How were the colors for the building selected?

The Color Committee was convened by Dick Luke, the chair of the Building Expansion Taskforce. Members were invited by Dick in consultation with our minister, Rev. Christine Brownlie. The committee members were Bonnie Moreno, Sally Mook, Nancy Norton, Barbara Taylor, and Gloria Heath. Rev. Brownlie, Kristine Reid, Director of Religious Education, and Lisa Evanylo, Administrator, were included in the discussions. Christina Mathai and Terri Pettinger, co-owners of the Children’s Garden School were invited to attend discussions involving the Lower Level. Dick Luke and Scott Myers served as consultants to the committee when there were questions about the materials from which the committee made its selections.

The color committee appreciated the charge from the Congregation that the building be as “green” as possible. With cooperation from the contractor, who provided all of the samples, every material and color was considered within the concept of green.

Selecting colors for the exterior proved daunting, but the goal of green and achieving a harmonious balance with the neighborhood was reached. Our roof should give us 20 years of reliable cover, and both the roof and the walls will reflect heat.

The committee made color selections for the interior, starting with the materials that presented the fewest choices. That process began with four colors available for framing the majority of the windows, brown, dark brown, darker brown and putty This selection took place several months before any other color choices were available. A sub-contractor provided options for carpets and a selection for the large partition that separates the Meeting Hall (worship space) from Elarth Hall (fellowship hall). We want to point out that this partition will be closed the majority of the time, serving a vital part in the heating and cooling system, so its color choice was vital. There were very few pleasing colors available and the color committee agreed that Nubby Breakers blue was the color. Plain color carpeting was rejected as showing soil and wear too evidently. That left a limited selection of tweed type samples. Of these the color committee agreed again unanimously that the blue was the most pleasing. From that point, with an almost seamless esprit des corps, the color committee went on to select the remaining colors for the Upper Level in both Phase II and in the renovated areas of Phase I.

The color of the chair upholstery, kitchen/bathroom flooring were selected based on these decisions. The dark blue carpet to be used in the main entryway is repeated in the color of the fabric on the chairs in the Meeting Hall. The wall color for both the Meeting Hall and Elarth hall was chosen to harmonize with the view of the sky from the large windows at the front of the Meeting Hall. 7/8^ths of the walls in the Meeting Hall Phase II are window showing sky, mountain, and trees.

Kristine Reid and the committee chose neutral colors for the classrooms and hallways in the Religious Education/Garden School spaces as these areas will serve as background enhanced by the brighter colors of curricula and activities integral to both programs. The staff selected colors for their offices and the shared work room.