Colour street
Fargegaten
A little section of the street Øvreholmegate in Stavanger consisting of 20 houses has been given a colour scheme inspired by the 70s TV show Miami Vice.
Colour affects us. Our ability to concentrate and feeling of comfort can easily be affected by colour in our surroundings. As an artist who works daily with colour I was very pleased when Tom Kjørsvik owner of hair dresser salon “Bob” asked if I could design a colour setting for the entire street, both sides. Houses in Stavanger centre are all strictly preserved since Stavanger is proudly the oldest and largest wooden house city in northern Europe. Houses in the centre cannot be painted in any colour you like; most houses are traditionally painted white. Tom wanted to brighten up a drab little street and give it a colour explosion. He wanted a young, trendy, bright and happy street.
Each house was given a series of 4-5 colours, which were designed to harmonise with its neighbours. The colour scheme also worked crossing back and forth across the street. Doors window frames and roof panelling where all treated to a separate colour. All the house owners had to agree on the design. The problems started with pink. Some of the house owners would not accept pinks at all, (guys) others (girls) who rented apartments in some of the houses asked specifically for maximum pink. Every time I had to change a colour I had to rearrange the entire street. There is no such thing as a singly nice colour; there are only colour combinations. Colours work like musical notes creating harmonies. Eventually everybody was happy, all except for one house that still refuses to follow the scheme. The city planners approved the design and the paint job started. The city’s Mayor opened the street on a bright sunny summer day 2005, "Moods of Norway" showed a collection on a cat walk, Data Rock played and I got to pop a very large bottle of champagne.
This little colour street is now the most photographed place in Stavanger, several new cafes and shops have popped up and owners of existing shops have increased their yearly turnover up to 40%. It been a great success and has become a new tourist destination in town. Colour works.
OBS!
Skal du laste ned Fargekodene så må du også print ut Fargegate-tegningen Øvreholmegt fargesetting som du finner også her på denne siden. Den kan lastes ned her som PDF.
links and articles
http://www.aftenbladet.no/meninger/Hva-er-en-attraktiv-by-2956274.html#.T4huPe2c7bl
Download the Colour codes (pdf)
http://www.aftenbladet.no/lokalt/article445340.ece
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Øvre_Holmegate
Some Art Work:
