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Vivid Expressions: Color Blocking in Cuba

A typical home in Viñales, Cuba
A typical home in Viñales, Cuba | © Amber Snider / Culture Trip

Cuba is not only this year’s hottest destination for travelers, it’s also a design lover’s dream. Each street in Havana, Trinidad, and Viñales pops with vibrant, pastel hues and tropical, Mediterranean shades. Home and design editor Amber C. Snider hit the pavement to capture the island country’s chromatic scenes and color blocking.

A photo journey in Cuba’s color blocking

Over in the historically preserved town of Trinidad, some structures date all the way back to the 16th century. This house in the heart of the city is a stunning example of Spanish architectural elements (terracotta roof tiles and painted stucco exteriors) mixed with modern flair. The color blocking seen here – orange, mustard, earthy browns, and “Havana blue” – is certainly on-trend for home design at the moment, but it seems Cubans picked up on that cue many, many seasons ago.

House in Trinidad

The stores in Havana may be a bit scarce, but they certainly make up for it with color. This local store in Centro Habana features its goods on a series of boxed shelves, all painted with classic pastel hues.

A local store in Centro Habana

This Cuban house in the town of Viñales features a playful sea foam green shade, a quirky boxed shape, and a flat roof with a fluttering clothesline. Vivid colors, ranging from bright pink to deep turquoise blue, adorn the facades of all the houses on this countryside road.

Viñales, Cuba

Reminiscent of an eclectic diner in the United States, this tiny cafe in Havana packs a serious color punch with its deep vibrant reds, rich blues, and pops of turquoise. The tiled tables are not only reminiscent of a classic Spanish design trope, but are also a currently trending décor idea.

Restaurant interior in Havana

The prevalence of vintage American cars around Cuba is certainly a side-effect of the U.S. embargo, but even more, it shows the astounding ingenuity of the Cuban people. If something is broken, they fix it. Vapid disposability is simply not a part of this eclectic culture.

Havana street

Callejon de Hamel is perhaps one of Cuba’s most famous streets for art. Located in Centro Habana, the Callejon de Hamel is a street filled with murals, galleries, and installations, all dedicated to Afro-Cuban art and Santeria. Created, designed, and maintained by one local artist, Salvador Gonzáles Escalona, the now-infamous street is a cultural haven in Cuba, and bursts with stunning color and texture at every turn.

A cafe in Callejon de Hamel – an entire street dedicated to the arts in Havana

Cuba’s doors and windows are an Instagrammer’s dream. The heavy wooden, ornate doors pop with color in nearly every house in Havana, and are normally juxtaposed with a contrasting shade on the house’s facade. Not enough can be said of these narrow visions, these entryways into entire “interior” worlds.

Streets of Cuba

Trinidad is a perfectly preserved colonial city with calming pastel shades on virtually every building. The smoothed over stones that make up the cobbled streets will make you feel as if you’re transported to another time period, while also gaining design inspiration for your next project.

Trinidad, Cuba

The color pop on the vintage cars is a sight to behold. And they’re not “for show” either – locals, including cab drivers, use their cars daily to get around the city. With each passing vehicle, you get a glimpse of stunning color, ranging from the ubiquitous “Havana blue” shade to bright, bubblegum pink. One local said that he paints his car frequently with spray paint and uses a gloss finish afterwards to keep the look fresh.

Antique American cars in Cuba

This doorway color block scene brings together some of this year’s most popular shades. The door’s teal color is now considered “the world’s favorite color,” according to a recent survey, and the pastel yellows and berry tones were also listed as the most coveted colors for Autumn and Winter 2017.

Trinidad, Cuba

Mellow yellow and bright, turquoise colors produce an inspiring, yet tranquil effect, whether in street scenes, cars, or even as coats of paint for your living room, kitchen, or porch.

Havana

Another example of the classic “Havana” blue that can be found around every corner. Set up against this beige, muted wall, the shade really stands out. At home, you can consider adding this Havana blue in décor items around the room, while keeping your walls neutral.

Centro Havana

Special thanks to Fisheye Journeys for providing an immersive travel experience and insight into the art and culture in Cuba.

About the author

Amber was born in Washington, D.C. and relocated to NYC in 2007. She received an M.A. degree in Liberal Studies: Women's Studies, Gender, and Sexuality from CUNY's Graduate Center and University, and an honors B.A. in English from The City College of New York. Before coming to Culture Trip, she was the executive editor for Metropolitan Magazine, a boutique luxury lifestyle and arts publication, as well as the editor for ResidencyNY Magazine. In 2015, she also started her own company, ACS Media Services, and has over 8+ years experience as a writer/editor in the NYC area. As one of the original employees in Culture Trip’s New York City office, Amber focuses on three verticals: Design, Architecture, and Home and Interiors, exploring how creativity and design influences our contemporary social landscape. She lives in Brooklyn with her typewriter.

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