Case Studies

Portland College

Portland College is a national specialist residential college for a wide range of people with physical disabilities. It is one of the foremost establishments of its type in the UK, providing first class education and vocational training for young people aged 16 and upwards. As part of a college-wide refurbishment project, Portland College brought in Dulux Trade Colour Consultant, Lisa Pilley, to help design inspiring new interiors for its three hundred students.

The Project

The project was divided into three clear areas – The Cedars, The Beeches and The Art Zone. The Cedars houses the Principle’s office and key admin staff. Several factors influenced the colour palette in the building, including the carpet tiles already selected for the entrance foyer and the turquoise colour of the lift shaft. “I chose warm and earthy colours to complement these features, with bold blocks of colour in breakout areas to add visual interest,” says Lisa. “I then picked a coordinating neutral shade to keep the interior light and spacious.”

Comprising office space for start-up businesses and conference facilities with hotel-style accommodation, The Beeches required a clever use of colour to tie the different areas together, yet create different looks for each. Lisa explains: “The starting point for this scheme was a contemporary striped carpet tile featuring earthy shades of lavender and olive green. Moulded archways along the length of the corridor were then highlighted in shades picked out from the carpet.”

Inspiration

Taking inspiration from the building’s woodland surroundings, the six bedrooms were all given a green theme, and pairs of rooms were accented with turquoise, pink or lavender furnishings and accessories. In the enterprise space, trim was painted in the same colour as the neutral broad walls and furniture and accessories were selected to complement the colours of the carpet for a contemporary look.

The brief for The Art Zone required the building to have a youthful and inspiring interior, reflective of its use as a creative space and the industrial style features of the building, such as galvanised pipes and exposed brickwork.

The building’s central corridor will eventually be used as a gallery space for students’ artwork and a breakout area. “I selected a grey barcode style carpet tile with lime green and teal highlights for this space and painted the gallery wall in the darker shade to give a strong backdrop for exhibited images,” says Lisa. The remaining walls were painted in a neutral off-white with a bold primary shade from the College’s new logo to highlight the recessed arch features in the classrooms and add a focal point to these rooms.

The Results

Chris Wynne, Art Hub Leader at Portland College, says: “The Art zone has been a revelation for our learners, providing them with a colourful and exciting environment to work in. The design and colour choices have energised not only the learners, but also the staff, creating a platform for the development of creative teaching and delivery.”

Portland College student, Jade Taylor, echoes the thoughts of the Art Hub’s users: “The colours make me feel happy and help me concentrate on my work.”

Lisa concludes: “As soon as I walked into the college, I knew that it was a very special place and felt privileged to be involved in this project. The Art Zone in particular is a favourite of the students, so I wanted to create a vibrant and exciting interior scheme to inspire the young people using it. I also wanted to reflect the college’s amazing woodland setting throughout and I think this has given the whole project a unique and consistent theme.”

Next →