La Colorista Isabel de Yzaguirre - Colour, Trends and Interior Design in Barcelona - English.

Shadow, Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year 2017

2016-11-01T18:49:00.001+01:00

Dear friends of mine:

this year has been one of thinking about my life and I haven't been here at all, which I regret. The absence has been good for me to clarify some aspects in my life, and today here I am again.

"SHADOW", Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year 2017, is to blame for my return. It grabbed my attention today, though it was announced nearly two weeks ago. And I just can say I LOVE this rich, dark, saturated, grayed blue violet.

Source

At Benjamin Moore they took inspiration in the Arts, and they mention a certain Museum in Copenhagen... which made me think of the amazing, bold, and beautiful colours in the Amsterdam's restored RijkMuseum. You see, influences can come from anywhere!

They chose this hue because it is regal, connected to royalty by the history of purple. And it conveys a sense of luxury and sophistication. Both aspects can help us to create our own interior artsy world, well protected from so many tragic events happenning in our planet for the last years. And with an added sense of richness to our life just with the help of colour.

COLOUR PALETTE

This noble colour is surrounded by a perfectly designed palette and four 2017 Colour Trends.

Source

As you can appreciatte, they go from luminous to deep and dark hues, and they embrace earthy and rich and muted ones.

COLOUR TRENDS:

Benjamin Moore's Experts have organized 2017 Colour Trends around the concepts of Light and Shadows, light being a key element influencing the perception of colours as well at home as it is in Art and Design. Shadows change how we see a hue and they give depth and proportion to space. And a good Space Designer will take into accoun light and shadows - both natural and artificial- when creating a Colour Scheme for an Interior Space.

This four Trends, under the title "THE THEATER OF LIGHT", are:

1- MORNING LIGHT:

DIAPHANOUS - CHARMING - INNOCENT

Source

Light, pale colours as Iceberg, Chalk White, Pink Bliss, Porcelain and Cloud Cover to begin our day in good spirits.

2- AFTERNOON LIGHT:

INTENSE - LUMINOUS - EXUBERANT

Source

Sun beams come across doors and windows and create a game of light and cast shadows on floors and walls that will add dynamism to daily life. Warm, rich hues are enhanced. Above Dinner Party and Grandfather Clock Brown.

3- SUNSET:

SOFT - EVANESCENT - BLURRED

Source

At the Magic Hour light becomes soft and fades towards grays, colours and silhouettes merge and dissolve day into night.

4- EVENING LIGHT:

MATTE - SHADOWS - GILDED

Source

Highligths become matte, violet shadows. And a guilded Old Master Palette keeps us warm in the midst of the night.

ENJOY!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista®

Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year 2016!!!!

2015-12-23T14:24:00.002+01:00

My best wishes to you all for the most Happy Holidays and an amazingly wonderful New Year 2016!

Best regards!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista®

Evidences In Home Design and Products announcing Pantone's Colours of the Year 2016, Rose Quartz and Serenity, as seen in 2015's Fairs.

2015-12-04T17:16:00.000+01:00

As I announced in my previous post, I'm going to analize my Trends Boards and see what products seen in 2015's Fairs support Pantone's election for their Colours of the Year, Rose Quartz and Serenity. I will proceed by Fairs and link to the owners of every image when possible.

Salone del Mobile 2015:

Image by @graziacasa_it in Wbsta.mee

Image by @cryskel in Websta.me

Image by @lapigei in Websta.me

Image by Levin Chin in Websta.me

Image by @focalizzare.arquitetura in Websta.me

Image by Adam Jones in Websta.me

Leather Blue decoration by Campana Brothers.

Image by Lorenzo Ruggieri in Websta.me

Image by @v2com_Newswire in Websta.me

Patterns by Kartell.

Image by Lorenzo Ruggieri in Websta.me

IMM Cologne 2015:

Image by IMM Cologne in Websta.me

Ambiente Fair 2015:

Image by Ambiente Fair via Websta.me

As you see, pastel colours and more specifically rose and blue, were seen in furnishings, lighting, textiles, Home products, Pattern design, rugs and as an accent in compositions. That's why Pantone's selection makes a lot of sense to me.

And a thought that came to my mind today:

as you may have noticed, in 2015 I didn't post much in English. That's because I focused more in developing my Spanish blog and reason number two is that I have been redesigning my blogs and site. I've improved my copy writing -at least I hope so- and more important to me, I've beeen "decluttering" and have changed my LOGO and BRAND COLOURS.

As you see, the previous Sky Blue in links has been switched to Dark Blue, I have kept Rose for visted links and I have changed the green that previously signaled links when the mouse is on them to Aqua Blue. Of course I wasn't consciuous of Colour Trends nor didn't follow them: this was the result of listening to my own needs and wishes for my blogs and brand. But today it resonates with Pantone's selection, and I'm gald of it, for that's good for may brand :-)

See you!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista®

Pantone's Colours of the Year 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity.

2015-12-03T18:00:00.000+01:00

For the first time in recent years and in an interesting and clever turn -at least in my eyes- Pantone has chosen a combination of two hues as the Color of the Year 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity. Rose being warm and compassionate and Serenity blue, cooler and calm, together they promote the sense of balance and wellness that is currently felt as so necessary in our stressful days.

Pantone

About a month ago, my friend Marta Aymerich Mallorca and I were guessing about which colour of Pantone's SS Fashion 2016 Report would be the One for 2016. After analizing past Colours of the Year and a quick sight at Colour Trends and the World's current events, my votes were divided between ... Rose Quartz and Serenity! (Honestly, I also though of Silver Gray).

Pantone

Both hues have a hint of red and much white, and Rose Quartz seems a natural evolution from 2015's Marsala. Marsala embraced warmness and made a statement and now we still need warmness and healing -think of wars, big scale migrations and so many things striking our counciousness... Rose Quartz will fulfill perfectly this need, and Serenity, cooler but tied to Rose Quartz by a faint tinge of red, will pair extremely well with Rose both esthetically and functionally and will provide a sense of peace.What I hadn't imagined was that Pantone would select the two of them as Colors of the Year 2016!

Pantone

As for me, I'm more than pleased and do warmly welcome them because deeply inside of me I have a feeling that our world needs a great dose of healing, nurturing and protection. The video that follows shows why in just some moments:

Pantone in Youtube

My next step will be investigating among my Trends Boards to check if I find related images, which I'm nearly sure about. See you soon!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista®

News and Projects with Marta Aymerich and some changes in La Colorista®

2015-08-29T17:49:00.001+02:00

This year I haven't written much in this blog, and this isn't good at all, at least for marketing oneself... But summer vacation is a good time for keeping in touch and here I go!

Today I'm presenting my good friend Marta Aymerich, from Marta Aymerich Emotional Comunication. She is a great designer, from head to toe: her designs are fresh, clean and contemporary and so is she!

Kate Smith put us in touch in 2011, and from that day a good friendship has been growing between the two of us. Currently we are collaborating in very encouraging projects and I want to present her to you:

Marta&Isabel

Image by Humberto Pérez Padilla, ARTIST.

This image was taken last July in a meeting where we worked on Colour and Design Trends for a Hospitality Project. Our meetings are very productive, truly creative brainstorming sessions that fill us with awe and joy! In that case, my part was investigating Colour, Food, Consumer and Restaurant Design Trends -as you know, colour spreads across so many industries! Today I want to share that Marta and I are designing some projects and Events we'll communicate to you soon, and I hope they can be of your interest!

As for myself I'm in shifting mood that has its reflection in my blogs and website: a more neat typography, new Logo and new Brand Colours that are still under consideration. La Colorista® will go on, of course, but under my very own name, Isabel de Yzaguirre, which means assuming more personal responsability.

Summer is a good time for changes, they say, and so it is for me...
Keep tuned for new announcements soon!

Happy Year 2015!

2015-01-03T23:28:00.000+01:00

May it be a Colourful one for you!

Best wishes!!!

isabel de Yzaguirre

La Colorista®

AkzoNobel's Color Trends for 2015

2014-11-15T23:13:00.003+01:00

Since I'm blogging about AkzoNobel's 2015 Color Trends in my Spanish blog, I invite you to read about them there. Of course you have a Google Translator Gadget that will let you understand. I'm writing about this in 10Decoración as well, where I'm their Color Expert, of which I'm very happy.

But in case you want to have a quick view, watch this video and you'll get a close idea:

ColorFutures 2015

They are:

BIG NATURE+SMALL ME - LAYER+layer - +UNSEEN SPACES - him+her &

FRIENDLY BARTER

All of them enhance the use of COPPER ORANGE as Akzo's COLOR of the YEAR 2015 and showcase fabulous Color Palettes. As an instance:

Source

While this happens in Europe, North American Paint Companies have made other choices for THEIR 2015's Color. I hope to blog on that soon, while we wait for PANTONE's reveal of THEIR so expected choice, which usually takes place early in December.

Until then, I hope you enjoy the video and learning about Color as much as I do.

See you soon, dear readers of mine!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista®

www.lacolorista.com

COPPER ORANGE, AkzoNobel's 2015 Color of the Year!

2014-11-02T16:36:00.002+01:00

As every year these days, AkzoNobel published their 2015 Colour of the Year, Copper Orange, which is defined as:

¡SURPRISING – WARM – BEAUTIFUL!

A deep colour in an emerging spectrum of reds, pinks and oranges, it showcases a globally more optimistic trend.

According to the current protagonism of metallic hues in design, this colour reflects and summarizes the Trends identified for 2015 in this field. These are:

A warmer attitude and a desire for sharing.

Natural earthy colour palettes, from clay tones to sunlit yellow strokes.

And last but not least, skin tones that reflect human interaction and sepia hues from the past.

Copper Orange combines well with:
- PINKS – NEUTRALS – WHITES and ORANGES.
- Also with other metallic hues as GOLD.
  
  There is a return to using ORANGE as a MAIN COLOUR rather than a mere accent.
  
  AkzoNobel's motto is:
  
  EVERYDAY + FINDING THE WONDERFUL
  
  The search of wonder in our daily life, this jewel that makes it magic, is a reaction to consumerism – which anchors in sustainability as the core point to make our world a more caring and sharing one.
  
  As for Architecture, the main direction is “EVERY DAY+”. That means:
  
  "La Reserva"
  - Opening our eyes to the existing beauty around us.
  - Looking to the world as a unique place, with a renovated glance at it.
  - Colour of the Year 2015, COPPER ORANGE, enhances natural and handcrafted materials.
  As an instance, ColorFutures mentions the “La Reserva” House, in La Colina, by Chilean architect Sebastián Irarrazával (upper image).
  
  Other applications in Architecture have been seen:
  
  And different Trends Forecastings seem to confirm this direction, as in Haymes:

Eclectic Trends

If you want to se the video of COPPER ORANGE's presentation by AkzoNobel, you've got it HERE.

In coming posts we will deal with the five 2015 Color Trends provided by ColorFutures, who have provided all the images shown here, if other sources aren't mentioned.

See you!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,
La Colorista®

www.lacolorista.com

Christian Dior Spring/Sumer 2015

2014-10-04T22:46:00.000+02:00

Dear readers of mine:

I have found this fabulous video of the presentation that Christian Dior made of his Spring/Summer Fashion proposals, and just had to share it with you!
Pay atention to colour and style, there is something for everybody, even me, who am 57. I would wear some of these outfits undoubtedly!
Enjoy them!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

My comment on Color Trends World's Forecast 2016 to be revealed at CMG International Summit.

2014-09-28T14:16:00.000+02:00

A few days ago, CMG announced the reveal of their World's Color Forecast for 2016, which will be presented in depth at their International Summit next November. If you're interested, gather information here. But if you want a sneak a peek of it, here it goes, and my comparison with what I have been observing about Colour Trends in the net recently. This is the announced World's 2016 Color Palette:

Source, CMG.

As you'll remember, I posted about colour trends this year and I talked about BLUES for 2014-15 here, and about GREENS for 2015-16 here. And what are you seeing in CMG's World Palette? A hughe presence of blues and some blue-greens. And Spring and Jungle Greens, as announced by Mix Trends and shown in my mentioned previous posts.

In Mix Trends Retroflow I've observed more presence of greens than of blues, which is not so different of what you are seeing here, taking into account that blue greens and aquas would be a bridge among the two mentioned color families.

Color selection at a CMG Workshop.

See blues and greens?

Source.

Barcelona's CMG Workshop 2014,

source.

Green expresses a desire for a natural feel, and blues reminds us of summery skies -with its unlimited dimension and sense of freedom- and of soothing and fresh waters, be them Caribbean or from a rainy day. In a fast paced technological society where we usually feel so pressed and far away from nature, this choices make a lot of sense to me. I've loved these ones:

Source

Notice an important presence of the red to orange families, which I see in Mix Trends for 2015-16 as well. This would indicate a shift towards more confidence and optimism, but will social facts confirm this trend? By the way, red is complementary to green and both balance each other.

Clerkenwell Design Week, source.

Different sources seem to confirm same Colour Directions: let's see what coming Fairs and Reports disclose. In the meanwhile I hope you enjoy discovering Colour Trends as I do.

More to come!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

Color and Materials Trends 2015-16 by Heimtextil.

2014-09-28T00:11:00.001+02:00

Today I present you this interesting video published by Heimtextil. Here you have a very good and visual summary, which explains itself very well. Take notes and enjoy!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

Trends 2014-16: Spring and Jungle Greens.

2014-07-29T10:59:00.000+02:00

It seems we are going to see many greens in next Colour Seasons. They are presented either as Spring Greens either as Jungle Greens. No wonders about this choice, which seems to express our desire for green shades with a natural feel. We will see many of them in 2015 and 2016.

This trend celebrates Spring, specially with grass green.

TWO TONE CHAIR by Ichiro Iwasaki.

More tending towards olive is Pedrali's polycarbonate Blitz Chair:

Design by Claudio Dondoli and Marco Pocci.

Other shades of green will be seen, as in this beautiful glass lamp by Serax:

Image by @elsolylaluna via Instagram.

Also from Serax's collection are these beautiful vases, one of them leaning more towards blue-green:

Via Pinterest.

And this pale pastel green is announced for 2015-16:

Pure by Pascale Naessens for Serax,

via Pinterest.

Well, honestly I've fallen in love with Serax, a firm having its Headquarters in Belgium and distributing to many European countries, USA, Australia and even the Russian Federation. That's why I need to show you more of their awsome products as related to green:

Pay attention, for reds, the complementary of greens, will come strong as well.

Textiles by Serax

I would have shown you more, but I have some kind of problem with my Internet connextion today. In spite of that, I hope you have enjoyed and I promise to come with more.

Love colour!

Source Mix Magazine

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

www.lacolorista.com

Colour Trends 2014-15: Mid Blue.

2014-07-17T12:00:00.000+02:00

From the colours that have been spotted in Design Fairs this year, I'm bringing a very cool one for the Summer Season, Mid Blue. This one reminds of summery skies and, in some shades, Caribbean waters, or the colour of the sea in a rainy day.

www.lapalma.it

Optimistic and summer like, it will help us feel in a better mood after so many gray days in Winter and Spring. Below, the Box Stool adds a fresh and luminous splash to the room's composition:

Box Stool by Moustache

More a turquoise shade is seen in Cave Light, from Moustache, which brings memories of nautic lanterns through its shape. It's featured in the center of the image:

Published in/ De Moustache, publicado en Dezeen.

A slightly darker shade is found in Vik Chair from Ligne Roset, which is a design by Thibault Desombre.

More current and on fire Colour Trends will follow. Stay tunee!

And if you need help with Colour Trends or Colour Assesment for your Home, contact me. I'll be pleased to help!

Source: Mix Magazine

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

www.lacolorista.com

Color Theory or Color Instinct or better having both to choose Colors for Design?

2014-04-19T19:18:00.003+02:00

Now and then I come across this discussion in Color related Internet Forums:

- Are you supposed to be a better Color Expert if you follow Color Theory or is this for newbies?

And,

- Star Consultants are those who have a special sense for Color which is a kind of gift that makes them special and unique?

I was taught that you can create Color Harmonies either by instinct either by knowledge of how Color Harmonies can be created based on relationships established among Colors according to their position in the Color Wheel. I never was taught "this is better than that" and honestly feel annoyed when I realize there are people in the net discrediting the knowledge of Color Theory as if it even could be dangerous to be taken into account!

My own and personal position is you should never be rigid on these questions. Of course if you want to Consult on Color you should have an Artistic background and a practice as an artist, even if you aren't a first line one -which is rather difficult by the way, because not all of us have been born geniuses. You should know how to create your colors out from the three primaries and with the help of white, and according to my special art teacher Marina Berdalet, black should be avoided as much as possible.

I always take into account Color Relationships and Theory when painting a canvas and trying to reach that special tint, tone or shade. And I take into account Color Theory and what I was taught about creating Color Atmospheres in an Interior Design, while listening to my Color Instinct. Graphic Designers pick colors for their creations according to Color Theory and also follow their sense of Color - I think of wallpapers and textiles. You cannot assign colors to them only based in your instinct: you'll probably apply one of the known relationships and probably will adjust to coming Color Trends.

Color Theory must be well known and isn't that easy. I don't believe anything just because I've been told this or that. In fact, I've been studying hard theorists like Faber Birren, who based his knowledge in his factual experience contrasted with many scientific studies conducted during the XX th. Century. He cited many of the latter in his books and referred them in his bibliography. You can have Color Sense but if you want to devote to Color or are simply interested in the subject, you should try to learn as much theory as you can. If you follow the rules in a simplistic way, of course you can reach odd results. But the same can happen if you follow your instinct alone. So my recommendation and my believe is that you should cultivate yourself in both the artistic side and the theoretical one.

An example of well applied Color Theory follows:

Via Pinterest

Here you have two complementary colors, violet on the wall and a greenish yellow in the side-table and bouquet of flowers. Violet is filling a greater surface than yellow, which becomes the accent color here. Acting as an accent, yellow appears to have higher chroma than violet and catches the observer's eye at a glance. When you pick two complementary colors,this is how to do it: you need to give more space to one of them (violet) and less to the second (yellow). This way, a general mood is settled while you can give prominence to the accent furniture through its complementing the wall color and giving it a higher chroma at the same time. A good Color Consultant or Interior Designer will consider all of these aspects when designing a space, may inspiration come first and then Color Theory be checked to contrast inspiration or might it happen the opposite way.

About Color Systems, there is no magic in them, as Lori Sawaya explains wonderfully in an article of hers at The Land of Color. Be it the Munsell System, be it The NCS (Natural Color System), the Color Expert knows what the Notation means and that lets him or her do a right job when picking Colors.

The Land of Color

Colors like "Bright Garnet", "Romanesque" and "Exotic Bloom" have their own notation according to the Munsell System. Same happens with NCS, the official reference for Paint Colors in Spain.

NCS

In NCS they explain it with this example:

NCS

If you pick NCS S 1070-Y10R from the NCS 1950 Color fan deck, this means that this color

"is included in the standard collection (S) and lies in between the yellow (Y) and red (R) colour span with:

10% perceived red (the remaining 90% going towards yellow)
10% perceived Blackness
70% perceived Chromaticness

This means the colour looks like a quite strong yellow." (font)

Lori Sawaya, who has a deep knowledge of Color and Color Technology, explains it this way:

Source

This doesn't mean that being a Color Consultant is quite easy. This means that there is a lot of Theory, Knowledge, Science and a System behind Paint Brands and fan decks, and behind any Design that needs Color as a Key Element. This is not about a magic gift that belongs to a few selected individuals only. If you understand the notation, you know about the Overtone and you know about the Undertone. As Picasso said, let Inspiration meet you while Working. You need to study hard, and you need to practice in as different ways as you can. This is my own belief and what I will always defend.

In the video that follows, Lori Sawaya, whose knowledge I admire, gives you 20 minutes of worthy explanations on how to use Color Theory and Color Wheels to help you choose colors for your works. And she doesn't avoid the difficult sides of the questions. I hope you will enjoy it.

And remember, if you need help with Color, look for an Expert that you trust. And remember, there is a lot of work behind the creation of a Color Palette.

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2014!!!!

2013-12-23T15:36:00.000+01:00

With the best wishes of love, peace, health and prosperity for everybody from

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

Colours by Culture, an infographic.

2013-11-27T23:37:00.001+01:00

Shared today in Google+ by Lori Sawaya, from The Land of Color, I picked this interesting infographic which showcases prefectly how colours have different meanings according to different cultures. This should be carefully taken in account for designers and corporations when creating new products, specially when dealing with clients that come from a culture other than ours. The image comes from Top Web Design Schools. Enjoy!

Source: TopWebDesignSchools.org

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista

Colour Trends in the first half of the year.

2013-07-12T22:54:00.000+02:00

According to what Tamsin Kingswell says in Mix Trends Newsletter, which I'm subscribed to, the Summer is a good time to make an overview of colour trends as seen in the first half of the year.In Tamsin's words, "So far we’ve noticed metallics broadening out to include all things shiny (much on show at DMY), a romance with clear materials or those with just a hint of a tint and our love affair with green going ever deeper into the forest with a lovely, almost Loden-like shade. And we still don’t seem to have shaken off the collective passion for pastels and neons although at Mix our enthusiasm is waning fast. Instead we are waiting for a move towards darker, more sober colours that counterbalance all that candyfloss knocking about at the moment. "

From what I've seen in the streets here in the small Barcelona's area village where I live, I can confirm the love of pastels and neons among people, together with emerald green and floral colors such as pink, red and sunny yellow.

Cal Gavi, Moià (Barcelona).

Photo credits and colour palette by

(c)-Isabel de Yzaguirre Maura, 2013.

www.lacolorista.com

Cal Gavi, Moià (Barcelona).

Photo credits and colour palette by

(c)-Isabel de Yzaguirre Maura, 2013.

www.lacolorista.com

Cal Gavi, Moià (Barcelona).

Photo credits and colour palette by

(c)-Isabel de Yzaguirre Maura, 2013.

www.lacolorista.com

I hope you have enjoyed this report. And if you need color help, just contact me, I'm here to help you!

Best,

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

Vividly Colored Chairs: guest post by Mari from Arcadian Home

2013-05-11T20:01:00.000+02:00

About a year ago, I published a guest post on "Decorating with Floral Art",by Arcadian Home. Today I'm very pleased to host AH again with a post on Vividly Colored Chairs, which suits perfectly my love of Color!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

Hello, lovely readers!

I'm from Arcadian Home blog which is a wonderful place for home decor inspirations. There you will find lots of great creative ideas for everything from decorative trays to big wall art and much more. Today, we're going to talk about one of my favorite pieces of furniture. I love all things related to home interiors, but chairs are at the top of my list of furniture obsessions. I am especially fond of colorful chairs, so that's what this little visual tour is all about. Please enjoy! Thanks for letting me stop by to share. ~ Mari

Cheerful and very colorful flowers of all sorts cover these simple dining chairs in a beautiful eat-in kitchen.

A trio of vividly colored chairs plus one in pure white look charming around a Tulip table. I love how each chair picks up color from around the room. A modern pendant light in brushed metal hangs above the table.

These chairs made of pale wood are quite beautiful with their array of colorful backs and seats. The vintage rug pulls all the colors together nicely.

This restored and colorfully upholstered antique chair is one of the myriad of choices offered by online seller Couch. What a cool name! Each piece is re-covered by hand in the most amazing fabrics.

A tiny breakfast nook is bright and cheerful with colorful chairs and window seat. What a wonderful mix of color and pattern—from Mexican Suzani in red and white to a great green and white geometric, they're just perfect.

This brilliant pink rocker is at once comfortable and beautiful—just right for mom or dad in baby's first room. Who knew how companionable ornate mini pendant lighting and bright yellow floor lamps could be?

This elegant armchair in deep pink and bright orange silk is one of my favorite pieces seen in our collection

today.

A comfy armchair in deep Merlot red is beautiful in this eclectic bath. Quirky fish wallpaper is a bit surprising, but seems made for the space.

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

What do you think of these vividly colored chairs? Leave us your thoughts below and stop by our blog for more daily home decor, lighting, and interior inspirations!

A project come true: The Four Seasons Mural for a School's yard.

2013-04-01T18:41:00.000+02:00

Whoever has followed me since three years ago maybe remembers a post on a Mural Project for Josep Orriols i Roca School's yard. The School is located in Moià (Barcelona, SPAIN).

I published the project for the first time when I had been working on it for about nine month, and I had serious doubts about its being painted because of economical crisis in Spain. But luckily parents were very willing to see it done, and to let their sons and daughters have a more colourful School, no matter what it might cost. They organized events to collect money and provided all the colours that I had specified, whith the sponsoring of our local Paints Store.

Today I can say the mural has come to life and am offering a view of the whole process until its completion.

The initial goal was to have some of the concrete walls of the yard decorated, and we chose the one in the sight:

La Colorista, 2010.

My project aimed at representing the colours in the natural landscapes around our village all along the Four Seasons of the Year, in the same order that we experience them since the School Term begins: from Fall to Summer. Colours were picked from photographs shot in Moià's surroundings, and the proposed design was this one:

The Four Seasons' Mural, Isabel de Yzaguirre Maura

(La Colorista),2011.

Netx step was to translate digitally picked colours to NCS notation, the system used in Spain to make paint with tinting machines. I divided the mural in four parts, one for each Season, and chose the corresponding hues. I did this by ocular comparison of the colours I saw in the screen with hues in the NCS fandeck. This way, I looked for the more approximate ones.

Autumn colour palette, IdY (Isabel de Yzaguirre Maura).

Winter colour palette, IdY.

Spring colour palette, IdY.

Summer colour palette, IdY.

- And how was the mural painted?

It was done in the end of october, in 2012's Fall. The School Major's Team transferred the design to the wall, thought of an easy notation system so everyone knew which colour to paint, and assigned a part of the mural to each Class in the School. Previously, parents had primed the concrete wall.

Eldest pupils painted the higher part of the mural, with the help of their teachers and small platforms. And children in Infants School painted the lower parts. They all painted the first layer of the mural.

Hands to work!

Work in progress.

Volunteer dads and moms painted the mural's second layer, on a Saturday's morning.

The graphic guide.

The final touches.

Signing for posterity, 2012-13.

The very moment when the Four Seasons mural was finished.

The Official Opening, with all the pupils and teachers, and with the good company of the School's Giants, Xot and Fura.

Here you can see how alive and cheerful look the mural colours in a snowy day:

Notice how the colour of snow is matched in the mural, as well as the blue of the sky.

In a personal way, to see this project done makes me feel very happy. It meant uncountable hours of work that now have turned out into great satisfaction. I think it has been worth all the efforts made.

Pupils and parents were very happy making it possible, and the mural has become a symbol of the School. But I will explain that in a next and shorter post.

Until then, be well and fill your life with colour!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

The meaning of Colour in Marketing. And in Interior Design.

2013-03-04T19:18:00.001+01:00

A few days ago I found this interesting Infographic on the meaning of colours applied to marketing. I'ts a good brief that can be perfectly applied to Interior Design. And since color increases readership, recognition and comprehension, I hope it will be helpful for you. Enjoy!

The Meaning Of Colour In Marketing infographic by AttwoodDigital.

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

Good networking practices in LinkedIn.

2013-01-13T11:06:00.002+01:00

Dear readers of mine:

today I want to comment something that happend to me recently in LinkedIn. I write blog posts when I can and try always the content to be of interest. Then I share it in my groups trying to develop a good conversation. Lately I wrote two posts publishing interesting Houzz tours with my comment, and posted in my groups. I've always had a positive groupal behaviour, I think: I've been respectful and have tried to make my contribution to others...

Isabel de Yzaguirre, IdY.
La Colorista.

It happens that I publish my content from Bloggers directly to LinkedIn, and I've stated that slide presentations don't show when linked. Instead of that, my photo and Bloggers profile was shown, though I linked to the post. I usually had been posting my content in Color related groups, but since I belong to many Interior Design groups, I thought my posts on Color could be of interest. And I must state that I had a great and very welcoming response, and a great contribution of fellow Interior Designers on developing conversations on Color. If you scroll down in my blog, you will see that I wrote two of this posts with Houzz content lately. I had a great feedback in general, but had a bad surprise as well. Having had a comment in a group, and wanting to thank it, I came to discover that I had been blocked there! I was shocked, I admit!!!

Then I discovered that my latest posts showed my photo and Bloggers' profile instead of the post content. Could this be the cause why someone flagged my contribution? Could be, of course. But it happened only two times before I realized my mistake, and nobody warned me through any kind of comment or private message, which is the procedure I think should have been followed. Simply put, someone flagged me once and I was blocked! I wrote to the group owner to explain myself and ask him his reconsidering my being blocked in this Interiors group, but I haven't had any response. I understand group owners are busy, and I understand that spamming is annoying. But I didn't mean to spam the group at all. In fact there were many people interested in what I posted and that engaged in a very interesting conversation, where everybody shared his/her thoughts on the subject. And I wasn't given a single chance when flagged by someone.

So here go my thoughts: I revised what could have happened and detected the possible cause of the blocking. And the lesson I've learnt: if you post a link from your blog, be careful to do it with an interesting introducing question on the subject, that can begin an interesting conversation. Be careful not to be too showy of yourself or not to seem to be too showy. Even if you think you are behaving correctly, make sure nobody can think on the contrary, for we never know enough about others' level of sensibility.

For me it has been a very unpleasant experience, since I've always tried to be kind to everybody and never post negative criticism on other people works, posts and blogs. But this happened to me and I've tried to learn from this experience. I'd love to know your thoughts on this question and I hope that this can help others as well. Let me finish with my best wishes for a wonderful Year 2013 to everybody, which I didn't before for personal reasons.

See you soon with more posts on Color and Interior Design!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

25 most bookmarked Colourful Homes in Houzz 2012!

2012-12-30T15:57:00.004+01:00

I've found this collection of 25 most bookmarked Colourful Homes 2012 in Houzz and really enjoyed the collection. Of course I love some more than others, but all of them are a good example of how color can help to make you feel better in your home. Which ones do you prefer?

As for 2013, I guess blues and greens are going to be on spot...

25 Most Bookmarked Colorful Homes of 2012

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Happy and colorful New Year 2013 to everybody!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista.

Dutch decorating for the Holidays.

2012-12-26T16:38:00.000+01:00

Being in Houzz is great, since I can surf looking for wonderful articles like the one I post today, about how they decorate doors in Christmas Season in the Netherlands.

With some natural elements like pine branches and cones, and dried orange's slices, they make wonderful wreaths like the shown in the slideshow. Silver decoration and white elements embellish brick façades and make them look happy, soft and elegant, without being over-decorated. Merry Christmas Season to everybody!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,
La Colorista.

Dutch Homes Deck Out for the Holidays

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

A thank you from the heart, and my best wishes...

2012-12-16T12:29:00.003+01:00

...to my 20.000 readers in English!!!

By the end of 2011 I reached 10.000 visits. And I have come to 20.000 pretty before the New Year and this means the visits to my blog have increased. I do appreciate the nice comments that some of my pro friends have left. And I have a deep feeling of gratitude for all of you, for your warm welcome. So let me say a big thank you and wish you all the best with this image of Christmas Decoration Colours that I shot some days ago.

La Colorista in Tumblr.

Let the light, the deep blue, turquoise, white and gold soothe and warm your hearts at the same time.

And may your Christmas Season be full of love, peace, prosperity and all kind of blessings!

Merry Chirstmas and Happy 2013!

Isabel de Yzaguirre,

La Colorista,

Tiffany's Christmas Window Displays in Barcelona

2012-12-08T16:49:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I went to Barcelona and had a walk along Passeig the Gràcia, where you can find some well known Luxury Brands like Chanel, Loewe and many more.

Since I signed up for Instagram and Tumblr, I have become used to chase images of things I love with my mobile device. It's light, it's easy and it helps networking.I love chasing colors, and I love chasing Window Displays, since you can learn a lot from them. I confess I didn't know we have a Tiffany&Co in Barcelona, and I was amazed at their Christmas Window Display.

Tiffany Barcelona,