![KFU Logo](/ScientificJournal/Content/UserStyle/imgs/logo-ar-dark.png)
Scientific Journal Of King Faisal University
Basic and Applied Sciences
Scientific Journal of King Faisal University / Humanities and Management Sciences
Saudi Arabia’s Colourful Culture: Exploring Colour in Saudi Heritage Homes’ Al-Majlis Rooms
(Douha Attiah and Abeer A. Alawad)Abstract
Saudi Arabia considers its architectural heritage a part of its wealth and has extensively tried to preserve it. Several studies on Saudi Arabia’s heritage, particularly its architectural heritage, have been conducted; however, there is a lack of studies detailing elements of the interiors of historical buildings. This study analyses the colours in interior spaces of traditional Saudi Arabian houses. A descriptive-analytical method is applied to eight traditional houses from the four main regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: central, eastern, western and southern. This study demonstrates that the two houses selected from each of the four regions have similarities in the colour scheme and overall visual look and feel of the al-majlis interior space, with only minor differences. In addition, the study finds that each region is characterised by a distinct interior colour palette. Our findings will aid scholars in documenting colour as an important element of interior spaces in traditional houses and will provide a colour reference for designers, companies and paint factories for adaptation of contemporary designs and concepts to prevailing local identities. Additionally, our analytical framework may guide professionals when colour is considered as an element in interior design.
KEYWORDS
Interior design, architectural heritage, colour design, traditional architecture, historic homes, local identities
PDF
References
Alawad, A.A. (2015). Researching the motives behind the acquisition, possession and application of heritage collectibles in home interiors. Arts and Design Studies, 29(1), 80-7.
Al-Hababi, H. (2012). The Art of Women in ’Asir (Saudi Arabia). Vienna, Austria: Center for Asian Studies and Social Anthropology Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Almegnem, L. (2016). ‘Traditional residence architecture in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’. In: The Seventeenth Annual Scientific Meeting: The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf through the Ages, The Association of History and Antiquities of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Manama, Bahrain, 01/01/2016.
Antiquities and Museums Agency -AMA. (2003). Al-Qaseem Region Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Antiquities Series. Saudi Arabia: Ministry of Education.
Al-Turath. (2021). Prince Sultan bin Salman Award for Urban Heritage. Available at: http://al-turath.com/arabic (accessed on 04/01/2021)
Attiah, D.Y. (2016). A Constant-Theoretical Sampling and Comparison Approach to Optimise Colour Thinking in the Interior-Design Process. PhD Thesis, The University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Babsail, M.O. and Al-Qawasmi, J. (2014). ‘Vernacular architecture in Saudi Arabia: Revival of displaced traditions’. In: C. Mileto, F. Vegas, L. García Soriano, and V. Cristini (eds.) Vernacular Architecture: Towards a Sustainable Future. London: Taylor and Francis Group.
Bahmam, A. (2000). ‘Architecture and urban characteristics of traditional dwellings in Saudi’. In: First Scientific Conference Clay Architecture on the Gate of the Twenty-first Century, Hadhramout University for Science and Technology, Seiyun, Yemen, 10-12/02/2000.
Bellamy, A. (2004). Systematic/Subjective Colour Selection. Singapore: AVA Publishing SA.
Bleicher, S. (2012). Contemporary Color Theory and Use. USA: Delmar-Cengage Learning.
Circle for Publishing and Documentation- CPD. (2000). ‘Architecture’. In: Circle for Publishing and Documentation (ed.) Traditional Culture of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The Circle for Publishing & Documentation.
Coates, M., Brooker, G. and Stone, S. (2009). The Visual Dictionary of Interior Architecture and Design. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA.
Feisner, E. (2006). Colour: How to Use Colour in Art and Design. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.
Fisher, M. and Zelanski, P. (1999). Colour. London: A&C Black Publishers.
Hård, A. and Sivik, L. (1981). NCS—Natural color system: A Swedish standard for color notation. Color Research and Application, 6(3), 129-38.
Hornung, D. (2005). Colour: A Workshop for Artists and Designers. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.
King, G. (1998). The Traditional Architecture of Saudi Arabia. London: I B Tauris & Co.
Marzouk, A. (2017). ‘Mural painting art in Abha South Western of KSA’. In: The Second International Conference on Sustainable Development of Societies in the Arab World the Role of Culture, Heritage, Creative Industries, Tourism and Applied Sciences in Sustainable Development, Luxor, Egypt, 9-13/12/2017.
Ministry of Culture. (2020). The Ministry of Culture Announces the Results of the Cultural Scholarship Program. Available at: https://www.moc.gov.sa/ar/news/24527 (accessed on 20/07/2020)
Rifai, W.H. and Rifai, M.H. (1990). The Heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Washington, USA: The Georgetown Design Group, Inc.
Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities -SCTA. (2010). Saudi Urban Heritage Varied within the Framework of Unity. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities.
Tantcheva, E., Cheung, V. and Westland, S. (2008). ‘Analysis of seventeenth-century church interiors using the Munsell System’. In: The International Colour Association- AIC, Stockholm, Sweden, 15-18/06/2008.
Tantcheva, E., Cheung, V. and Westland, S. (2013). ‘Study of the use of the colour blue in Byzantine and early post-Byzantine church decoration in the context of the presumed contemporary interior lighting’. In: AIC-12th Congress of the International Colour Association, Colour Group, Newcastle, UK, 08-12/07/2013.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization -UNESCO. (2020). World Heritage List. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/ar/list (accessed on 11/12/2020)