Metamerism is the cause of so many of our color problems, yet few of us know what it is or can explain it even if we do know. Let’s start with a dictionary definition. Metamerism: the visual difference between two color standards when viewed under different light sources. So what this is saying is that it is possible for two colors to appear identical under incandescent light, and yet appear completely different from one another under flourescent or daylight. As the photo above illustrates, in a very dim light we might mistake Cher for Ozzy Osbourne, but in daylight the truth will be revealed! This is an extreme example I used just for fun and to try to get the point across. Our eyes play tricks on us.
I have found it to be true that most of my clients find it is easier to pick out just about any other element for a room rather than the paint color. Clients come to me all the time with carpet samples, fabric samples, tile samples, etc. looking for the perfect color to go with them. They seem to have less trouble picking out these other elements, but when it comes to the paint color, they are stymied. Furthermore, often times they come to me after having picked a color from another manufacturer and once they get it on the wall it doesn’t look a thing like they expected and it no longer seems to co-ordinate with the other elements in the room. What is going on here?
Most of the other elements that we are chosing, be it fabric or tile, are much more complex than your average paint color. There is a translucency and three dimensionality to these items that causes them to reflect light in a myriad of ways. When we view them next to your run-of-the-mill paint color it will invariable appear “flat” and lifeless. This is due in large part to the dumbed down way that most manufacturers formulate their colors. Almost all commercially available paints are formulated with 2 to 3 pigments at maximum. We are given thousands of bad choices, so it is no wonder that it is so difficult to choose successfully.
Another interesting fact that most people are not aware of is that almost all paint chips that you see are not even made from the paint itself. Who knew? Imagine getting a carpet sample, or granite sample that was made from some other material, and then being told that the real thing will look something like it. You can see why this is a wholely unsatifying solution; yet it is the one we have been living with for decades. As we discussed in Part 4, playing the same note out of a different instument will give us a different sound. In this case we are not even talking about the same notes, since these paint chips are generally made using lacquers that don’t employ the exact same pigments.
So where these two worlds collide is that manufactureres, in order to minimize the metamerism between their paint chips (not made from real paint) and the actual paint, formulate colors with extremely simple pigment structures. These formulations then have a tendency to look flat (two dimensional) and lifeless when we put them on the wall. We’ve all seen paint colors that just sit there and do nothing once we get them on the wall. No singing, no music…no fun!
So the real problem here is not that traditional paint colors don’t change color at different times of day. All paint colors will change color under differing light sources. The real problem is that traditional manufacturers are so busy making formulas to match their laquer paint chips that they create colors that are by definition uninteresting and lifeless on the wall. At the same time it is not simply a matter of combining some blue, red, and yellow pigments together and voila…a beautiful color that goes with everything! There is artistry involved in developing and honing full spectrum colors that resonate with our “collective color consciousness”, and our natural surroundings. One way or the other the object is to create beautiful colors that are pleasing to the eye.
Next Part 6…Color Marketing, eeh gads:)
