Continuing with college campus inspiration, I was very intrigued by the use of color at Columbia University.

Having lived in New York for a few years in my twenties, I had visited the campus of Columbia a few times. They were brief visits to see the architecture or a visiting art show. I was curious to see it again with the perspective of one of my children attending the university. The information session we attended was held in the Low Memorial Library rotunda seen above. The columns were a beautiful color, not brown and not green, something in between. They were quite striking in color and size. They sat under a metallic gold capitol and were framed by bold yellow-gold velvet curtains. We arrived early for the session so I explored the adjoining rooms.

Unexpected color combinations revealed themselves through exploring different buildings.

In the hallway were these wonderful panels of Italian red-orange framed with a dull gold set into a greenish taupe wall. This color block treatment was used a few times that I noticed throughout different university buildings.

Here is a closeup to see the color better. It looks a bit washed out in the photo above.

Another hallway bore a green ceiling accented with pink crown moulding.

An exhibit of Asian vessels was on display in an adjoining room. The use of silver and gold blocks and backgrounds was a nice way to show off the highlighted pieces.The metallic colors made the exhibit more interesting without distracting from the treasures.

In another building, you entered to find this silvery blue panel set into a historic pea green. It was a simple technique that had a bold impact.

Down the hall in this same building was the contrast of a sleek all-white modern study room.

Some color surprises were discovered outdoors as well.

Pretty turquoise tiles were a surprise color on the ceiling inside an open rotunda located in front of Wallach Hall.

Casa V can bring surprising color combinations to your home.