Seeing Color in a Whole Old Way

I had a great conversation with my friend Philip Reno yesterday. He has designed his own palette of paint colors that he calls "Philip's Perfect Colors" (available exclusively at G&R Paint in San Francisco). The concept that supports the entire palette is that each color is created using the full spectrum of tints - he uses compliments (opposite colors on the color wheel) to "tone" the colors instead of using black.

In the architectural coatings world, most paints have maybe three tints in them to make most colors. By using full spectrum formulations, there are usually a lot more colorants in each color. This makes the paint color read very differently in a variety of lighting conditions.

So, back to Philip. Last week he gave a Continuing Education presentation to over 200 Interior Designers in Boston. I imagine all these designers are now running around to their favorite paint stores requesting that their colors be tinted as full-spectrum colors... Think of the colors the Old Masters, like Leonardo and Botticelli, used to create their art. They employed the same concept for their paintings - using compliments to make their colors appear rich and luminous. Philip believes these colors are part of our consciousness and that they never go out of style.

Philip had some of his colors published recently in House Beautiful. Gorgeous!