WELCOME TO THE CREATIVE MATTERS COLOUR LAB

The pom wall in our design studio.

We know how very important colour is to every project. All our designers have a trained and keen eye to see the relationship between colours and how they affect one another. Our studio is set up so the designers (and visiting clients) have ready access to the thousands of colours of yarn to help our clients achieve the look they are seeking.

The process of selecting colours for our floor coverings starts with small samples of dyed yarn called “poms.” Colours seen on a computer screen or on paper do not accurately render colours as they will actually appear once they are produced at the carpet mill. Poms are the only way to understand the colours we need to achieve. 

Up close with purple poms.

We have more than 10,000 colours of poms stored in clear plexiglass containers in our “pom wall.” When choosing colours for a project, the designer pulls appropriate colours from the pom wall. Once they have made their decisions, they assemble a “pom board” with small poms to show the client the colours that will be in the final floorcovering. The client can then use this board to compare the anticipated colours of their carpet to other finishes. 

A pom board we created for a special project.

To assemble the pom board, the designer will make use of yarn from our recently constructed “yarn wall.” In addition to its practical use, the yarn wall is a beautiful and colourful addition to the studio and we love walking by it.

And if the pom wall and yarn wall weren’t enough, we also have pom boxes so we can bring a smaller selection with us to external client meetings. A pom box is a portable case with trays  of colour poms in chromatic order. Each tray is a hue family. Within each tray, value and chroma line up with military precision.

Note the gentle gradations in the Creative Matters pom box.

We recently worked with the supplier of pom boxes to create a custom Creative Matters pom box to reflect our colour sensibilities and the preferences of our North American clients. There are 40 colours in a range of 12 tones each.

“A bit bluer than that one but not as green as that one.” Yes, even with these thousands of colours at our disposal, it is still possible a project may require a custom colour. For this reason, we work with mills that have the capability to custom dye yarn.

Up close with the purples and pinks on the yarn wall.

We hope you will have the opportunity to join us in the Creative Matters colour lab soon!

Photos: Andrea Gibson