New book argues buildings should burst with colour
Colour does the heavy lifting in buildings around the world, from a 17th-century mosque in Iran to a 1920s office tower in Detroit.
That is the central idea of Chromatic Architecture: The Craft of Colour in Design, a new book by Adam Nathaniel Furman and Kate Mazade, published on 1 September 2026 by RIBA Publishing in London. The authors argue that colour is part of a building itself, not an extra layer added at the end, according to Dezeen.
The book gathers 34 buildings that use colour to carry emotion, memory or individuality. Furman and Mazade chose six favourites to share with Dezeen, the design website where Mazade works as a contributor.
Think blue tiles. The oldest pick is the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran, completed in 1629 and credited to Ali Akbar Isfahani. Its patterned tilework wraps domes, walls and archways in deep blues and yellows.
Think stained glass. The second pick is the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Spain, a concert hall completed in 1908 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Light moves through coloured glass and mosaic to fill the auditorium.
Think a painted lobby. The third pick is the Guardian Building in Detroit, USA, an office tower completed in 1929 by Wirt C. Rowland. Its banking hall mixes coloured brick, tile and painted decoration.
The wider book makes a direct case for more colour in the built environment, as described by Wallpaper*. RIBA Books, the publisher's bookshop, lists the hardback at 208 pages and gives its ISBN as 9781915722782, with hardback and eBook editions listed at $47.99 on the publisher's distribution page.
What makes this stand out is the range. Three centuries separate Isfahan and Detroit. The materials could not be more different. The link is the same belief that colour tells people how to feel in a room.
Readers in London will be able to hear more soon. The C20 Society, a group that campaigns for 20th-century architecture, is hosting an event titled 'Why are architects afraid of colour? Chromatic Architecture with Adam Nathaniel Furman' on 3 November 2026 from 6:30pm to 8pm at BDP, according to posts shared on Facebook and X.
