Monday, June 8, 2009

#159











#159, Luquer Street, Brooklyn


More off-kilter numbers, this time from the lovely Luquer Street, a quiet charmer of a street on the border of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook that I've written about before. The appealing crackling state of the 9 almost distracts me from the presence of pale peach, which is generally a deal-breaking color for me when it comes to architecture. There are many reasons I will never live in Miami, and this shade is one of them.

Color can really make a difference in buildings -- whether we perceive them as warm or cold, or whether we find them welcoming or not. I'm reminded of some of the scathing remarks about New York from writer Edith Wharton, who was way more of an expert in snarkitecture than yours truly. Wharton managed to take down the beloved brownstones of New York City a few notches by comparing their stately, earthy hues to something dipped in "cold chocolate sauce."

So a question for you, my dear readers: are there colors that attract you to certain buildings, or colors that repel you? Would you ever live somewhere or not live somewhere based on the colors of your surroundings, whether it be in buildings or in nature? And are there times when you'll make exceptions? For me, it was the hideous pink barn of Klemm's nursery (now demolished) in my hometown, a site so filled with fond memories I was willing to be more forgiving. Any colors for you that make or break a place?

14 comments:

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Thoughts on color in architecture....

Color doesn't stand alone. Love or repulsion of color in architecture hinges on the material of the structure, surrounding materials, textures, landscaping, accompanying font choices.......

Right now, I'm on a mission to photograph all of the teal structures in Greensboro, NC. Sometimes the color works. Sometimes it doesn't. Any teal in your cache?

Pierre said...

When visiting some of the small coastal communities in Oregon, I noticed an inordinate amount of green and pink cottages. They were usually pale in hue. I always wondered why. Was it because the coast climate somehow affected their color selection? Maybe their personalities drove them to it. Anyway, I found them to be depressing.

Therese Cox said...

Good point, GDP. But I find I am much more forgiving about materials and structure (even font) than an offensive color. Maybe others can be more holistic. I just see garish color and I shut down.

(I do have a teal 165, but it's been knocked out of the running by another that doesn't - as Ray Gunn would say - offend my rods and cones. Keep us posted on your developments though!)

Pierre - maybe there was something in the coastal air. Or a sale at Benjamin Moore. Yeah, I don't know how I could ever come home to a pink or green cottage.

Adam said...

I wrote about a building in Paris where the architects sued the inhabitants because they had repainted the building without asking their permission - and the architects won!

I have no particular feelings about building colours, but there is a shade of green that actually gives me a headache and makes me feel sick. Unfortunately, that shade is used in the seats of trains in France!

Ray Gunn said...

I get synaesthetic issues all the time with this, and it's not just color that's problematic, so my data is probably invalid in this poll. However, that purple monstrosity (I forget which number) you perpetrated on us a while back has probably been the biggest offender. Also: anything yellow.

twing: the kind of half-singing people do when they think no one is listening

Therese Cox said...

Adam - do you remember the name of that post of yours? I'd love to read it. Shame about the trains, though. Would stealing Bono's sunglasses help?

Ray - it was #27. You're still having nightmares about it, I see. I didn't know about your synesthesia, though. Is it just the grapheme-color type or can you tell a turkey's done because it's shooting out triangles at you? 'Cause that would be awesome.

Therese Cox said...

While on the subject of grapheme-color synthesthesia, check out this.

Adam said...

Therese: Here's the post.

Therese Cox said...

Cheers, Adam. I'll check it out.

Meadow said...

Yes. It's a weird kind of dark bottle green. Very unpleasant, my brain can't be comfortable around it. And it also reminds me of my school uniform!

Therese Cox said...

Meadow, I think the brainwashing was complete. : ) But yeah, I know what you mean. We didn't have the uniforms, but I can't stand the color combo of green and gold - holy high school.

Ray Gunn said...

Rhombuses, dude. Turkeys emit rhombuses.

Just kidding on that one, but wow! I thought we'd discussed this before. Not just color-grapheme. It's comprehensive. I smell shapes and taste sounds too. Unfortch, rarely is any of it awesome.

And looking at that link made me a little ill.

Therese Cox said...

Ray - thanks for clarifying. You can see how I would get them confused.

Looks like I've got a whole virtual roomful of people here feeling ill from colors. My work here is done.

Julie said...

Tried to research synaesthesia but still not much wiser.