Crafterateur

I got excited when I heard about the opening of the Color Factory in San Francisco because the founder owns a party goods business which gets all my money. I wasn’t sure what to expect or how the artists would highlight and interpret colors. I also thought that seeing photos on social media would spoil the experience, but it really was an interactive museum with many had to be there features. It turned out to be unexpected, amazing, and inspirational.

All the colorful sites + tips for your visit:

One. 575 Sutter Street, San Francisco
Get a nice view of the building stripes from the north side. Then fall in line thirty minutes before your selected ticket time; you might get to go in a little earlier!

Two. Rainbow stairs to registration + Photo Stop #1
The color guards let you in slowly so you can get a ‘We’re the only ones in the museum’ feel. Nice touch, Color Factory, nice touch. Head down the rainbow to the registration area, enter your email for a photo card, and snap your first photobooth pic…and then try again if the first one was weird. O_o

Three. Scratch and sniff wall
In the scratch and sniff room, you can experience the memory of smell. Apparently, I went to the Color Factory with a fellow germaphobe so we used my pennant sticks to scratch the wall and then smelled closely but not too close so our noses wouldn’t touch the wall on accident…cause that would be gross.

Four. Treat wheel
The first sweet stop was a spinning treat wheel with Doughbies confetti cookies. I devoured my cookie so fast like I had to finish it before going to the next room. I’m pretty sure I just wanted my hands free so I could take more photos. But really, the cookie was so good.

Five. Black and white room+ charcoal lemonade
On the other side of the treat wheel is the black and white room (and the treat wheel monitor!). Here, get a taste of charcoal lemonade courtesy of Pressed Juicery. Mostly tart, and perfect after I inhaled my cookie treat. Also, wouldn’t this be a fun Halloween drink?

Six. Orange room
All the things in this room: orange, including goldfish (er…orange fish) and cheese puffs.

Seven. Blue balloon bath + Photo Stop #2
This room will filled with blue balloon bubbles and the aroma of latex. Oh, and I brought color/food themed pennants for the occasion…BLUEberry balloons, y’all! Check out more work by the designer, Jihan of Geronimo Ballons.

Eight. Disco ball room
In the disco ball room there were buttons on the wall, but I couldn’t tell what was happening when I pushed them. I’m sure it was awesome. O_o In any case, a room of disco balls and rainbow feels calls for a dance party!

Nine. Lite Brite room art
In the giant Lite Brite room you can move the pieces around to create a work of art for the next guest to see. I loved how the light peeked through the plus sign slits.

Ten. Green room
The green room walls were covered in simple black drawings and guests could color using giant, taller-than-me markers.

Eleven. Ribbon room
There are over 10,000 ribbons here. Many a Boomerang happened here. It may look simple, but this was my favorite part of the exhibit. Pictures do not do it justice. I could brush along the ribbons all day. Go inside and experience the change in sound and light.

Twelve. Bathroom
Yes, the bathrooms are themed, too! Also, functional. Pink walls, pink phrases, and pink soap!

Thirteen. Happy face stairs
En route back up to ground level, you are greeted by a neon smiley.

Fourteen. Rainbow hallway
This hallway is perfect for dramatic wall photos.

Fifteen. Waiting room
In the colorful waiting room, you can take a break and come up with your photo game plan for the selfie and confetti rooms. 🙂

Sixteen. Purple selfie room
So apparently, you can do more than just take a selfie in the purple selfie room. You can post your photo with #selfie on Instagram and a black and white printer in the middle of the room will print it out for you. It all happened in real time, so strangers all over the world’s faces were scattered about in the room.

Seventeen. Confetti accumulation + Photo Stop #3
Confetti Accumulation was my second favorite room. Tip: close your mouth when you toss the confetti. I definitely got some in the mouth. 😛 And another: You don’t have to wait for people to leave (that’s what I thought the waiting room was for); just head right on in and enjoy the space with your fellow photo takers! And as expected, I left with some confetti on the back of my leg — it made it all the way home with me!

Eighteen. Yellow ball pit + Photo Stops #4-6
We almost missed this room because the girl upstairs wasn’t doing her job! Luckily, the color guard was and told us to turn back around and exit from a different door. Behold: the famous yellow ball pit – the one I swore I wouldn’t jump in…because germs.

But you know what — YOLO. My ball pit thought process: You can’t get me to set foot in a ball pit full of germs. Ok, I’m going in. I’m sinking. I’m all in. I don’t want to leeeave.

Nineteen. Ice cream + gift shop
To cool off after a dip in the “pool” we were treated to a third treat: yellow vanilla soft serve from Garden Creamery (my current fave ice creamery!). Pro-tip/PSA: Wash your hands after the pool and then enjoy your treat. 😉 Then, check out the all-yellow gift shop. These scissors!

Twenty. Card + map
Finally, at the end of your colorful experience you get to choose a print to take home and you get a map with seventeen more colorful experiences to explore around the neighborhood!

Dear Color Factory, you met my expectations and more. Believe the hype, y’all! I hear they are extending dates, too, so get on the mailing list if you want to be in the know.

Did you get to experience the color factory and all it’s glory? Share your favorite room below!