Color Theory: A Subconscious Obsession with Orange
Andrew Wagner
I recently noticed that I may be overly dependent on the color orange and not necessarily by my own volition. While I've always liked the color—I think it has something to do with the San Francisco Giants, my bright orange bike, Halloween, being born in the '70s, my love of the sun, and the amazing VW bug I once owned—but recently things got a little creepy when some chairs, a table, and a couch, all various shades of orange, came into my life almost by happenstance.
Color theory is complex and fascinating but trying to get a grip on what pulls one person toward a certain color or another requires a deep dive into the murky waters of astrology, psychology, physiology and even tarot readings. While this type of research is undoubtedly a worthwhile endeavor, it was not something I was ready to undertake on a sunny Sunday afternoon. However, lying around my apartment staring at all the orange did get me a bit curious about the various ways the color has been working its way into my life lately so I decided to pull out the camera and snap a few shots in order to take you on a mini-tour of my minor obsession.
This is where it all started. My wife and I picked out orange Steelcase chairs at West End Architectural Salvage in Des Moines. While we both initially believed it was due to the unique structural design I am now beginning to wonder. An interesting side story: We found three of these at West End and we really wanted a fourth. We searched all over the four jam-packed floors but to no avail. The owners even looked for us. Nothing. Then one night we stopped into the Des Moines Social Club and there amongst all the other chairs sat the missing piece to our puzzle. We asked the proprietors if we could buy the chair from them and they said we could take it for free, we just needed to bring them a replacement. We went back to West End, picked out a new chair (not orange) and brought it back to the Social Club and traded it in. Set complete!
We had chairs, now we needed a table. We weren't overly concerned though and just thought we'd wait till we came across something that really grabbed us (or had an idea that inspired us to take out our tools and build). One day, walking down the street, we were stopped in our tracks outside the design offices of Dunbar/Jones. Sitting in the window was a drafting table with, you guessed it, the brightest, orange legs you've ever seen.
Unbelievably, the table was for sale and at a very reasonable price. We called the office and the table was ours. It's called the Nanny Architecto and was manufactured by an Italian company called Neolt. These tables are unfortunately no longer made but those orange steel legs will hopefully live for ever...
Of course, after making our purchase, we realized that, even better, the table would go quite well with our four chairs. So, table and chairs in place, we now needed a couch. Thankfully, ReadyMade's creative director Stephen Perfetto, an avid collector of furniture amongst other things, told me he had a couch that he'd be willing to sell to us for a steal. And yes, it was orange...
Well, I couldn't resist and not because of the color. At least I didn't think it was because of the color. Anyhow, sitting on the orange couch and glancing out the window this past Sunday I noticed that the electrical tower that I admire on a almost daily basis also featured some lovely orange. So I decided to head out and get a closer look...
The tower was a little rustier up close than I expected but it's still a graceful sight to behold...
Down the street I found myself admiring this truck and its fetching orange pick-up...
Above, part of the Des Moines skywalk. This entrance/exit reminds me of our new dining table...
Further along I came across this overpass and couldn't help but notice the color of its steel trusses. Obviously, orange is a big color when it comes to anything utilitarian or construction related...
But it's also big in art circles as well. Every color of the rainbow (including you know what) featured in this sculpture at the Des Moines Botanical Center. Plus, you can't go wrong with a geodesic dome...
On my quest for all things orange I came across the "Rollin' Relics" car show and happened upon this beauty. Yes, this 1977 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon is more red than orange but how could I not include a snap of this amazing piece of history! People often rip on Pintos but when you see one done up like this (it's all original by the way) you realize that they were actually pretty cool. The owners told me that their dad used to pack all seven kids in that thing for the drive from St. Louis to Des Moines and it couldn't have been better. (Extra special bonus: please, I beg of you, watch this video. It features some truly hot montages of the Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon set to "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant. Genius!
Seriously, the bubble windows are awesome. This thing's got a lot of attitude for such a compact cruiser...
I got momentarily side-tracked from my mission with the Pinto but was soon right back on track with this MG. Orange is not only popular with the construction savvy set and in my living room but is also a key player at car shows.
And finally, concluding my orange tour is this slide. While this Sunday afternoon diversion didn't reveal any real insight toward my affection for orange it did make me certain that I will never, ever stumble again when someone asks, "what's your favorite color?"
