I have always admired the combination of colours on this elementary school so yesterday, I stopped and walked right up to the building and matched the colours to my fan deck. I highly recommend simply owning a fan deck from any paint company for this reason but I recommend Benjamin Moore fan decks because most designers specify their colours as they are one of the most ‘designer-friendly’ paint companies around. This way you are sure to get the closest match as 9 times out of 10 it’s a Benjamin Moore Colour.
The main field colour is Benjamin Moore HC-6 (Windham Cream), the foundation is HC-93 (Carrington Beige) and the blue/green is HC-144 (Palladian Blue). I was actually surprised at how much lighter the yellow was, I expected it to be closer to HC-4 Hawthorne Yellow which is two shades darker. However as blue & yellow are complementary colours, the blue’s that surround the yellow on this building make it pop even more which is why using complements work so well because each colour makes the other one appear even more vibrant!
Yesterday I also had lunch with my good friend Nancy DeVries with Urban Aesthetics at the Holiday Inn in North Vancouver. This is another colour scheme I have always admired. The lighter shade is 2108-40 and the darker colour is CC-512.
Photos by Maria Killam
If you want to choose your colours without the help of a designer, I recommend reading the following posts I’ve written on undertones and the fixed finishes you need to consider, then just find a house or building that you like and match the colours yourself. Some exteriors are easier than others so if you only need a single colour, this is one way to do it yourself.
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