Hail to those who don’t play it safe

The ol’ email bag has been pretty full this week in response to a couple of recent columns.

The “beige” column in particular seemed to strike a cord with quite a few readers who agree that our Kamloops buildings tend toward the ho-hum when it comes to colours.

To my mention of an orange house in Westsyde came this response:

“I couldn’t agree with you more about the colour beige in our fair city!
 
“That is why I want to thank you for pointing out the house in Westsyde that someone was brave enough to paint that burnt orange colour. I just want to say, though, it was not a man that picked that colour, it was me.

 
“I took much flak for picking that colour out, including from most of my family, but did it anyway. I certainly don’t regret it.
 
“Unfortunately, I had to sell that house a few months after the paint job, and am now living in another beige house. Maybe down the road I will be able to paint another one a colour just as inspiring.
 
“In the meantime I do applaud the people out there who don’t play it safe as well! Life is too short.”
 
It’s signed by Adina Sytnyk, who describes herself as a “lover of all colours.” 

They also appreciate colours out at Rivershore.

“Love this morning’s topic,” writes Ann-Marie Pankratz. “I, too, wonder why everyone paints or sides in beige. We had our home repainted this summer and I agonized over the palette. It was NOT going to be beige or brown as most of the other homes around us in Rivershore are.

“So what did I decide? Bed of Ferns (a fabulous shade of green that blends with our sage-covered hills), contrasted with forest floor and the ‘piece de resistance,’ Chambourd (purple) doors with brick red trim. And everyone loves it and we’re different.

“’Oh,’ I say to people asking directions, ‘It’s the green house with the purple doors trimmed in red!’”

Speaking of purple, one Daily Newser confesses to incurring the wrath of her neighbours by painting her house purple. OK, I might be with the neighbours on that one. Trim and doors are one thing, siding another.

Another observer somewhat indignantly pointed out that a lot of houses up in Snoot Heights are very colourful thank you, and a third informed me the reason houses are so colourful in Newfoundland is that they use whatever paint they have left over after painting their fish boats.

If only we had more fish boats in the Tournament Capital. Here, we use leftover paint to cover the graffiti. The Graffiti Task Force mixes all its donated paint together and, guess what colour they end up with?

Which is why all the graffiti walls that have been painted over are beige.

Finally, this note from architect Brian Nelson emailed yesterday that the City, not architects, sets “the tone (and hues) of the look of Kamloops buildings. In a PS he says “architecture students are not ‘taught’ much — they have to learn what suits their works — and beige is one ‘natural’ colour.”

And he includes an excerpt from City guidelines for building materials stating that “to reflect Kamloops’ natural setting, earth tones and warm colours should be considered. . . .”

Well, earthy we are.

mrothenburger@kamloopsnews

http://www.armchairmayor.wordpress.com