all over the world, including both Moroccan and Mexican pieces.

The client didn’t see the Cabo home until itwas completed. Her first reaction? “She started tocry,”Espinet recalls. “I thought, ‘Oh, no! She hatesit!’”But fortunately, they were happy tears. “Shesaid, ‘It’s even better than I imagined.’” ■

Kim Palmer is editor of STIR magazine.


• Bon voyage. “Travel is my passion and inspiration,” says Espinet,

who often takes clients on the road with her to soak up ideas and

source artifacts. “If the person is willing to get on a plane and go

with me, I like to do it.” For a client who requested a traditional

Mexican look, for example, Espinet knew just the place to take her:

the Old Colonial section of San Miguel de Allende.

• More is more. When it comes to samples, Espinet doesn’t skimp.

“I drown people in what we’re doing,” she says. “I like people to

feel a gut instinct. The sooner they pick things, the better.”

• Stay connected. “For this project, we were on the job site a lot —

every two or three days,” she says. “It’s very important with so many

colors and textures. If one color was a bit too dark or too light, we

were able to adjust it.”

CONQUERING COLORSandra Espinet shares her insights for creating complex colorpalettes that clients will love:

The reflectivity of interior paint colors

can bolster a project’s LEED certification.


G O I N G G R E E N

You can use paint color to boost your project’s green rating— and give yourself a marketing edge while you’re at it.

Worthy of REFLECTION

olor is more than just an aestheticchoice. It can help light to penetratenooks and crannies just as it can help

fill in the “Grand Central areas” of our lives.And, at a time when energy costs are soaring,color can also play a role in reducing a design’slong-term cost for an owner or resident — allthanks to the power of reflectivity.

Simply put, lighter, more reflective huescan help a project “go green,” says SteveRevnew, director of marketing, productdevelopment for Sherwin-Williams. A lightercolor palette and higher-sheen surfaces canincrease reflectivity, making a space brighterwithout using artificial light. The reflectivity of interior and exterior paint colors can evenbolster a project’s certification under the U.S.Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energyand Environmental Design (LEED).

On the back of every Sherwin-Williams colorchip is that color’s light reflectivity value (LRV)number, Revnew notes. The scale goes from 0 (absorbs all light) to 100 (reflects all light).

“Many designers have always looked at LRV for varying reasons,” Revnew says. “We’ve always had them. But now we’regetting more questions about it. People areasking, ‘How do I use color to save energy?’”

Drew Smith of Two Trails Inc. in Sarasota,Fla., has been a green-building consultant formore than a decade, but he’s seen a big surgein interest over the last three years. “Goinggreen and LEED certification are ways forbuilders and designers to gain an edge,” hesays. “It can give you a higher resale value, and as the public becomes more aware ofgreen and what it can do to lower energy

costs, the demand will continue to grow.”Design professionals are looking for ways

to distinguish themselves, he notes. “Doingsomething different and environmentallyconscious gives them a white hat.”

The key to getting the highest-possibleLEED score and the biggest green bang for the buck, Smith says, is for designers to jump into the building process at a very early stage

— such as when decisions are being madeabout architectural features includingwindows, doors and skylights.

“A color designer should be involved with the project from the early design stage,”he says. “Using color to improve the indoorenvironment is critical. Designers can actuallyaffect the energy loads of a house based oncolor placement.” For example:• Lighten dark spaces with lighter paint.

It’s a simple idea, but Smith says that lighterpaint colors — in a long hallway especially —can actually help illuminate that space if the lighting is placed correctly.

• Go natural. If you need to illuminate anaturally dark room, such as a closet orinterior room, you can pull natural lightfrom adjacent spaces by using thereflectivity of a lighter color palette.

• Placement matters. While increasingreflectivity generally means moving to alighter palette, designers can still use darkeraccent colors. But they may want to limitthose colors to a single wall, rather than an entire room, or a space where lightingmakes less of a design difference.

• Don’t forget the glass. Coordinate colorplacement with the type of window glass

and the artificial lighting used in a space.Tinted green or blue glass can improve abuilding’s energy efficiency but will alsoaffect how interior colors reflect light. Andfluorescent light, which tends to be flatterand less unidirectional than an incandescentlight filament, can make it more challengingto use color to focus reflection. ■

James Walsh is a St. Paul-based journalist who writes

frequently about architecture and design.

B y J A M E S W A L S H

“Using color to improve the indoor environment

is critical. Designers can actually affect the energy

loads of a house based on color placement.”

C

>>GET GREEN SPECS

You can link to Sherwin-Williams green

product specifications through swstir.com

or by going directly to swgreenspecs.com.


C O L O R T E C H

f the first version of Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer showed howcolors work together and provided the opportunity to experimentwith endless combinations online, the latest version does it one better,

allowing you to create a virtual job site by downloading colors into your AutoCAD® and Photoshop® applications.

The downloadable palettes and the enhanced features of the ColorVisualizer enable design professionals to interact with color better than ever before. The Visualizer allows more than 1,500 colors from the Sherwin-Williams palette to be dragged and dropped into interior and exterior images.

This newly revamped tool features enhanced functionality and a broaderselection of coordinating colors — plus larger-format interior and exteriorimages that are easier to work with, clearer to view and printable. Thispowerful tool can be used to increase client confidence in color selectionby providing virtual examples of the colors in a variety of spaces or shownwithin the actual design concept when downloaded.

“It’s incredibly easy to use,” says Jackie Jordan, director of color

marketing for Sherwin-Williams. “Enhanced user-friendly navigationreflects the updated look and function of the Sherwin-Williams Website, and enables color searches by color family, color collection, orspecific color names or numbers. The ability to download palettes is an exclusive and innovative feature that allows for an even fullerexpression of the colors’ design possibilities.” ■

James Walsh is a St. Paul-based journalist who writes frequently about

architecture and design.

More palette powerThe newly enhanced Color Visualizer, and the ability to download Sherwin-Williams color palettesdirectly into computer-aided design (CAD) applications, provides more powerful color tools.

TRY DOWNLOADABLE PALETTES ON THE COLOR VISUALIZER

Sherwin-Williams downloadable color palettes, which you can import

into CAD or Photoshop, and the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer are

on sherwin-williams.com or just a click away via swstir.com.

>>

I

EXPLORE COLORS

Click here to exit the room view

and view colors full-screen.

DRAG & DROP COLORS

Adding colors to a scene is as

simple as drag and drop.

COLOR SELECTION

More than 1,500 Sherwin-

Williams colors are available,

all labeled by name and SW#.

SAVE FAVORITES

Color Visualizer allows you to

save your favorite colors to use

in different scenes.

COORDINATING COLORS

Each time you select a color,

Color Visualizer provides two

coordinating colors to review.

B y J A M E S W A L S H

THE HUE OF RAKU

A bowl is a bowl, unless it’s raku, the

Japanese pottery steeped in tradition.

No two pieces of raku are alike, thanks

to the color variations resulting from

the firing technique, which involves

rapid changes in temperature. Raku

is removed from the kiln while still

glowing hot, then cooled in air or

water, or smothered in straw or similar

materials. Variations in oxygen, heat

and glaze thickness all interact to

produce vivid and varied colorations.

The tradition originated in the 16th

century when tea master Sen-No-

Rikyu commissioned a tile maker

to create some simple tea bowls

for Emperor Hideyoshi. The emperor,

reportedly, was so pleased that he

named them raku, which means

“the joy of leisure time” or “ease.” ■

Amelia Carballo (b. 1951) Cuban

Porron Rojo (Red Canteen), 2003

Glazed earthenware, raku-fired

14" x 9 1⁄2"PH

OTO

CO

URT

ESY

OF

THE

ASU

HER

BER

GER

CO

LLEG

EO

FTH

EA

RTS

s t i r

PRSTD STDUS Postage

PAIDCenveo

Sherwin-Williams400 1st Ave. N., Ste. 200Minneapolis, MN 55401

Architect and Designer Answerline 800-321-8194swcolorsamples.com

©2008 The Sherwin-Williams Company

Want to give your space a startling new twist? Want to evoke a feeling that’s now andwow? With our colormix™ ’09 forecast colors, you can achieve your vision. To order largesize color samples and forecast color cards, go to swcolorsamples.com or contact yourlocal Architectural or Designer Account Executive.

paint on surprise.SW 6572 | RUBY SHADE

from the colormix™ ’09 forecast

SHERW1403 RUBYSHADE2 9.125x9 7/28/08 2:24 PM Page 1

Date post:	25-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	sherwin-williams
View:	229 times
Download:	0 times

STIR 5.2 2008

Documents