As the CEO of MORIN, a Kingspan Group company, Ilhan also recognized that his home construction gave him an interesting opportunity to utilize his company’s metal panels in an unconventional way. After a yearlong planning process—during which the Esers created their own design without an architect—the plans were set. The Esers’ metal home would be a net zero house, using efficient technologies like solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling. Utilizing Kingspan Insulated Panels for the walls and roof would not only give the home a modern appearance, but provide an R-value of 42—well exceeding California’s building standards.

“When people think ‘metal’ they think of agricultural silos or warehouses,” said Ilhan. “Everyone we told was like, ‘Are you sure you want a residential metal building?’” 

But the Esers had an ace up their sleeve—Ilhan’s longstanding relationship with Valspar. After hearing about the couple’s project, a trusted Valspar representative sent the Esers samples of Kameleon™ Colors—pearlescent paints that appear to shift in color based on the lighting or viewing angle.

“Initially I was a little skeptical,” said Kamer, “but then the more we looked at it, I really liked the way the colors reflected in the sun, and we liked that it was a bold move.”

Bold is right. This unique product uses mica flakes to create a consistent, iridescent gradient look. The mica flakes do not contain an electrostatic charge—unlike the usual metal flakes used in metallic paints—that can cause the flakes to follow the back and forth movements of the application equipment leading to an uneven dispersion of color.

Valspar’s Kameleon™ Colors are available in a range of gradient pearlescent colors, with custom colors created upon request. The Esers selected Kameleon’s Dusty Rose shade to complement the home’s countryside setting. “It fits with nature,” said Ilhan. “It is a color, or more precisely, a multicolor paint, where in the morning or during the daytime it is more green and yellow, and in the evening it turns from silver to almost a bronze, brick color or dark brown.” The Dusty Rose coating was applied in a three-coat system with primer, basecoat and color coat, resulting in a highly durable end product that offers the same advanced protection as Valspar’s 70 percent PVDF Fluropon product.

The couple also chose Valspar’s Fluropon coating in Surrey Beige for the home’s roof, which adds solar reflectivity and contributes to the home’s energy efficiency. Fluropon coatings are trusted to resist humidity, fading, chalking, abrasions and most chemicals, while retaining the intended color, gloss and appearance overtime.

Now that their project is complete, the Esers are enjoying showing off the results to friends and family. “Our friends who initially said, ‘Are you really sure?’ are now saying, ‘It looks great,’” states Kamer.

“People literally change course when they’re driving to come look at it,” said Ilhan. “Our home is not on a main throughway, so spectators deliberately drive to our lot, slow down or even stop in front of the house to see the color change as the angle changes. Even I still enjoy it when I’m pulling into the driveway. It’s very, very unique and everybody’s first impression is, ‘Wow, how did you guys do that?’ I guess we made a statement!”