found color

COLOR found in nature, on the road & on the job … shared now on instagram too! #foundcolor #kimberlycollinsjermain

 
Found Color | soft shades of the dunes in Winter
Found Color | subtle aubergine sand stripes in the dunes at Crane’s Beach
Found Color | charcoal on white, winter crabapples drawing at night
Found Color | Strikingly purple Red Oak leaf in an overcast afternoon light
Found Color | strawberry red - still bearing fruit
Found Color | Fall complementary colors - red and green
Found Color | family portrait in shades of gray
Found Color | worn white - naturalized whale bone in an island thicket
Found Color | Celia Thaxter’s garden is a colorful break from painting
Found Color | North Atlantic clear morning light over Great Tide Pool, Appledore Island
Found Color | white-washed granite of Appledore Island
Found Color | setting sunlight penetrating the woods

a gift from the sea - the other cape article

Thanks for the shout out — The Other Cape!

>> Link to “A GIFT FROM THE SEA” written by Heather Atwood with photos by Carol Liscovitz - theothercape.com, June 18, 2019

>> Link to PDF Version of Article Here

KimberlyCollinsJermainArchitecturalColorDesign.jpg

A Beverly Farms artist begins a new chapter by restoring a house with simple solutions inspired by nature …

color notes

Kimberly Collins Jermain I Architectural Color DesignResidential + Commercial Site-Specific Color, Paint, Finish, Material Plans

 

take winter chill out of a small kitchen with off-white walls, cabinets and trim

add a soft accent of gray using un-treated soapstone countertops

feature warm wood where you linger; flooring, stools and dining table

This is a perfect palate to observe winter weather, keeping the room light and warm. 

Kimberly Collins Jermain

Architectural Color Design

Residential + Commercial Site-Specific Color, Paint, Finish, Material Plans

His & Hers of Color Design

“We need the marriage counselor” was all I heard her say when I answered the phone. I knew the voice immediately and thought how honest this client was to acknowledge the couple's impasse. We laughed, and then made a plan for the three of us to meet for a weekend appointment to discuss the renovation that she and her husband were about to embark upon.

What makes color so contentious between couples? (Disclaimer - I'm not a therapist!)

The task to make choices for a new roof, siding or hardscape without clear ground rules for an assured outcome can become more than a mere tussle between the sexes. Making color choices for architecture is hypothetical. We use our “mind's eye” to imagine results based on our previous life experience of color outcomes. Sharing a mental image with someone else is hard to do and especially difficult for couples. Add the high cost of materials for home maintenance and the battle lines get drawn.

Some couples just don't want to talk about it. They put off home improvement decisions that require color choices until the very last minute, often making selections of building materials without a plan at all. No one wins when a poor color choice is the new feature of the shared home environment. The less-than-successful result becomes a visual reminder of an area of contention.

If only the couple in the color quandary understood that successful choices do not come from having “good taste” much of the struggle to make renovation plans would seem less personal. Unfortunately, manufacturers flatter and encourage customers to express their style by shopping their way to a solution, rather than seek help to create a plan based on design principles that can craft one that is collaborative and well suited to the site.

It wasn't until neuroscience research using MRI's provided data to prove that men and women experience color differently, that I felt comfortable sharing my observations with clients about the distinct perspective of men and women from my own organic research. As an architectural color designer who works with couples, it was obvious to me from the start that the two don't see eye-to-eye when talking color. Now, we have brain scans to explain why women place so much importance on a hue for their home, and men not so much.

What you need to know to make your home color harmonious:

Women have more color receptors than men and therefore “see” nuances that can affect the experience and use of an interior space or the expression of a color palette for the exterior presentation of their home. Women's keen interest in hue should be employed to help shape the atmosphere and tone of the family nest to reflect the lives that the couple are creating together.

Men's vision is shaped by having more value receptors, known as rods. This distinction means that males are adept at linear proportions of architecture and they focus their attention on the darkness or lightness of a color.

Sometimes men will give-in to their mate's choice in hue and direct their preferences to structural materials or the size of the architectural elements. The building profession is dominated by men, so the extent to which a couple can navigate the process to make color choices onsite with respect for the importance that color plays for the female inhabitants, the better.

I have found that the usual power struggle that can accompany a major expenditure for home materials can be eliminated if each individual is acknowledged for their strengths and the decision reflects cooperation. There is nothing more frustrating when helping a couple design a change for their home when one individual's ideas are shut down or dismissed. Color isn't superficial to her and proportions and material preferences are not just a matter of taste for him. Once everyone in the process acknowledges the importance of the site conditions and inherent architectural cues that make up the design of the property, everyone can participate in a collaborative effort that uses color as the tool that it is for making a house a home.

 

Home improvements done right the first time!

You've just bought a house, moved in, and now you want to turn your real estate investment into a home...

Or, maybe you've been free-wheeling your property's maintenance for years and need better results. Today's home owners find themselves in either situation. Then they take their list of problems and begin to look for ideas in design magazines and online platforms to solve each issue as money becomes available. What seems like a budget-wise approach to attack expensive repairs is the most costly road there is to property management and the result most often - a 'hodgepodge”.

Let's face it – most Americans consider their home their most valuable asset and hope to live comfortably while preserving their money, even gaining if they've bought wisely. Unfortunately the marketing tactics for high-cost home products - “buy now while it's on sale” or “free in-store design” muddies the landscape we must navigate to purchase building materials and services. Gleaning home repair and renovation ideas from TV shows and other media, project by project, does not create a cohesive design for your real estate investment despite how easy it appears. A well thought out plan that makes your home visually pleasing and functional is the only way to protect your investment and make your money work for you. Here are the steps to take;

Step 1 - Look at your home critically and create a list of the things you love, and those you don't!

What are the qualities of this residence that made you think you could live here? Inventory these characteristics which you want to show off along with the ones you'd like to lose. Then start asking your friends and family for names of professional designers who they know from experience can turn your ideas into a strategy.

Step 2 - To prepare for a meeting with prospective design consultants, create a vision board; a collage of photographs collected from design projects you hope can be borrowed for success at your house.

A file of images on your iPad, what Houzz.com calls an “ideabook”, can work too. Sit down and make a wish list, expressing, for your housemates and professionals alike, what you want to “see” happen with your home! Illustrate your aesthetic needs through images and your requests can be easily translated into three dimension - or nixed depending on reality. This is the part of the process where your mind's eye gets tested. We all have an imagination for visual outcomes, though the non-professional doesn't have the experience to know if their wishful thinking will work.

It is not uncommon for homeowner's to mine contractor's off-the-cuff ideas, shared onsite during “free” consultations. Your property is too valuable to ad lib renovations and construction in this way. Architects and designers undergo rigorous training. They learn how to put their imagination to the test with finished results. The plan that you will design together is a road map and an insurance policy; it will clearly define the work for your builder and yourself (the DIY'er) and prevents repeated spending for construction materials and labor which fails to satisfy your list of wants and needs. Your contractor is the craftsmen who will build your dream. So listen to and heed their thoughts about the plan gained from their experience building and their detailed knowledge of the site.

Step 3 - Have real expectations!

I know what you're thinking – “Involving an architect, architectural color designer, or interior designer will just swell the cost of the project for this modest property.” No, not if you hire great professionals from referral, budget your requests, and direct their attention to the parts of the project you do not have the skill or time to do yourself. If you are clear about your skill set, your budget, and can accept a professional's considered advice, your collaboration can create a well-defined document for your project to be implemented over time economically.

“Don't paint companies and roof shingle manufacturers have online tools to see how your home will look with different choices of color and design for free?” Often my clients comment that they know what they like when they see it; we all do. Unfortunately, the trial and error approach to building and renovation that many practice, is expensive. You are right to be hopeful that the internet graphics and design platforms provided by manufacturers might help you avoid the cost of a design fee. Manufacturer's design tools rely on digital photography that is not able to provide accurate color or contextual information critical to making good decisions for architectural design. Remind yourself of the inaccuracy of photos of family or from trips that you have shot yourself. Onsite demonstration with sample materials is the only well-founded predictor of design outcome. The sad fact is, the more you are unsatisfied with your choices, the more materials you will buy. If you've made some costly mistakes in the past shopping online or relying on advice at the paint store counter, seek the help of someone who does this as a profession, is not selling you anything, who will meet you on site and can give you the real context for the visual properties required to make a good decision. And be prepared to take the time that a light tested, site appropriate answer takes for great results.

Step 4 - Assemble a team of designers who you feel have the skills you need to create a plan.

An architect can make design, system and structural assessments and suggest changes to the building's envelope and the interior. An architectural color designer will look at the overall plan for the exterior and help determine the materials and colors that will define your architecture in its landscape. On the interior, color design adjusts light conditions and refines atmosphere for energy efficiency, comfort and style. Interior designers will work with you on floor plans, design built-ins and recommend furnishings that will make the best use of your space while adding your style. Some of these professionals have skills which overlap, but you can benefit from a collaborative approach by employing the best professional for the specific need.

Trusting designers to create a plan for the vision you have for your home is a leap of faith. Hire only those individuals who have a portfolio of projects which match your sensibility so you are both speaking the same visual language right from the beginning. Design professionals are trained to take your ideas and turn them into plans. Share your budget limitations and your desire to do some of the work yourself. Your family's biggest investment will benefit from the time you devote to assembling a team to work with you. Home design done right using both professional help and DIY is a winning combination.

The biggest value for your money in renovation and construction is design. So keep watching HGTV, pouring over magazines for inspiration or making image portfolios online - it's free to start the planning process. Then hire well-regarded design professionals to make site-specific drawings and schedules. You will be surprised how easy it is to make decisions that reflect your own ideas and then communicate them to your builder. Don't buy the illusion that suggests that you can shop your way to a fine finished home. And most importantly, the time-honored process of architectural design will translate into real property improvement worth your investment of time and money and will provide you with a home you will love.

 
 

Good design never goes out of style.