IRIS 210 color chart
Origin
Iris, the mythological messenger of Hera, crosses the sky forming a rainbow with her heel, a true optical miracle of Nature.
Iris is also the eye’s window on a world of shapes and colors.
Iris thus became the name of the Marius Aurenti color chart.
With its selection of 210 colors, it is the fruit of 40 years of exchanges with our customers and collaborators: decorators, colorists, craftsmen and architects. It opens the doors of our contemporary, living spaces to the talents of Nature. It is the common reference for the color development of all our materials. Whether concrete, panels, glazes, lime or plant-based paints, harmony is achieved between materials and colors.
How it works: a name, a number, a letter
Iris is a logical construction of color based on mathematical values that define the position of color in a geometric sphere.
Each color has a name, evocative of nature, materials, animals or places. Naming means calling on our cultures, memories and emotions.
Each color is accompanied by a number and a letter.
The numbers
Numbers are hues, or more precisely, hue angles in the color circle.
They start at 0 (yellow), pass through 90 (red), 180 (blue), 270 (green), and finish the circle at 360. The intermediate numbers thus inform you about the nuances.
A shade 135 like Aubergine 135F, for example, will be made up of equal parts red and blue. It is possible to increase the saturation (concentration) of a hue and also to play with the addition of white and/or black (lightness). Thus, by varying these 3 parameters (hue, saturation and lightness), we have
access to a multitude of colors.
The letters
The letters A to F express the brightness of the color. As the letter increases, the color absorbs more light. This is particularly important for facade paintwork and exterior flooring.
Exposed dark colors (after D) can cause discomfort, depending on the geographical area, but can also lead to temperature rises and damage to the structure.
The color wheel
Achromatics
Color chart organization
The color chart starts with achromatics, which are like neutral markers that adapt to all colors.
It’s a particularly graphic world, with careful attention to shapes and contours in shades of white, gray and black.
Then come the various pages of faux whites and soft pastels. They create the background color of your space, its tone, its light. They can be used mainly on walls and ceilings, and sometimes on floors too.
Cameo pages come next, in the order of the color wheel. It’s the choice of interior harmony, primarily intended for a warm, contemporary and timeless home.
A wide range of broken, greyed, light and dark tones create an unmistakable chic that is perfectly expressed in the mineral and plant-based materials we’ve been making in France for over 35 years.
Bright colors show that assertive colors can be combined with more sober ones or form strong complementary harmonies, an intention often present in an architectural project.
Color availability
Iris is the ambitious choice of a single color chart for several mineral and plant-based materials rich in natural elements made in France.
Each color is accompanied by a pictogram indicating the material(s) in which it is available.
Legal information
This color chart is the exclusive intellectual property of Société Matières Marius Aurenti.
The colors presented here in matte finish have been the object of particular care and are reproduced one by one by specially made and adjusted baths.
Despite this concern for precision, this color chart is by nature not contractual.
Similarly, site conditions, tools and individual application techniques will have an impact on the color of the finished coating (and especially its clarity).
Finally, to define and control the colors of decorative concrete, the laboratory uses water-based protective varnishes.
The use of solvent-based varnishes in the field will darken colors. We recommend that you carry out tests with the specific colors and materials of the batches intended for your site.
Natural materials vary, but our concern for precision and repeatability can’t beat Nature.