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Often people look to white because it's easy and simple to do. But there's another way, another direction worth exploring.
Eichler's original palette was inspired by nature, everything that we can see right outside our walls of glass. These colors run the gamut from the earthiness of clay, the lushness of plants, to the sky's ever-changing hues.
An eye-opening paint technique pointed out in the CA-Modern article explains how you can choose a paint color and vary the value of it, as needed. The process adds percentages of white or black pigment in order to lighten or darken a color.
Designer and Eichler owner Lucile Glessner, one of the article's resources, used this technique to great effect when orchestrating the painting of the X-100 Eichler in the San Mateo Highlands. "It's a subtle way to use color," she says, "depending upon the amount of light [that reflects off of surfaces] in the various areas of a space."
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This technique opens up a new world of color shading while allowing us to stay true to a particular paint selection.
"In the early days [of the mid-century], and what you see with the X-100," she says, "is that they were not afraid of color. And it's nice to see that."
Fast-forwarding to today, she adds, "I think people are afraid of colors, especially in interiors. But having a bright door and bright beam at least reconnects to the mid-century era with a modern twist. I don't think we need to go back to the 1950s or '60s, but I think we ought to keep the spirit [alive]."
When thinking about the importance of preserving the uniqueness of our Eichler homes, there's a great quote by Joe Eichler to keep in mind. In his company's heyday, he was asked how he referred to his homes, and whether he gave them a label, of contemporary, modern, or what. "I call them Eichler homes," Joe reportedly responded. "There's nothing else like them."
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And, boy, was he right about that.
And to discover for yourself Joe's 'nothing-else-like-them' earth-tone paint palette, dive into 'House of Many Colors,' a sneak preview of the new spring '22 issue of CA-Modern magazine.