Colour is one of the most meaningful and expressive elements that can be used in the design of buildings. It is also the most neglected: students are rarely taught about it, and many architects are fearful of it.
"Chromatic Architecture," published by RIBA (the Royal Institute of British Architects) explores the beauty of colour. How it is crafted into the fabric of buildings, opening our eyes to the sensuous and delightful world that exists when it is embraced in the making of space.
By featuring intriguing and rich examples of architecture worldwide across time, authors Adam Nathaniel Furman and Kate Mazade demonstrate the vital agency of colour. Through pithy texts and a kaleidoscope of imagery, the book not only demystifies colour, but communicates its potency as a design tool; how it plays a particularly important role in the embodiment of cultural and material identity, and how it uplifts all who come into contact with it.
At once a primer, an inspirational reference book and an object of beauty, Chromatic Architecture is essential reading for designers and enthusiasts alike. Buy the book from RIBA Books...
Selected press coverage:
- The Observer
Chromatic Architecture Celebrates the Beauty of Colourful Buildings
Rowan Moore, 13 September 2026
Review - Australian Financial Review
The Architectural Mavericks Making a Case for Colourful Cities
Stephen Todd, 28-30 August 2026
Review - Financial Times
Why is Architecture so Afraid of Colour?
Edwin Heathcote, 22-23 August 2026
Feature - ELLE Decoration
Fill Our Skylines With Colour: Why It's Time for Brighter Architecture
24 August 2026, Feature - BBC Culture
Eight of the world’s most colourful buildings
Clare Dowdy, 17 August 2026
Feature - Wallpaper*
‘Chromatic Architecture’ celebrates colour as a ‘fundamental aspect of human pleasure’
Natasha Levy, 15 August 2026
Feature - Dezeen
Chromatic Architecture authors pick six of the world’s best colourful buildings
Amy Frearson, 15 September 2026
Feature - Colorphilia
Book Review: Chromatic Architecture
Ezra Butler, 31 July 2026
Review - World Architecture Design
When Buildings Speak in Colour: A Study of Chromatic Confidence
Tom Halloran, 15 August 2026
Feature - ArchDaily
Chromatic Architecture
7 September 2026
Book feature
Adam Nathaniel Furman and Kate Mazade · RIBA Publishing · 2026 · 208 pages · ISBN 9781915722782



