Yesterday I dropped by the East Bank Commerce Center to meet Janie Lowe and Virginia Young, two artists who have started a business manufacturing eco- and health-friendly interior paint under the business name Yolo Colorhouse. ("Yolo" is the first two letters of each of their last name.)
All of Yolo's paints are zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds). I emphasize that because a lot of people in green building talk proudly of low-VOC. But Janie and Virginia insist on eliminating these nasty chemicals entirely. They tell me that a lot of professional painters are reluctant to use even low-VOC paints because the perception is they don't perform as well or look as good. But Yolo's paints look fabulous.
The fact that Janie and Virginia are artists as well as painters means they have a particular talent when it comes to blending paints. They have an eye for color that some of the larger commercial paint manufacturers can't replicate. Each of their 40 current colors are grouped according to families of color based on earth tones: "air" (white colors), "water" (blues), "clay" (grays), and so on. They also have made the very clever move of vastly improving on those tiny paint swatches you get at the paint store. Yolo makes big poster-sized swatches of each color with post-it-note-style repositional tape on the back.
I mention Yolo Colorhouse because they are an excellent representation of a phrase that gets tossed around frequently in green building circles: "market transformation". Many architects, builders and developers actively want to use environmentally-benign materials, but find that manufacturers are sometimes slow to fill the need. But because there is a growing demand for these products, people like Janie and Virginia rise to fill the gap. Yolo Colorhouse has formed a partnership with Rodda Paint, and their products are now available at Rodda stores in Portland and Seattle, with expansion down the West Coast coming soon.
One thing I find fascinating about architecture how it's both an art and a major economic endeavor. Talking with the women of Yolo one gets excited about their passion for color and light and paint, but it's also encouraging to see small businesses like this taking off because there's a growing customer appreciation for building and design products that tread more lightly on the planet. So I give a big "Yo" of approval to Yolo.
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