We have mentioned it before, we will mention it now – color pertains to one of those rare visual scopes that not only entice our eyes but also our senses. In essence, it proves that architectural compositions have a way of positively impacting human psychology beyond grand spaces and imposing structures.
So, without further ado, let us check out ten such festively embellished colorful houses from around the world that have heartily enchanted us with their intrinsic vivacity.
1) Armour-Stiner Octagon House (in New York, USA) –
We start off with a slice of history, and it relates to the Victorian period nonetheless. Beyond playful sepia tones, the 19th century was also a time of innovation and vibrancy. The above pictured Armour-Stiner Octagon House in Irvington perfectly captures this exultant note with ten variant colors of its exterior.
Restored to its full glory by architect Joseph Lombardi, all of the shades are subtle in their essence and dignified in their details. This ambit of vivacious originality is further bolstered by what is perhaps the only octagonal domed roof in our entire planet.
2) Housing in Carabanchel (in Madrid, Spain) –
A massive metallic housing block that surrounds a courtyard, this wonder project from Amann-Canovas-Maruri (ACM) was completed in 2009. Partly inspired by the mass-scale housing solutions conceptualized by Le Corbusier, the Carabanchel 24 Building sort of plays homage to the famous Immeuble-Villas.
The color panels consist of various hues ranging from red, blue to yellow and green; and these facades are punctuated by wall openings that aptly connect to the outdoors (both the outside and the courtyard). In essence, the vibrancy gives way to practicality of ventilation – all within the harmonized rectangular scope of the building.
3) Nautilus: Giant Seashell House (in Mexico City, Mexico) –
Designed by Senosiain Arquitectos for just a couple, this quirky looking residence’s design is inspired by the unique embodiment of the Nautilus shell. However, beyond the fantastical visual scope, the house is constructed with a method better known as ferrocement – which entails the application of sand and Portland cement over expansive steel mesh.
In this case, the outer concrete layer (with its embellished seashell-like finishing) is 2-inches in thickness, thus resulting in a sturdy construction with durability as well as earthquake resistance.
4) Nely Galán’s House (in Los Angeles, USA) –
Known for her makeover reality show “The Swan”, it really doesn’t come as a surprise that Nely Galán has opted for a colorful mansion. But what is interesting is the fact pertaining to how the house (by the famous Los Angeles’ Venice canals) was actually coated with eight different paints for the ultimate vivacious effect.
Boasting of flashy shades ranging from orange, yellow to fuchsia, the kaleidoscopic ‘canvas’ complemented by 3D CAD was the painstaking work of artist and colorist Patssi Valdez.
5) Shelter Island Pavilion (in New York, USA) –
Emerging as a mirage with motley facades, the Shelter Island Pavilion is proudly located at the ‘quiet’ eastern end of the picturesque Long Island. Built by Stamberg Aferiat Architecture firm, the multi-section houses utilizes the power of prismatic illumination that sort of endows a quality of virtual weightlessness to the structure.
These neon-lighted slabs and beams project out with multifarious angles – which rather accentuates the essence of volumetric whimsicality.
6) Uzupis Galera Art Incubator (in Vilnius, Lithuania) –
Envisaged as an art incubator, the Uzupis Galera was orginally established 19 years ago in the capital city of Vilnius. But it was after a few initial years that artists from all over the locality came to paint the walls in their individual styles.
Clinging on to the dictum of ‘made by artists, for artists’, the fascinating building with its offbeat yet demonstrative facades still serves as a meeting place for creative people – of course, during its ‘off-duty’ hours from commercial art-exhibitions.
7) Pennyhill Park Hotel (in Surrey, UK) –
Till now, we have been harping about glorious paint jobs and psychedelic lighting. But the above pictured Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey (isn’t that the address of the famous Bagginses?!) traverses the ‘man-made scope’ with its incredible exhibition of natural yet vibrant vegetation.
The photograph perfectly captures the enchanting hues of the ivy-clad verdancy that shows its chromatic side with the approach of the sunlight. And, lest we forget, the frolicsome ambiance is complemented on the indoors with handmade mattresses and hand-selected furnishings.
8) The Nippes House (in Cologne, Germany) –
We do not have much info on the Nippes House in Cologne, except for the above image that was photographed by one Wolfgang Schubert. According to Schubert, the house (with another colorful house facing it at the other end of the street) might allude to a mondrianesque paint-job, after the famous Dutch artist Piet Mondrian.
To that end, the house does showcase its variegated hues within flourishing squares that seem to overlap each other in a playful manner.
9) The Allentown House (in Buffalo, USA) –
What really strikes us about the Allentown House is how the ingeniously done paint job has transformed an other mundane architectural structure into a vivid specimen with frolicsome qualities.
Suburban regeneration at its gleeful best, we really like how attention has also being meted out to the various small openings and adorable windows that sort of incorporate the ethereal, transparent essence into the jovial scope.
10) Cinque Terre (in Liguria, Italy) –
For our last entry, we choose the entire settlement of Cinque Terre on the paradisiacal coast of north-western Italy. Comprising of a myriad of florid yet unnamed habitats, the small village is perched atop a hill overseeing the scenic Ligurian Riviera.
On closer inspection, we can make out the lack of corporate structures that adds to the rustic, seaside charm of the setting. Unfortunately, the naked hillside and the geographic location also leads to yearly torrential rainfalls that does result in a few damaging mudslides.
