Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing today? Hope you're feeling really good.

My name is Miss Afzal and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling really good about that because today we're looking at architecture, and we're looking at interiors.

Yeah, we're gonna be looking around the spaces we're in.

We're gonna be thinking about interiors.

Our lesson is called "Playing with Colour in Architecture and Interiors," and it comes from the unit of work "Being Curious About Spatial Design and Architecture." So if you are curious, if you've got some energy and enthusiasm, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is: "I can create my own design using colour purposefully." We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them: "interior design," "well-being," and "perception." So what do these words mean? Interior design is the art or process of designing the interior decoration of a room or building.

Well-being: feeling healthy, happy, and comfortable.

Perception: how we experience a space using our senses.

These are our keywords: "interior design," "well-being," and "perception." Let's look out for them and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Playing with Colour in Architecture and Interiors." It has two learning cycles: How does colour change our perception of a space? And developing a design with a clear purpose.

Let's begin with looking at how colour changes our perception of a space, and some practical outcomes for this lesson might look like this.

Oh, my.

Aren't they colourful? Aren't they intriguing? I hope that's piqued your interest and curiosity.

How do these spaces make you feel? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

And what colours have been used, and why? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Colour can affect how a space feels.

It's not just used to make a space look good.

Here's Laura: "Bright colours used in the cafe make it feel like a fun, exciting place to be." And Andeep, "The dark blue on the walls of the reading room make it feel cosy and quiet." I love that.

And "The green paint on the climbing wall makes it stand out." Think about the places you visit.

How has colour made the rooms feel different? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Colour can change the mood of a room and will have a big effect on how we feel in a space.

It can change our perception of the room.

Architects and interior designers need to think about this in their designs.

An interior designer is a professional who plans and designs the look and functionality of interior spaces in buildings.

They work to create spaces that are not only visually appealing but also safe, comfortable, and tailored to fit the needs of the client.

Pause the video and share with someone: how does the interior design in the room we can see on the screen make you feel? Thanks for sharing.

For me, it feels quite uplifting.

The mural on the wall and the beanbag, and a rug make it feel quite cosy.

Architects and interior designers use colour in their designs to change the feel of the room.

Lina Bo Bardi was a Brazilian architect who used colour, natural materials, and open space to create buildings for communities.

SESC Pompeia, a cultural centre in Sao Paulo, uses splashes of red to invite people in.

Luis Barragan was a Mexican architect, famous for bold colours like pink, yellow, and orange.

He created peaceful, emotional spaces using light and shadow.

In the V&A exhibition "Design and Disability," the gallery worked with the DisOrdinary Architecture Project and used colour to create an exhibition space that was welcoming and inspiring to all.

Check for understanding: true or false? Colour in a room is just there to make it look nice.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: By using colour in a room, it not only looks nice, but it can help define the purpose and change the feeling and perception of the room.

Interior designers use colour to affect mood.

Examples might be: blue, calm; yellow, happy; red, bold or energetic; and green, peaceful and natural.

What mood would you like your space to have? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

I'm quite attracted to that peaceful, open green colour.

Colour can be used to highlight design features.

The coloured doors stand out against the brick buildings.

The colour is helping guide your attention and create interest.

Think about where else you could use colour to guide people in outside spaces.

Pause here while you do this, and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

How does an interior designer use different materials and colour? Pause here and share with somebody.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Different materials can have an impact on the perception of a space.

Natural materials like wood, stone, and plants in neutral colours can make a space feel gentle, nurturing, and calm.

Artificial materials like paint, plastic, metal, and coloured glass in bright, bold colours can give the perception of energy and excitement in a space.

Let's have a check for understanding: true or false? The use of colour can help draw our attention to a feature of detail in a building.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: Colour can be used to highlight a key feature in a building or in a room.

It can be used to help guide us through a building.

Colour can be used by interior designers and architects to promote a feeling of well-being and can be used to help recovery.

Morag Myerscough uses bright, bold designs in hospitals, schools, and public spaces.

She uses colour to help make people feel welcome and uplifted.

Her project, "Joy Garden" at Sheffield Children's Hospital, uses colourful walls, patterns, and shapes to help patients' well-being.

Shqlini Misra focuses on well-being and creates spaces that feel joyful, calming, and inspiring.

Her design for a London Wellness Apartment uses soft lighting, gold tones, and warm materials to create a peaceful, healthy space.

I feel calm and peaceful just thinking about these spaces.

Interior designers can use colour to affect well-being: Calm colours in hospitals and quiet spaces, bright colours in children's areas help to excite and engage.

A mood board is a visual tool, usually a collage, that is used to communicate the look and feeling of a project.

Interior designers use them to give the client an idea of what a finished room might feel like.

It can include images, colours, textures, and other design elements to convey the perception of a room.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to create a mood board: record initial ideas.

Discuss, consider, or annotate about: What type of space will you create? For example: a reading room, a games room, a school entrance, or a bedroom.

What about the mood or purpose of the space? Does it need to be calming and quiet or promote activity and energy? What about the types of materials that you might like to use in your space, and how these materials will affect the perception of the space? So pause here while you have a go at this task.

Create a mood board and record your initial ideas.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with creating a mood board and recording initial ideas? Here's Jacob: "I would like to create ideas for a playroom, a space that is full of energy, using lots of bright colours.

And Jun: "I would like to design a reading room that is calm and quiet.

I think I'll try and use neutral colours and natural materials." Sofia: "In my design for a kitchen, I would like to use greens to make the room feel fresh and alive." And Jun again: "I'll use a feature colour to help bring some contrast to the room." Great ideas.

And now I'd like you to create a mood board and collect some visuals.

Collect visuals.

These can be magazine pictures, textures, fabric samples, paint swatches, printed images, your own sketches.

Pick a colour palette.

Think about warm or cold colours, bright or muted colours, light or dark contrast.

Cut and arrange your items onto a sheet of paper.

Think about the presentation and layout.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task, creating a mood board, collecting visuals.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with creating a mood board and collecting visuals? Your designs might look like this.

Here's Jacob: "I've tried to use lots of bright colours.

They remind me of a holiday and warmth, and sunshine.

I've used complementary colours to make each one shine as strongly as they can." Here's Sofia: I'm inspired by the colours in nature.

The bluebell picture feels calm and relaxing.

I found the colours in the water lily pad picture really inspiring.

I've used the red on the water lily leaf as my highlight colour.

I would like to use a range of different greens in my room design." This is going to be great, Sofia.

Love these colours.

And next, I'd like you to add some personal touches to your mood board.

You can use paint to add different variations of colour.

Experiment with coloured pencils to add tone and pattern.

Pause here while you have a go at adding some personal touches to your mood board.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with creating a mood board and adding personal touches? Your designs may look like this.

Here's Aisha: "Sofia's mood board has lots of interesting colours, has lots of different greens as its dominant colour to promote a perception of well-being.

She has used a complementary colour, red, as her highlight colour, and this will make a striking design." Great reflection there from Aisha.

And Jun: "The strong hot yellows and reds contrast with the cold colours.

This is going to be a very energetic room with the perception of fun and creativity." I feel it too, Jun.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle: Developing a design with a purpose.

Colour isn't just for decoration.

It's a powerful design tool that can: Improve people's well-being, making spaces feel exciting or joyful.

Draw attention to areas like doors, stairs, or seating.

Spark creativity, and make places feel welcoming, bold, and full of personality.

Use pattern, shape, and bright colours to tell stories and celebrate culture.

Interior designers use colour to turn everyday places into exciting and welcoming spaces.

Check for understanding: true or false? Cool colours like blue and green can help people feel calm and relaxed.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: These colours are often used in hospitals and quiet spaces to support well-being.

Colours can be used to celebrate different cultures and identities.

Adam Nathaniel Furman creates joyful, colourful architecture and design.

Their work mixes patterns, shapes, and bright colours to celebrate identity and diversity in public spaces.

"Proud Little Pyramid" in King's Cross is a small, bright, rainbow-colored structure designed to bring pride and positivity.

Yinka Ilori transforms spaces using colour and pattern.

His work in playgrounds, benches, and buildings is designed to bring joy and tell cultural stories.

His "Colour Palace" at the Dulwich Pavilion mixed bright colours and patterns from Nigerian textiles in a public building.

Love this use of colour and how it's bringing the joy.

Check for understanding.

Why might a designer use bright, bold colours in a creative space? A, to help people feel sleepy.

B, to make the space feel fun, energetic, and welcoming.

C, to make the room feel smaller.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, it's to make the space feel fun, energetic, and welcoming.

Architects and interior designers sometimes use coloured paper to explore shapes, patterns, and structure.

It helps them quickly test how colour, form, and layering work in a space.

Using paper to fold, cut, or collage gives them ideas for textures, facades, and interiors before building anything for real.

When an interior designer starts thinking about a room design, they might consider: What's the purpose of the room? Does it need to have energy and fun or be quiet and relaxing? Are there any key features in a room that colour could be used to highlight? What different materials could be used in the space? How will all this affect the perception and feeling of well-being in the space? And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to explore colours and patterns with paper.

Using coloured paper, cut different shapes out of different colours.

Select a colour for the background paper.

Explore different layouts of the shapes on a paper and see how many different patterns you can create.

How do the colours work together? When you're happy with the pattern, glue them down.

So pause here while you have a go at this first part of your task: exploring colours and patterns with paper.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

So how did you get on exploring colours and patterns with paper? Your designs may look like this.

Here's Jacob: "I experimented with different colours and patterns.

The black paper makes the colours look brighter.

I'll use some of these patterns and colours in my final design." And next, I'd like you to create a maquette of your ideas.

Think about the mood board you created in Task A.

Use this inspiration for the colours that you're going to use.

Use an old box to create a maquette of your room.

You can use coloured papers, paint, fabrics, and pencils to add colour and detail to your maquette.

So pause here while you have a go at this exciting task of creating a maquette of your ideas.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with creating a maquette of your ideas? Your designs may look like this.

How wonderfully expressive.

And next, I'd like you to reflect on the colours in your maquette design.

Use these questions to help you reflect on your work: How have you used colour to change the feeling in the room? What is the perception in the room? What element of the design has worked well? What purpose do you think your room would have? Pause here while you have a go at this task, reflecting on the colours in your maquette design.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with reflecting on the colours in your maquette design? Here's Jacob: "I've enjoyed playing with the colours and shapes in this room.

I think the perception of the room is fun and exciting.

It would make a great entrance to an activity or play centre, or even a school." It really would.

Very exciting and energetic.

Here's Sofia: "The different shades of yellows and greens work well in this room.

I think the perception of the room is natural and calm.

I've used some doll's house furniture to help give an idea of scale.

Feature pillar in the room stands out in red.

I think this room could be a good workroom." I agree.

I think I'd be very happy working in that room.

Pause here and share with someone your perception of Sofia's room and this maquette design.

What feel do you get from this room? Thanks for sharing your perception of Sofia's maquette design.

And now I'd like you to share with each other your designs and give each other some feedback, and share your perceptions of each other's maquette design.

What's the feeling you get from each other's rooms? Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for offering each other that feedback.

And I hope you enjoyed creating your designs.

In our lesson, playing with colour in architecture and interiors, we've covered the following: Interior designers use colour as a powerful tool to shape how a space feels.

The colours chosen in a room can change people's perception, making it feel bigger, brighter, calmer, or more exciting.

Designers carefully plan colour to match the purpose of the space.

In architecture and interiors, colours also support well-being.

Cool tones like blue can help people feel relaxed, while warm, bold colours can boost energy and mood.

Whether it's in a cafe, hospital, or school, the use of colour helps people feel welcome, comfortable, and inspired.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It was great to explore colour and especially to play with colour.

And I love these maquettes you've created, especially thinking about well-being and what can support and encourage different ways of feeling energetic, calm, joyful.

And I encourage you to notice the colours around you over the next few days in the spaces that you're in and the impact that they have.

I've really enjoyed teaching you, and I hope you enjoyed this lesson too.

I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.