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Green by Omission: YOLO Colorhouse Paint

(Welcome to Jonathan, one of the finalists in our Editor search for the upcoming Apartment Therapy Green blog. He's writing from Portland, Oregon. Comment away!)


Unexpected, intelligent twists can make or break a design or a green product. YOLO Colorhouse paint is water-based, Green Seal certified, and zero-VOC, which helps to make Yolo more environmentally friendly.

But beyond the beautiful branding, designed by Seattle outfit YAM Studio, the eco-conscious women behind Yolo Colorhouse designed a new way of choosing color that is, in itself, green.

 
 

2006-06-13-PRODUCTLINE_CMYK (2).JPGWe've all been stymied by tiny paint chips, which, even to a trained eye, seem simply deceitful: the color is never the same on the chip as it is in the can. Even professionals struggle.

Portland, Oregon-based artists, professional finishers, and Yolo co-founders Janie Young and Virginia Lowe noticed this problem in their own work and came up with an intelligentand quietly greensolution: poster-size color swatches painted by hand with real paint, which save both paint and effort.

Swatches cost less than a quart of cheap paint, and you don't have to wash out a brush after you test a color on the wall. Watch the color change with the light, then proceed, assured that you have not wasted paint unnecessarily. Colors are inspired by nature: vibrant, yet restful, like Clay 07, the perfect coral.

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Comments (14)

Since you wrote the post from Portland I'm surprised you didn't mention Miller Paint. Their Devine line has been low VOC for a long time. They just released a new line of zero VOC Devine paints. Devine is preferred by a lot of designers and painters I know. Personally I love the pallette and the fact that's very thick ("like yogurt", as their website says). Devine paint was created here in the Northwest - also by a woman. Let's give Devine the attention it deserves too. I love the stuff.

posted by boomer on 2007-06-14 13:19:54
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And Devine paint swatches are made from the real paint (as well as many, many other companies, it seems).

posted by Anne in Chicago on 2007-06-14 13:22:11
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By the way, Devine paint was the first to use poster size swatches painted with real paint. They cost $2.

They also sell "pouches" that will let you paint a 3x3 foot section of wall with a good thick coat for $4.

http://www.devinecolor.com/

posted by boomer on 2007-06-14 13:22:18
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Beautifully written Jonathan! Your intro had me intrigued enough to click into the rest of the article, even though I've no idea whether I'll ever be able to use it!

A few words about distribution and availability would be helpful. Otherwise, great job!

PS Benjamin Moore is also offering huge pieces of pre-painted paper. Pricey, though.

posted by Alana in Canada on 2007-06-14 14:09:20
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Thanks so much for the comments. I am thrilled to have this opportunity!

Alana, retailer information is available on Yolo's web site at this link:

http://yolocolorhouse.com/retail.php

You can also purchase the paint online.

I am aware of Devine paint. Gretchen Schauffler was featured alongside Janie Young and Virginia Lowe on NPR's Morning Edition. Personally, I prefer Yolo's paint and philosophical approach, which is readily apparent if you listen to the audio at this link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5567997

And while most DIYers prefer thick paint because it splatters and drips less, most professional painters prefer paint to be thin because it's actually easier to spread, and they count on always doing two coats... like everything else, there's an upside and a downside to thick paint.

Please let me know if what other subjects or products you think I should cover.

Best, Jonathan

posted by jonathanb - co-editor, AT/re-nest on 2007-06-14 15:25:38
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This is a good post about a GREEN product.

posted by MrGreen on 2007-06-14 15:51:01
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Here's a comparative review of several low-VOC paints from someone who has actually tried most of them:

http://ecovertex.blogspot.com/2007/03/paint-town-green.html

posted by MamaChilanga on 2007-06-14 15:58:46
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Jonathan - it's not about what you prefer. It's up to you to present as many options as possible. Remember that.

posted by boomer on 2007-06-14 16:38:52
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MamaChilanga, thanks for the link! I love getting info from sites like that since it gives such honest insight from personal experiences. I realize Devine wasn't one of the brands used- maybe because their 'green' line wasn't available at the time- but EcoVertex totally sold me on Yolo and American Pride.

I wasn't able to find poster sized swatches on Devine's or Miller Paint's websites, only "Portion" sized sheets (8" x 11"). I think the Yolo ones are much bigger (actually poster sized) and aimed more towards people who have narrowed down their choices a bit. I also read that they have double sided tape on the back, so you can move the poster around and see if you really want to live with that color on your wall. They seem pretty cool actually!

Great post Jonathan. I disagree with boomer- if you had tried to cover "as many options as possible" I doubt I would have read your whole article. Depth not breadth- that's what the Comments section is for!

Three cheers for eco savvy business women breaking into a male dominated field.

posted by Kiki on 2007-06-14 21:28:19
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Nice piece, Jonathan.

Unfortunately, this stuff is expensive. Even if I choose to afford this paint, before I bought it I'd want to see a comparison test by Consumer Reports or a similar organization before buying.

Happy painting, hope you have deep pockets.

posted by John H on 2007-06-15 11:15:40
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Does anyone know of any paints that are green and also not tested on animals? Maybe even these?

posted by kat98 on 2007-06-15 15:21:16
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Boomer,

For this post, it can be about what Jonathan prefers. The goal of this entry was for him to introduce his writing style to the community while talking about a green product. He did both of those things and didn't really need to talk about competition or the myriad of green paint options out there. (That could be done in later posts).

Pretty good work, I'd say. Let's keep it positive and not too hall monitor-like in here and in the other "audition" posts!

-Brian

posted by Brian on 2007-06-16 02:08:53
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How do you find Benjamin moore ecospec Compared to the yolo? The ecospec has less then 1 voc per can and sticks to oil paint. It covered in two coats and had less smell then the yolo that actually had quite an odor. The benajmin moore ecospec also dried harder it was very easy to scrub without damaging the coat. Yolo was softer. Just wondering if you have used the ecospec and if you have any copmments on it?

posted by clint on 2008-06-09 17:49:12
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I have been using Yolo Colorhouse paints for awhile now, and I love it!!

posted by sandra971 on 2008-07-04 10:37:34
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