On Jamie Davis and Casey Davis’ worktable, the world is a color chart: a slice of avocado becomes an eternal paint color, and a favorite nail polish evolves into the custom finish for a Porsche. Since 1998, the Davis brothers have applied that same obsessive, mathematical precision to every palette they create.
Born and raised in Studio City in an artistic family, the duo behind North Hollywood’s award-winning Portola Paints developed their interest in colors as teenagers. They were introduced to the kaleidoscopic appeals of paint through their father, a luxury homebuilder who once sourced rare limewash for a European chateau-inspired project. It was an organic material made from slaked lime and natural pigments, which at the time was hard to find in the U.S.
That exposure ignited a trajectory. Their father’s project led to an imported paints boutique, which subsequently led to a collaboration with a paint manufacturer. Then, at the respective age of 16 and 18, the Davis brothers found themselves making their own formulas in a significantly undersaturated market.
“It’s like the Beatles’ ‘10,000-hour rule.’ Eventually you’re a black belt at these things,” Jamie Davis said. “The colors all have a story … inspired by music, by travel, by some old French village. I love the romance of telling a story with a color, and how the name influences how people feel about it.”
Martha Stewart’s ‘American Made’
That obsession with color has taken the duo through nearly 30 years of paint making, from a small boutique of four team members in Studio City to a 5,000-square-foot facility in the heart of North Hollywood with 25 employees.
Their long career has produced significant recognition in both the design community and the architectural world.
Mission San Juan Capistrano has commissioned them to make historically accurate colors for restoration purposes, and their paint has appeared on canvases, as well as on walls. A highlight of their career was when Martha Stewart walked into their boutique with a point-and-shoot camera and invited them to her initiative “American Made,” where they eventually landed an accolade as an honoree in 2015.
“Everything has been in these chunks of five-year growth moments,” said Jamie Davis. “We were just refining the craft and learning … and eventually got to a point where somebody like Martha Stewart (and) these big designers knew about us and they started using us.”
The trendy shades have changed, of course. When the brothers started out, bright, cold whites and saturated colors were in vogue. Today, a softer, creamier, more muted palette stands out. The industry also pays much more attention to organic finishes, including Portola Paints’ trademark limewash paint and Roman clay, not to mention how technology has transformed color-making with computer images.
The brand still finds its niche in highly curated, hand-made artisanal paints, however. The personal touch behind every jar of paint and the effort to build relationships with customers is what makes their paint stand out, according to the brothers.
“If you’re just putting something out there to make money … I don’t think the authenticity is there,” Jamie Davis said. “It’s about the connections within.”
Casey Davis added: “Everything happens through trust and relationships, and building it together, and knowing that we’ve built a good team. Everyone has their purpose and their role, and that’s what helps us to be able to continue growing.”
