pink | colour & design

Monday, June 11, 2012

Spend money to save money - hire a colour pro!

Too much colour choice? Too much colour confusion?

The next time you are going to paint, consider this. Do you simply want to freshen up the walls or do you want to go further…way further? Wouldn’t you rather decorate, renovate, bring out the beauty in everything you have and make yourself feel good every day? If you do want to get more out of your paint investment then perhaps you need to invest in a pro. Here is why: everyone – yes, everyone – should hire a colour expert before they hire a painter or invest their own time and money in doing the job.

Some of my colour research at PPG headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Knowing colour is different from knowing paint.

We are all colour experts with an intuitive colour sensibility. You know if you like yellow but hate orange or like neutrals but want a red dining room; but this does not mean you know which yellow, red or set of neutrals. You may be confident with hue (red, blue, green, the spectrum), but not so clear about value (the degree of light to dark) or chroma (the clean to muted dimension of colour).

My personalized colour kit made with 4 x 8 PPG chips.

A colour expert brings a kit with about 2000 colour samples that are usually ones large enough to actually see the colour of the colours! The size makes it easier to refine your choices quickly. Add their expertise and you should be able to get just the right variation of “your colour”.

janice lindsay hiring a colour consultant blog

Colour designed by Janice. How much calm or drama you want in your colours will depend on your personal colour sensibility.

Scale affects colour.

Because colour is not pigment but energy - light reflected off a pigment - knowing how to look at paint chips and calibrate them to achieve the right look on walls is a specialize skill. Taking away the guess-work requires training and lots of experience.

One of my bookshelves: Colour experts know a lot more than most people about colour history, colour psychology, light and lighting, oh yes, and design.

Even artists and designers - colour experts in their various fields - know that wall colour is a different medium and skill set. They value help of a wall-colour expert. People who are confident enough to go solo can get amazing results but it is hit and miss.

Second-guessing

Chances are your best colour ideas are the ones you second-guess yourself on. Friends, partners and painters can also rattle your confidence. The result is usually way too much beige and not enough personality. A colour consultant builds on good ideas, catches what won’t work and explains why.

Colour design by Janice. With help you can take your ideas further, rather than playing it safe.

The result is a more unique mix tailored to the client and to the context and is so satisfying. Would you ever feel good in clothing that did not fit you well or suit who you are? Well, rooms dressed in the wrong colours can also drag you down, while colours customized to you and your space bring a feel-good energy every single day.

Tecca's cup[board: With a little help you might find all sorts or places to enjoy colour.

What does it cost?

It’s really more about how much does it save?

The cost of a colour consultation is the cost of one paint mistake.

If you get one colour wrong, you have wasted time and money by not hiring an expert. If you do not make a mistake, are you still sure you got the most value out of your investment or did you play it safe? Is the result ok but not fantastic? Do all the undertones in the colours work together or is something off? Does your furniture, carpets and art look their best or do they just sit there unenhanced?

Sue's place: Colour by Janice. A colour expert does not force strong colour on you, but they do pay attention to nuances of undertone.

Do all the existing finishes – tile, marble, wood, and cabinetry - look as if they are pulled into a cohesive whole? If not, you have not maximized your investment.

Colour consultants charge anything from $50.00 per hour to $250.00 per hour. Some charge a flat fee like $750.00 per house. (Eve Ashcraft in NYC starts at $2500.00!)

For me, there is no such thing as too many colours. They are not confusing, but rather opportunities waiting to happen!

How to choose your Colour Consultant:

Make sure your consultant has training and experience. Painting, weaving, and set design are the kind of experiences that enhances an understanding of how colour works. (BTW, colour is not included in the curriculum for architects. This does not mean they are bad with colour, but it does explain why they often prefer white and grey and are not always comfortable choosing anything else.)
Get a list of references.
Look at portfolios.

Colour by Janice.

Why just paint when, with a little help, you can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary and experience how good your colours feel every single day?!

Happy client, Bonnie Sabil.

Why dither when you could start enjoying yourself right now? Call an expert on your area! Or, heck, call me! I travel far and wide. Colour consultations are a lot of fun. And it takes only a few hours to fast track yourself to chromatic joy.