Colorful Republic of Germany
Most houses in this country are painted in white or other inconspicuous colors. Why is that? And do brightly colored facades like those on many Berlin apartment buildings really make people feel more comfortable there?
Interview excerpt:
“However, the color researcher Buether also knows of studies in which bright colors tend to arouse negative feelings. In a study, test subjects had to evaluate the engine noise of seven identical cars. Each drove past them at the same speed. The white car was perceived as quiet and pleasant by the test subjects. The bright green and the red car were rated as significantly louder.
Seen in this light, the brightly colored houses of the real estate company Harry Gerlach are loud in a city that is already constantly noisy. “They seem overly cheerful to me,” says Buether on the phone. “The colors have no function.” They didn’t emphasize anything, such as the entrances to the house, to create orientation. In addition, the colors are far too saturated, i.e. intense.“
(….)
“Jeannine and Jeannette Gerlach want to continue the tradition of their father Harry Gerlach. Color researcher Axel Buether would advise them to do something different: “Why not ask the residents what atmosphere they want in their home, what effect the house should have on them?” Experts like him could then derive color concepts from this. “That’s how you move away from taste and towards evidence-based color design,” says Buether.”
Find the complete article by Christoph Cadenbach – Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin from 30.09.2021
