Armed with Facts: Win Every Debate About Colour in Public Space
“Coloured furniture is expensive, high-maintenance and visually chaotic.” These and similar misconceptions often block innovative projects — mostly unjustified. It’s time to separate fact from fiction, supported by standards and real-world examples.
Summary
Discover why the most common objections to using colour in public space no longer hold up. We debunk the three most persistent myths about cost, maintenance and aesthetics using measurable, technical arguments. Which data and standards prove that — when applied correctly — colour is actually a sustainable, manageable and functional design choice for every public project?
Don’t Let Misconceptions Dictate Your Design Choices
In urban design and public infrastructure, certain “truths” are rarely questioned. The biggest one? That neutral tones such as grey or black are the safest, most durable and most sensible options. This assumption, still widespread, is based on outdated materials knowledge and misconceptions about modern coating systems. The result: monotonous cityscapes and missed opportunities.
Myth 1: “Colour is subjective — a professional risk.”
The Scenario: You’re in a design meeting. Your carefully chosen palette is on the table. Then someone says: “I just don’t like that colour.” The discussion stops immediately. How do you turn that personal opinion into an objective fact?
The Reality: Colour performance is measurable, not a matter of taste. The strongest evidence is LRV – Light Reflectance Value, a numeric value that determines whether an object contrasts sufficiently with its background. For accessibility and safety, a minimum LRV difference of 30 points between adjacent elements is an objective requirement under ISO 21542. This isn’t opinion, it’s science and inclusion.
Your Irrefutable Proof:
Our whitepaper “Colour that Performs” provides scientific explanations and reference values to make your colour choices objective. You’ll be able to justify your design decisions with ISO-based contrast criteria — and win any discussion with facts.
Myth 2: “Coloured furniture requires more maintenance and ages quickly.”
The Scenario: The maintenance team frowns: “All those colours… that’ll be a nightmare to upkeep.” How can you demonstrate that properly specified colour can actually increase durability and reduce lifetime costs?
The Reality: Poorly specified furniture needs frequent maintenance, regardless of colour. Durability depends on the underlying coating system. A modern duplex system — steel that is first hot-dip galvanized and then finished with a high-performance powder coating — offers long-term corrosion protection, even in high-corrosion environments. Moreover, a lightly textured finish can mask minor scratches better than a smooth grey layer, reducing visible wear and lowering maintenance needs.
Your Guarantee for Longevity:
Our whitepaper “Colour that Performs” offers a complete guide on materials, coating systems and circular design, helping you specify maximum durability and a minimal Total Cost of Ownership.
Myth 3: “Too much colour creates visual chaos.”
The Scenario: Fear of a “cluttered” or “noisy” streetscape often leads to safe but monotonous choices. How do you explain that a professional colour plan can actually create clarity and visual calm?
The Reality: Visual chaos results from randomness — not from colour. A structured colour plan provides hierarchy, orientation and balance. Use one or two base tones harmonised with the environment, and one functional accent colour to mark key elements such as routes, play zones or municipal identity. This approach makes public spaces more readable and recognisable — even reducing urban heat stress through reflective tones.
Your Strategic Palette:
The whitepaper provides design principles and real-life scenarios for various contexts — from heritage sites to campuses — showing that your palette is not arbitrary, but a deliberate strategy.
Design with Facts, Not Fables
Don’t let outdated myths limit your projects. Equip yourself with the right knowledge and technical reasoning to apply colour with confidence.
Further Reading
- From Taste to Strategy: discover how to substantiate your colour choices with objective arguments.
- The 3 Mistakes That Endanger Your Project Budget: avoid the most common pitfalls in colour application.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
No. Maintenance costs depend on the coating system, not on colour. A duplex system, galvanized steel with a high-quality powder coating, ensures long-term corrosion protection.
When these systems are properly specified, maintenance is limited to simple cleaning, resulting in a lower Total Cost of Ownership.
At Servibo, colour is an integral part of a sustainable and low-maintenance design, not an extra burden. More details in our whitepaper “Colour that Performs.”
Durability depends on pigment UV stability and coating quality. High-grade systems meeting Qualicoat Class 2 or GSB International standards maintain colour and gloss for decades, even under harsh outdoor conditions (corrosion classes C4–C5).
Servibo applies only coatings that meet both mechanical and aesthetic long-term performance criteria. Learn more about UV stability and Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) in our whitepaper.
All materials age under UV exposure, but the difference between systems is substantial. Low-cost plastics and paints fade quickly, while UV-stabilised powder coatings retain colour for years.
Servibo specifies coatings to be tested to ISO standards with colour stability below ΔE < 5 after 10 years, ensuring the original colour remains intact.
More information can be found in our whitepaper ‘Colour that Performs’.
Chaos arises from lack of structure, not colour. A professional colour plan follows the same logic as urban design: hierarchy, repetition and balance. Using one base tone and one or two accent colours increases legibility and orientation.
Servibo’s design method supports designers with guidelines for colour harmony, contrast and context alignment. We cover these aspects in our guide ‘Colour that Performs’.
Grey is often perceived as safe, but that doesn’t mean it’s more durable or functional. Durability depends on material and coating system, not colour. Moreover, low-contrast grey tones (low LRV) can reduce visibility for people with visual impairments.
Servibo promotes inclusive design through measurable contrast (LRV and SRI values), ensuring safety and readability in every public space.
Colour becomes objective when based on performance criteria such as:
· LRV (Light Reflectance Value): for visual contrast and accessibility.
· SRI (Solar Reflectance Index): for thermal comfort and heat reduction.
Combining these metrics with environmental factors (orientation, use intensity, material) leads to rational, reproducible decisions.
The Servibo approach systematically links aesthetics to this data, so that colour choice is no longer a matter of taste, but of performance and design strategy. We discuss practical guidelines in our white paper “Colour that Performs
Within Europe, there are clear guidelines for visual contrast and accessibility in public spaces. The most important reference is ISO 21542:2021 – Building Construction: Accessibility and Usability of the Built Environment, which recommends a minimum LRV (Light Reflectance Value) difference of 30 points between adjacent surfaces. This contrast ensures that objects, benches or handrails remain clearly visible to people with visual impairments.
In addition, various national guidelines, such as the Dutch NEN 1814 and the Belgian accessibility recommendations of Inter Vlaanderen, explicitly refer to the importance of colour contrast in the design of public spaces.
The Servibo approach translates these standards into practical design criteria. This means that every colour choice is substantiated with measurable values (LRV and SRI), so that the visual legibility and safety of the public space is guaranteed — without compromising on aesthetics.
More information per context (parks, campuses, heritage sites) can be found in our white paper “Colour that Performs”.
Other Questions?
Do you have additional questions or would you like personal advice on the application of add-on benches in your city or municipality? Our team is ready to think along with you and recommend the right solution. Click below on Contact Us and discover how together we can future-proof your public space.