Urban Palette: Exploring The Colors of Los Angeles

If you’re looking for some color inspiration, Los Angeles is the place to be. Known for its colorful art scene and beautiful architecture (both Modern and Art Deco), the city makes it easy to draw inspiration. Whether you’re going to a museum, concert, searching for the perfect book, or simply grabbing a quick bite to eat, color discoveries can strike from around every corner. Follow along with us as we show you around some of the city’s most iconic venues and to help turn that color vision into a color reality for your next project. Check out these customized Dunn-Edwards color palettes we created.

The Getty
The Getty Museum is famous for its architecture by Richard Meier, its gardens, featured exhibitions and of course, those views. The colorscape relies on tones found in nature, particularly the lush green gardens and endless blue sky — two hues that are calming and work well with the off-white natural stone of the museum’s buildings.

Photo Credits: STRUKTR STUDIOS

China Town
Chinatown, as it’s known today, formed in Los Angeles’ downtown in 1938. The neighborhood, which includes restaurants, shops, art galleries and more, is steeped in rich culture in addition to colors. The vibrant style and lanterns that dot the neighborhood plazas inspire a sense of boldness.

Photo Credit: STRUKTR STUDIOS

The Ace Hotel
The Ace Hotel is one of L.A.’s trendy hotspots. The historic building, constructed in 1927 originally as United Artist Theater, is best known for its Spanish Gothic style architecture, beautifully designed rooms and restored theater. Whether knowingly or not, the hotel’s black and white color scheme acts as a sort of homage to the building’s original benefactor, actress Mary Pickford. Pickford starred in the black and white films that graced screens during the earliest days of Hollywood. A monochromatic palette is something that can often evoke modern Scandinavian design vibes, yet here it creates a kind of old world Parisian feel.

Photo Credits: STRUKTR STUDIOS

Los Angeles Public Library
The library houses over six million books and was architecturally influenced by ancient Egypt (though its recent expansions have a distinctly more modernist feel). An earthy color palette exists throughout the library, seen here on the ornate ceiling motifs of the rotunda. These warm shades create a comforting feeling.

PHOTO CREDITS: STRUKTR STUDIOS

Come back next month for more Los Angeles inspired Dunn-Edward’s Paints color palettes.