Saturday, February 5, 2011

Journey into Winter


The world’s first Ice Hotel near the village of Jukkasjärvi, Kiruna, Sweden celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Made entirely from snow (30,000 tons) and sculpted blocks of ice--10,000 tons of the bubble-free stuff from the nearby fast-flowing Torne River-- the hotel is as ephemeral as winter itself, poised to melt into memory with the spring sun. But each winter in its brief moment, the Ice Hotel showcases the wonders of white in all the colors permutations and gradations. Looking at these images it’s easy to see why myth says Eskimos have 17 different names for white—and why Benjamin Moore offers more than 180 shades. 

Imagine pausing at the Ice Hotel’s main entrance—a pair of reindeer-skin clad doors.




The animals’ brown fur turns a mix of creamy white with gray markings when they migrate in fall, providing camouflage in the wintry landscape.  From the warm tones of the fur to the cool notes found in the shaded ice surround and the arched door of snow struck by the sun is a palette made mutable by light.

 



This curved bench—every single fixture and furnishing inside the Ice Hotel is made of snow and ice—proves white is never cold when it’s done well. From the warm shadows created by the bench’s undulating form


to the pure white of the seating area,


and the cool clear note of blue found in the ice,


brings to mind a room, like this one seen in Traditional Home, where warm and cool tones in different textures and sheens combine. 




Whites fall into two camps: warm whites (with yellow or red undertones) and cool whites (those with blue or black undertones). I love the pink-tinged light that seems to beam off the fur covering this berth of ice, and the cool contrast of the glowing moonstone-like light tinged with blue. 






 Like no other color, white lets you pay attention to space. In the hotel lobby, the muted palette plays up things that otherwise might be missed, from the pool of light from the skylight to the light bouncing off the etched ceiling.  




*all paint colors by Benjamin Moore


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Colors of Sagaponack Beaches

Touring around Washington during FotoWeekDC. and looking at NightGallery, the after-dark program of large scale projections appearing on the city’s major architectural landmarks, including The Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Park at Dupont Circle, I discovered the work of NY-based photographer Tria Giovan. The depth of the color in her Hamptons beaches images made the photographs transcend the archetypical beach image—the images even transcend their subject matter. That she could take something so recognizable and take it beyond itself is amazing. 




When I love art and bring into my life it can inspire the palette of the entire room. The saturated color here makes me think about ochres, or pairing with a deep beige neutral like Sepia Tan 1116,* or Barley 199, a yellow- based cream highlighted with gray. Pumpkin Patch 055 would make a great accent color for pillows. 



 
Winter sky and autumn fog, the grays of the sky, the warm putty color of the wet sand-- these images  reveal how a mix of neutrals interact to convey a strength and depth of color that’s impossible when they stand alone. 





In this dining room I used Venitian plaster and layered four 4 colors: Bradstreet beige HC 48, Elmira white HC 84,  a hand mixed color combination, and an ostrich plaster application in a thinned out version of White Dove OC - 17. The result is an overall color that transcends itself to coordinate with so many different colors it becomes ethereal. It’s a color you just love to be around.





*all paint colors by Benjamin Moore