We talk to two style-conscious furniture manufacturers about decision-making around colour in the design process. How do their designers approach hue, and do they apply colour psychology to choice of palettes?

A Parisian palette

‘Colour is part of our DNA,’ says Elody Baret of TIPTOE, the Paris-based furniture brand established in 2015. Building on three generations of family expertise in metalwork, the brand launched with a contemporary take on a modular clamp-table-leg concept first explored by French sculptor François Arnal back in the early 1970s.

Today, the company designs and manufactures a full range of indoor and outdoor furniture incorporating powder-coated steel. “For us, furniture is a way of bringing subtle touches of colour to spaces, without overload,” says Baret. “Our collections represent a carefully chosen palette of up to 10 colours, always including timeless white and black as well as a patinated steel finish. We choose further shades within a framework of primary and secondary hues – whether that’s a bright like Klein Blue® or more muted shades like Chalk Grey or Ash Pink. Basically, we choose colours we would want to have at home ourselves.”

Explaining that TIPTOE’s designers are guided less by ‘rules’ around colour and more by intuition and personal inspirations, Elody says that a key factor is creating a coherent palette that offers the capacity to mix and max: “If you wanted to place our green and red chairs side by side around a table, for example, we will have ensured that the tones are harmonious”.

“In photo shoots we use colour to create atmospheres – maybe signalling a calm office space in serene sky blue or a dynamic kitchen environment in yellow – but we’re very aware that our customers’ decisions are based on their own personal colour psychologies”.

Colours inspired by the Mediterranean

iSiMAR is an outdoor furniture brand based in Pamplona, Spain, that combines the artistic direction of Italian designers Andrea Spada and Michele Corbani with almost six decades of expertise in manufacturing lightweight but strong structures from steel rods. Powered entirely by PV solar energy, the iSiMAR factory produces an extensive range of durable, design-focused powder-coated seating, tables and loungers from 100% recyclable and recycled materials.

“Our colour decision-making is collaborative” says Andrea Spada. “We work with a stable of highly respected international designers including Matteo Thun, Teresa Sapey, Chaput & Guijarro and Ramón Esteve, and our colour decision-making unites creative and manufacturing expertise. The aim is to match people’s needs while creating a bridge between our products and the interior designers and architects who specify them for hotels, workspaces and cultural venues.”

With a typical collection available in 36 colours ranging from Ibiza White and Ultramarine to Tomato Red and Bronze, Michele Corbani says iSiMAR keeps a close eye on international colour trends by scrutinising the popularity of its products in standard colours, as well as custom orders. “Colour psychology is very important to us because colour is an inextricable part of our Mediterranean ethos of outdoor living. We firmly believe that colour helps connect people with design – which is why we offer such a colourful range.”

To find out more about iSiMAR click here

To find more about TIPTOE click here