A splash of colour here or there might be a fun way to brighten up a residential interior, but when architects go truly big with colour, the results can be impressive and transformative; and here, we explore some of the finest examples of colourful homes around the world.
Mo-tel House was designed by Office S&M. Photography: French + Tye
Colour blocking Mo-tel House by Office S&M
Photography: French + Tye
What started as a remodelling project of the lower ground floor of a Victorian townhouse in Islington, ended in an explotion of fun colour and shape in London’s Mo-tel House by Office S&M. The owners were after a playful interior to brighten up their daily life and the young architecture studio obliged, creating a composition of bold colours. Block coloured surfaces and tinted mirrors make up a striking interior and gently distort perceptions of scale, giving the appearance of a space that is larger than it actually is. Built in furniture is especially designed to fit the concept and colour scheme. There are bespoke kitchen cabinets in shades of blue; a pink and dark blue bench as part of the dining area; a pink staircase ballustrade; and a light green ceiling running throughout.
Feeling blue? The Blue Building by LOT
hotography: Brian Ferry
A commission for a private house for a pair of artists, The Blue House certainly stands out among its neighbours in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The brainchild of New York and Athens based architecture studio LOT, the home showcases how a fairly ‘typical’ townhouse renovation can offer fertile ground for fun and experimentation. The architects painted the whole exterior a bold blue tone, drawing inspiration from their Formations design project, a series of ultramarine blue seating-scaled elements. Inside, colour remains a theme, albeit in gentler shades. Translucent, polycarbonate panels, black painted wooden floors, walls in white, light pink and green, compose a sophisticated interior that balances the building’s strong outward statement.
Pastels AR Residence by Dedraft
Photography: Nick Dearden
East London architects Dedraft have completed an avocado green extension in a Walthamstow home. The volume is part of the redesign of a typical terraced house for an illustrator and a librarian. The clients were keen to use bold colour and have plenty of natural light inside, and the architects responded with a matte, dusty green aluminium panelled addition. This houses an interior that uses grey concrete floor tiles, natural pine, Corian worktops and pale grey, stack-bonded, sand-blaster blockwork on the walls. More muted interior tones make for a versatile environment. However, brighter colours do pop up inside too, for example in the family bathroom’s green porcelain tiles and black hardware.