Cora has been part of the Dulux team for over 20 years. She is currently an Academy Lead with a speciality in Colour and has worked in this industry as a specifier for her entire career. She is a true creative with a background in fine art and has been adding colour to streetscapes, pubs, shopfronts and beyond all over Ireland for many years. Cora has a particular talent when it comes to exteriors given the constant challenge of Irish light.

She has been directly involved in the creation of the colours in our colour card using her insights from the market and is constantly watching the market for trends, innovations, and inspiration.  Cora was the host of the recent Dulux Academy Live exterior sessions and can be found online on instagram  @coracollinscolour

During the Exploring Exteriors module, Cora shared insights about colour to help with the colour selection journey for your client. We have created a summary of takeaways:

What is unique to us in Ireland and what have we noticed : 

In Ireland our landscape is mostly very green with local stone quarries quarrying stone of different types, limestone, is the most popular which has grey-blue tones, there are brown limestone and sandstone local to some parts.  As an example, Liscannor stone which is currently very popular, is used as a flagstone with distinctive fossil markings. We have all noticed the use of real stone mixed with plaster on modern homes so it is no surprise that colours that fall into these stone colours will be popular regardless of whether there is stone present on the building or not. The colours of these stones are what we at Dulux are finding most popular in recent years. These colours driven by reflecting those found in stones are colours such as Cobblelock, Knock na Ri, and Claystone.

 

We know that how we see colours in exterior light is critical to any project, the role that exterior lights play needs to be respected. We know that viewing colours in exterior light completely changes them, they are simply not as dark as they appear. The process of testing is really important so that the client understands how the light can transform and indeed alter the perception of the colour on their wall.

As a general rule, most houses lend themselves to three colours. The Trio algorithm is what we use to specify colour in exteriors. The trio is broken down into 1) Main Walls 2)Reveals / Quoin Stones and finally 3) Plinth/Sills. Choose a subtle contrast between the plinth and wall to enhance the height of a bungalow or single storey home. If the house is very short, paint the plinth the same practical colour as the main wall.

Dark colours with dark windows can be very effective and are currently a popular choice in the market but paler colours will always stand out where the white windows and sills.  White and bright colours are more obvious in exterior light so can act as beacons in the environment, these catch the eye from afar.

As a brand, Dulux have led a trend towards greyed-off colours that work well in Irish light.

Examples of these colours are Cobblelock, Inch Strand, Knock na Ri.  The change in colours and indeed the movement in these colours is illustrated in the Weathershield colour card.

One final last thing to note is regardless of window colour [timber, black, white, cream]  it is always emphasized best by adding a lighter tint to the reveals

Need more inspiration for your client’s home exterior? Discover Weathershied’s range of colour schemes to enhance the appearance
of any home. View more information here: Weathershield.ie