Colour and conversation filled Rogers Commercial Centre on Lady Musgrave Road in Kingston on Tuesday, October 6, for day two of Design Week Ja 2026, hosted by Berger Paints. Centred on the theme ‘When Colour Meets Design’, the event featured a panel of industry experts discussing the dynamic relationship between colour, design, and architecture. The panel featured GW Architects Managing Director Garfield Wood; Berger Paints Quality Control Manager Michelle Blake-McKenzie; architect Lisa Stiebel; and Design Week Ja conceptualiser and Jamaica Observer Senior Associate Editor, Lifestyle and Social Content Novia McDonald-Whyte.

Ahead of the formalities, guests enjoyed an interactive meet-and-greet — adding their own strokes to a group mural led by final-year University of Technology, Jamaica Caribbean School of Architecture student Josan Spooner and posing for sketches by caricaturist Emerald Easy. Proceedings were then brought to order by moderator Dr Terri-Karelle Johnson followed by the opening prayer by Berger Paints Operations Manager Ross Albert.

Berger Paints General Manager O Linton Johnson emphasised the pivotal role of colour in his opening remarks.

“Colour, finish, surface protection, and performance should be considered as part of the design process itself,” Johnson said. “When architects, designers, contractors, manufacturers, and clients collaborate early, we have an opportunity to create spaces that are not only beautiful, but functional, durable, and distinctly Caribbean.”
Opening the discussions, Wood shared his perspective on how colour is interpreted and applied.

“Colour is something that we always talk about in the office and there are a lot of different issues with it. There’s symbolism with respect to colour, there’s a psychology of colour, and there’s the mystical aspects of colours also. That’s something that we definitely need to consider within the conversation,” Wood said.
Noting the Jamaica Observer’s pioneering role as the region’s first full-colour newspaper, McDonald-Whyte spoke to the profound impact colour has had on the print media industry.

“If you have a newsprint that’s in colour and it’s iconic, it’s different, it’s new, it’s revolutionary. On a day-to-day basis, the pages are in colour. Page 2 is in colour. Thursday Food, it depends on what we’re serving. Fashion — again, it depends on what we’re serving — it’s always in colour. So, you’re always imagining, you’re always positioning, and you’re always literally strutting in colour.” McDonald-Whyte said.

Guests are engaged during the conversations surrounding ‘When Colour Meets Design’.

Berger Paints General Manager O Linton Johnson delivers opening remarks.

Blake-McKenzie underscored that colour serves three vital purposes: Beauty, chemistry, and protection.

“We all see beauty, but for me, behind that beauty is the chemistry that makes protection possible, and that’s what I see when I see colour,” Blake-McKenzie noted.
Touching on the connection between design and climate adaptation, Wood referenced his first project using mineral paint. He highlighted both its impressive durability and the crucial role colour plays in keeping living spaces functional and habitable amidst changing climates.

“At the beginning of my practice, we started to look at reflectivity in the application of colours and how that will make or contribute to habitable spaces. But the flip side of that is that there’s a psychological side to it. When things are too bright, when things are too white, it affects the eyes. It affects how you perceive things,” Wood explained. “And as much as there is the consideration of creating a space that is less, in terms of gain, which contributes to the comfort, we also have to also consider the human aspect of it.”

Building on Wood’s points, Blake-McKenzie explained that selecting the right colour requires considering the surface type and environmental exposure — factors that make Berger’s product catalogue particularly well-suited to the Caribbean.

“We have benchmarked ourselves against our competitors and would have performed extremely well as it relates to how Berger products behave in the Caribbean. But what should come to mind first is the substrate. In other words, what surface are we putting that coating on? The second thing that should come to mind and what we would recommend, of course, is what environment is it being exposed to? Is it close to the coastal line? Is it in hot, sunny Portmore where the rain never visits us? What is the condition? And then we usually recommend a total system,” Blake-McKenzie outlined.

Stiebel highlighted the power of colour to set the mood of a space, emphasising why it should always be a key consideration.

“I try to allow my clients to open their imagination to how colour can change their moods, how it can make them feel. A blue is not just blue. There are so many different blues. So, you have to be careful. What tint? What shade? What tone of blue? Because they make a big difference to how you are experiencing your room and how you’re living in the room and then how that room makes you feel,” Steibel said.

Addressing the traditional preference for neutral tones over daring shades, McDonald-Whyte remarked that Jamaica is steadily embracing a bolder aesthetic.
“I see colour more, for example, in Grenada. I see colour in Barbados with the chattel houses. I don’t see that much colour here in Jamaica. But we are coming to come, I think, with our young architects and the different colours and people becoming brave,” McDonald-Whyte noted.

Building on this point, Stiebel advised embracing bolder colours rather than playing it safe with neutral tones.

“I think, for the most part, people think the neutral colours are safer, you know, because you may put a vibrant colour on your wall and you may not like it. But if you don’t like it, you can just paint it over. It’s OK. It’s just paint. And so, I always encourage them to step outside the box with it. I’m looking forward to our people, our culture, our nations, our islands, representing the vibrant colours of our environment and bringing it into our spaces,” Stiebel said.

After a lively question-and-answer session, Wood wrapped up the conversations and outlined how important colours are considered in the design process.

“Once you begin thinking about materiality, massing, light, landscape, the experience of, the spatial experiences, you already start talking about colour. So, colours are integral in that conversation,” Wood said. “At that initial stage, you’re not coming to a final decision on the decorative decisions but the concepts are included. And as the concept further develops, then those are compromised in terms of the colours.”

Design Week Ja 2026 is sponsored by Tile City & Home Centre and Kohler, Hardware and Lumber, National Housing Trust, ARC Manufacturing Limited, Ashley Furniture Homestore, Spaces, S Hotel, Harbour Wines and Spirits, Angelie Spencer Home, Caledonia Outdoor Advertising Company, Berger Paints and Matahari Furniture.

The next conversation, courtesy of Tile City & Home Centre and Kohler, will take place this evening at 114 Constant Spring Road.