The Chamber's Hotel: A Blizzard in White!
03/06/2007 05:34 PM by Gretchen Schauffler
White and I go way back.
It was the color my grandmother loved to see me in. She would always say, “you look amazing in white.” I love white and I think of white as a color. Not as the absence of color, not as a substitute for color—but color. Stunning, pure, white contrast! I often refer to it as the cherry on my colorful cake. In fact, when my good friend—bathing-suit designer Kristine Lebow—asked me what kind of suit I wanted, I told her to make me a two piece in white. How daring of me! And how smart. White had been the color that I could afford to wear when I’d had my babies because I could always bleach it and make it look clean all over again. But it’s also my color. White and I go way back.
I was reminded of all of this again when recently I stepped into the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis. Talk about the use of white as a great contrast to black floors and lamps, brilliantly colored tile, and modern art. Yes, the hotel is a gallery and the white walls are a part of the art. The hotel is the art, in some ways. Hallways are lit with colored lights, staircases are painted in graffiti, and TV screens with video graphics surprise you in bathrooms, in bedrooms, and in corners. And of course, the canvases: delicious graphic works of color are everywhere.
White walls are either beautiful or functional. They’re like white jackets—you either stand heads above the crowd or look like you’re going to work at the pharmacy. The difference is in how you wear it. The Chambers Hotel understands. And so does mother nature. This week she surprised me with the biggest blizzard Minneapolis has seen in ten years, and the city looks grand. Thank you Hirshfields, and my loving friend Mark Masica for making my stay in Minneapolis so colorful.
The Chambers features over 200 pieces of original contemporary art work from the private collection of the hotel’s owner Ralph Burnet. Edgy and controversial pieces from the Young British Artist movement can be spotted throughout the hotel by renowned artists Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Angus Fairhurst, Gary Hume, and Sam Taylor-Wood. Also featured in the hotel are art works by Indian artist Subodh Gupta, Asian artists Morimura and Ahn Sung-Ha, Canadian artist Evan Penny, and American artist Alec Soth among others. The collection includes an extensive array of paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and prints. The hotel also includes sculptures in the courtyard for guests to enjoy. Video art is present in all public areas screening 24 hours a day, including guest hallways, restrooms, at night on a wall in the courtyard, and on the TV in the guestrooms. Each guestroom has an original art work hanging on the wall.
Gretchen Schauffler
Artist and Founder of Devine Color®
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Talking about white… I’d love to hear your thoughts on painting ceilings. So often ceilings are white. What happens when they’re not—what if painted the same color as walls or a different color. Or what if the walls are white and ceiling is a color. How can I think about the color of my ceiling?
Thanks
Melanie
— Melanie 03/17/2007 12:15 PM #
Ceilings are a huge part of creating atmosphere. Color on top is just as important as the sides. Treat ceilings as the top lid to your colorful box. Read my book and gain lots of insights as to how to make stunning color relationships happen all around you.
— gretchen Schauffler 04/02/2007 02:09 PM #
Ah, Kristine! Isn’t she great, we were good friends for a number of years. Great Blog. Love the inspiration on use of color.
— Mary 04/16/2007 03:23 PM #
If I have extremely tall ceilings and planning to use delicate Samatra for the wall do I use ceiling paint in the same color even if it is way up there or does it matter at that height?
— CINDY MACKAY 06/14/2007 09:31 PM #
Talking about white… I’d love to hear your thoughts on painting ceilings. So often ceilings are white. What happens when they’re not—what if painted the same color as walls or a different color. Or what if the walls are white and ceiling is a color. How can I think about the color of my ceiling?
what is up!
— hi 06/14/2007 09:32 PM #
Read this blog on ceilings, “Ceilings: Color from Head to Toe” and look at the pictures. Ceilings are like lids to a box, so it is important for them to be a great color that looks perfect with walls!
— gretchen Schauffler 06/15/2007 09:42 PM #
Our fabric-like paint finishes can be used on walls and ceilings, so use the same finish whenever possible, so that light reflects evenly over sheet-rock surfaces. When you have a rough ceiling, such as pop-corn or heavy brocade, we recommend Devine Canopy Ceiling paint, because it absorbs light to hide imperfections.
— gretchen Schauffler 06/15/2007 09:52 PM #
We have a NW facing bedroom.
Any recommendations for a Devine white for that?
— adam 06/19/2007 10:06 AM #
Adam:
Try Devine Icing or Devine Whip, now having said that, where there is a lot of shade and shadows, there is little light to see background color, (it all goes gray) so a warmer color will be a better solution, like Devine Macadamia, Devine Shell, or Devine Muslin, then you can contrast with whites and stronger color in the “foreground” to be able to see better :)
— gretchen Schauffler 06/19/2007 11:52 AM #