The project that I used for the Sherwin-Williams STIR competition was that which was an adaptive reuse design for the Northern Pacific Railway Depot in Pullman, Washington. This project consists of designing the existing depot to function as a residence, a studio, and an art gallery. The hypothetical client for this project is a watercolor and tempera artist with a legally blind spouse. In order to gain a thorough understanding of what a watercolor and tempera artist needs from their studio, I consulted with Spokane artist Stan Miller, whose work served as inspiration for my color palette. Due to the lighter and more transparent nature of watercolor, I was able to rationalize the use of darker colors throughout the gallery.
This portion of the project and the competition requirements for a minimum of three colors really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone regarding color application, especially in a gallery space. Since striving to choose more vibrant colors, I've found myself more readily applying them in other areas of my design, namely the residence.
