BajaNomad

Mexican color palettes

Santiago - 12-19-2007 at 07:06 AM

I'm not good at color and need to use a pallette guide. All my local paint stores have 'southwest' but that's not the same. I can't seem to find by googling - anyone have a website with good palettes for mexican architectural colors?

Mexitron - 12-19-2007 at 07:14 AM

Do you have any books on Mexican architecture with some of Luis Barrigans work? Lots of books out there with good Mexican styles/colors...but maybe you are looking for a specific palette, like a Mexican color wheel?

DENNIS - 12-19-2007 at 07:26 AM

Barrigan did some fantastic things and it helped his style that he had wealthy clients. Technically, he wasn't an architect but, an engineer.

Southwest colors are earthy and too much can be monotonous. I flew into a New Mexico airport, over the residencial areas, and almost all houses were the color of dirt. Boring.

The celebrated palette of Baja is bright, colorful and unrelated. If I were looking for a signature color scheme, I'd do what they do, pick a fun color that you like and can live with. It works well in Baja probably because the houses can be isolated. A whole tight neighborhood of bright different colors will drive you nuts. In a word, the color of Mexico would be "Individual." Paint it a color that makes YOU feel good.

John M - 12-19-2007 at 07:41 AM

Hi I found several books on Mexican colors on Amazon. Mexicolor is one of the titles. Mrs John m

bajajudy - 12-19-2007 at 07:46 AM

We also sell Mexicolor, Mexicocina, In a Mexican Garden, Mexicasa to name a few of the design books that we have on our website.

Santiago - 12-19-2007 at 08:23 AM

What I'm after is a set of complimenting colors with mixing formulas to take to a paint store. Does anyone know if I take a picture out of one of the recommended books to a paint store, can they shoot the color from a book? Normally, I take a peice of trim or something that has the paint on it that I want to copy and they match that, but I've never tried a picture.

DENNIS - 12-19-2007 at 08:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Santiago
Normally, I take a peice of trim or something that has the paint on it that I want to copy and they match that, but I've never tried a picture.

I know a lady who took a handful of dirt to a paint store and, with their computer, they matched it.

Mango - 12-19-2007 at 09:43 AM

I once asked a woman in Guanajuato why everyone painted their houses with different vivid and bright colors.

She said, "We paint them that way so our husbands can find the right house when they stumble home at night drunk."

:lol:

So I suggest having several beers and then picking some colors you like.

DENNIS - 12-19-2007 at 11:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mango
I once asked a woman in Guanajuato why everyone painted their houses with different vivid and bright colors.

She said, "We paint them that way so our husbands can find the right house when they stumble home at night drunk."

:lol:

So I suggest having several beers and then picking some colors you like.


Jeezo....Putting reason to chaos takes some of the fun out of it but, this one works.