ON DEMAND COLOUR SEMINARS
Instant access to colour-focused formal CPD training for architects and built environment designers
COLOUR IS challengING
I’ve worked with many architects and spatial designers who struggle to design with colour confidently. How could it be otherwise? Most architectural courses today teach little or no colour design! When they do, they tend to focus on colour theory for two dimensions, or they teach an outdated approach to colour psychology that does not translate well into three dimensional spaces.
Spatial designers need colour training attuned to architectural thinking. Drawing on 15+ years as an architectural colour designer, Lymesmith’s workshops help professional designers to unlock the potential of colour in the design of complex spatial environments.
unlock the power of colour
Lymesmith online CPD seminars provide instant access to formal CPD training that will reframe your thinking about the role of colour in the built environment.
The seminars will help you communicate colour concepts and advocate for good colour design to clients. The seminars will expand your colour vocabulary and help you to communicate your ideas with clarity and conviction.
THE THREAT OF COLOUR
Seminar includes access to:
The one-hour CPD seminar recording
Questionnaire
1 Formal CPD point Certificate upon completion
There's a good reason that many architects feel reluctant to use strong colours in their buildings. Applied colour can manipulate how buildings are perceived. Yet, it's for exactly this reason that architects who learn to harness colour will unlock new possibilities in their work. As Le Corbusier said, “Colour - a means as powerful as the ground plane and section".
“Being armed with the foundations of colour theory and specifically how it can be applied as architectural strategy provides much-needed rationale and legitimacy to what I otherwise approached to be purely aesthetic and subjective” - Michelle Lee, Architect
BEYOND BLACK AND WHITE
Seminar includes access to:
The one-hour CPD seminar recording
Questionnaire
1 Formal CPD point Certificate upon completion
Are your ‘go-to’ colours black and white? In this provocative seminar, you will be challenged to deepen your understanding of this uncompromising pair. How can a more nuanced approach to ‘whiteness’ and ‘blackness’ improve Architecture?
“This seminar helped me see black and white as nuanced colours rather than extremes. I’m now more conscious of how tone, light, texture, and context shape perception, and I plan to use blacks and whites intentionally to enhance spatial experience, comfort, and material expression.” - Emily Slevin, Architect
DON'T LOOK UP! DO CEILINGS HAVE TO BE SO UGLY?
Seminar includes access to:
The one-hour CPD seminar recording
Questionnaire
1 Formal CPD point Certificate upon completion
Explore one of the most overlooked yet psychologically potent design surfaces: the ceiling. Find out why white is one of the worst colours for ceilings.
“I recently watched Sonia's webinar on ceilings, and it was so good, informative and engaging that I had to watch it 4 times! Each time I took something different from the discussion and the examples shown in the presentation, and it impacted a project I was working on and instantly made it better as I took on board some of the ideas discussed. Thank you Sonia! Ceilings will never be the same!” - Richard Briggs, Architect & Artist
earn cpd points
All Lymesmith workshops and seminars qualify as professional development training and can be claimed as a tax-deductible business expense.
Each 1 hour seminar provide 1 formal CPD point, on completion of the CPD Quiz.
What Designers Say
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Thank you sonia! Ceilings will never be the same!”
— Richard Briggs, Architect & Artist
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"Your course has given me the language to be able to communicate with both colleagues and consultants. I feel more informed of the framework I can use to approach and consider the use of colour in design".
— Chloe Comino, Brisbane Housing Company
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“Sonia, your philosophy and theories on colour are game changing and I can’t wait to learn more”.
— Michelle Lee, Architect
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The course was very relevant. How to approach colour in architecture is a constant discussion point within our office. This course provided some excellent tools to use and broadened my way of thinking on the topic".
— Zac Chapman, Cox Architects
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the seminar helped me see black and white as nuanced colours rather than extremes. I’m now more conscious of how tone, light, texture, and context shape perception, and I plan to use blacks and whites intentionally to enhance spatial experience, comfort, and material expression.
— Emily Slevin, Architect - Terroir
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I feel more confident in describing to clients why white is not always best, and I have some examples to explain why."
— Louise Eddy, Architect - Anthrosite
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"The seminar has improved ways we can communicate colour theory and ideas to colleagues and clients."
— Grace Harding, Tag Architects
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The seminar has helped me think about the environment I'm creating at home in our renovation, in terms of natural light in each room, and how the tonal choice of colour can affect how we feel in each room".
— Prue Down, Architect - NCA
Meet YOUR TEACHER
Sonia van de Haar / Founder / Lymesmith
Sonia van de Haar is an artist and architectural colour specialist. She formed Lymesmith in 2011 as a colour focussed studio working to produce site specific artworks and material palettes for the built environment. Born in Wollongong, NSW, Sonia studied painting at the School of Art and Design (SOAD), ANU. Whilst studying fresco painting at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India, her journey towards an integrated art and architecture practice began.
Her subsequent completion of an architecture degree at the University of NSW led to the formation of Lymesmith studio.
For 15 years Lymesmith has focused on the colour question in Architecture and the built environment. Her approach to colour design is unique, eschewing trends for her ‘placed-based’ philosophy which positions colour as a generator of connection to place.
Since 2023 she has taught professional development courses to architects, landscape architects and interior designers around Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
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They are $85+gst each and can be claimed as a tax-deductible business expense.
You can purchase the bundle of all 3 seminars for 20% off.
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Each seminar includes access to:
The one-hour CPD seminar recording
Questionnaire
1 Formal CPD point Certificate upon completion (at least 70% score on the questionnaire)
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Once you’ve completed your purchase, you will receive two emails: first, an emailed receipt of purchase, and secondly an email containing the Seminar Recording Link.
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After watching the Seminar you will be prompted to complete a short online quiz. Once you have successfully completed the quiz (with a score of 70% or higher) you will receive a link to download your CPD Certificate.
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Lymesmith colour workshops are delivered in person at locations across Australia and run for half a day. They're hands-on sessions covering two core topics: Foundations of Architectural Colour Design and Introduction to Place-Based Colour Design.
The seminars, on the other hand, are held online and run for just 60 minutes, covering a range of topics. They're a great option if you're after a quick, flexible way to learn without needing to attend in person.