What is color consultation?

Whether you’re hiring an interior designer, or prefer to do home improvements on your own, color choices will make the biggest impact on how you and others feel in your home. A color consultant can help get the colors right the first time.

Consulting with a color expert

Consulting With an Expert

If you are interested in a professional Color Consultation with an interior design expert, that service is available for $300 by appointment up to one hour.

You will receive a response within one business day.

Request an Appointment

Color fan and samples of other materials

The Impact of Color

You want your home to make you feel comfortable and safe — your haven from the busyness of the outside world. Or, perhaps you are interested in improving a work environment, for yourself at home or for a business office — you will want a room that inspires you and/or others.

We’ve all been in homes or other places such as hotels, restaurants or particular businesses where we felt good as soon as we walked in the door. Recreating that atmosphere in our own living spaces would make our everyday life better. But do we know what made us feel that way? Figuring out that elusive “something” is the key to making it happen.

Color choices make a bigger difference than many people realize.

Duralee Clarke and Clarke Richmond Collection

Finding Your Aesthetic

It’s not about what’s trending, although you may like the current trend. It’s about finding the right colors and style for your individual or family aesthetic.

Here are some ways that you can prepare for your color consultation:

Is there some object you own that you want to serve as your color inspiration? This could be a piece of furniture, a piece of artwork, or things you collect. Or perhaps you've seen a photo in a magazine or online.

What colors do you love? Keep in mind the likes of other people sharing your home. What colors do you hate, or make you uncomfortable? Again, keep in mind the feelings of your significant other.

Couple selecting paint color in a store

Personal Preferences

We’re talking about personal preferences. While there are general feelings most people share about colors, which you can read lots about online, individuals may have strong feelings that create exceptions to those generally held feelings. This is the reason that a color consultation is valuable.

Some suggest beginning with a look at the colors you pick for your clothing. Do you like bright colors or subtle ones?

Consider your personality — are you energetic and want a vibrant environment, or do you prefer a calm and relaxing atmosphere?

You could use trial and error in painting and decorating your home, but that's time-consuming and expensive.

Rustic living room with blue furniture and yellow accents

Harmony at Home

We’re emphasizing the likes and dislikes of everyone living or working in the space for an important reason.

Here’s my personal example: I really love Yellow. I think it’s friendly and makes me feel happy and energetic. However, my husband finds Yellow aggravating because it over stimulates his senses.

We both like Blue, which is often described as being tranquil and conveying security. So I decorate with Blue, and occasionally bring in a small accent of Yellow, or a golden Yellow, which I can enjoy without disturbing his peace of mind.

Color palette inspired by lighthouse scenic photo

Color Palette Ideas

If you are having difficulty figuring out the best answers in your own situation, then using pictures can be very helpful.

If you have pictures of places where you felt peaceful on vacation, those could be a place to start. You can also search magazines and online to find pictures that show rooms that make a strong impression on you, with colors you like. The opposite is also important, pictures of rooms with colors you hate.

With this information, you and your color consultant will be able to work together to find the right color and hue, or combination of colors, to exceed your expectations in the finished living space. That makes a professional color consultation worth every penny.