Architekwiki
  • Home
  • WIKI
  • Start Here
  • Resources
  • Other
    • Reading List
    • Ochre >
      • Ochre
      • Ochre KB
      • Ochre FAQs
      • Ochre Help
    • Details
    • The 3 Aspects
    • About
    • Subscription FAQs
    • Terms of Use
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • WIKI
  • Start Here
  • Resources
  • Other
    • Reading List
    • Ochre >
      • Ochre
      • Ochre KB
      • Ochre FAQs
      • Ochre Help
    • Details
    • The 3 Aspects
    • About
    • Subscription FAQs
    • Terms of Use
  • Subscribe

Architekwiki

A Resource For Architects
Click here to get good stuff in your inbox

The Problem With Selecting Colors

10/7/2015

 
Colors

Selecting Colors


I like to select colors. I think I'm pretty good at it. I don't do it often enough to be great, but I think my results are pretty darn good.

Maybe if I selected colors all the time, I would know more about the politics of selecting colors and get good at that aspect, too. Because politics is the problem with selecting colors. 

After an interiors person returned from a color-review meeting in tears, I developed the following process to head off more unpleasant experiences. Honestly we haven’t gotten to use it often enough to know if it can be improved; so feel free to contribute your experience/advice in the comments. The world -needs- a solution to the “color problem”!


THE COLOR PICKING PROCESS 
  1. Establish who is in charge of color selection, the architect or someone else. 
  2. If someone other than the architect, determine who. If the architect skip to Step 8.
  3. Ask the color selecting person(s), what they will need - plans, color chips, etc. 
  4. Exchange information about timeline - when the results will be ready and when the contractor plans to buy the paint, casework, doors, etc. Allow a few days for documenting the color scheme for the contractors.
  5. Bug the color selecting person(s) three, two and one week from the deadline.
  6. Receive the colors and determine if the Owner approves.
  7. Skip to step 14.
  8. Determine who will approve the color scheme. 
  9. Hold a meeting with the color-approving-group to discuss what we see as the goals of the color scheme. No colors are shown at this point. The end result is minutes or a memo describing the approach to be taken. 
  10. Prepare one color scheme that meets the approach that was approved. If the ARCHITECT wants or feels that more schemes are useful, only then do more than one scheme. 
  11. Meet with the color-approving-group and ’sell’ your scheme on its merits as meeting the agreed upon approach. 
  12. If there are problems with the scheme being approved, make sure you know exactly what the objection is. E.g., NOT `I don't like the wall color'; but make them say what they don't like about the wall color - too dark, too edgy, wrong color - nail it down.
  13. Correct any objections and get approval. 
  14. Document the color choices; and submit to the contractor.

You may have noticed that we don’t get involved if we aren’t assigned the role of selecting colors. I find it too painful. I would rather let the Owner screw up the colors, than participate. I won't think less of you if you want to put yourself through that torture. By all means put yourself on the the color-selecting-committee. I'll give you one piece of advice to minimize your time (because somehow you will now be working for the color-selecting-committee pro bono). Don’t prepare color boards. Instead make a CAD drawing of labelled boxes, e.g. “VCT”, “CARPET”, “WALL COLOR”... At the meetings, unroll a couple paper plots to lay out the colors loose to present each scheme. 

-- I just saved you a day’s worth of color-board-making.

Original post date: 10/29/2013

kae
5/12/2015 01:56:34 pm

Hi, I am a maintenance general contractor myself working with government client, and I find your article true to the spot, thanks for writing this blog, I find them very useful


Comments are closed.
    Resources

    Start Here

    YouTube Channel

    Join The Mailing List

    Picture

    Terms of Use
    Your use of Architekwiki is implicit agreement with the 
    ​
    Terms of Use.
    Thank You for your donation

    x
    Get Good Stuff in Your Inbox
    Picture
    Subscribe

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012

    Categories

    All
    Business Development
    Business Management
    Design
    Detail
    Miscellaneous
    Project Management
    Resources

Picture

Picture
VISIT ARCHITEKWIKI'S RESOURCES
​
START HERE
ABOUT
SIGN UP
TERMS OF USE
Architekwiki | Architect's Resource | Greater Cincinnati 
© 2012-2022   Architekwiki​