Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Hiring a Color Consultant

You may wonder what a color consultant does and if it's a worthy investment for you. As a color consultant I specify colors for both residential and commercial interiors and exteriors. I also consult on color in marketing collateral and website design.

Having the perfect palette of colors can enhance your space, improve it's value and help your marketing efforts by enforcing your message with the right colors.
You may have had the experience of having seen a color at the paint store that you were absolutely in love with but once you had it on your walls you were less than satisfied. The color didn't look the same. It's not that you had bad taste but unless you've studied color and color relationships it's not easy to predict the result once your chosen color is placed in a new environment. Several factors come into play such as lighting, the source and direction of the light, your floor surface, your furniture and all your decorative accessories in the room all have a role in the final look. Color is a wonderful tool we can use to create that perfect living space that reflects who we are and enhance our daily life.

A color consultant can help you avoid costly painting mistakes and help increase the value of your home. The right colors can revive you and nurture you. In the work place, having the right color scheme can increase employee productivity and lessen eye strain and fatigue. In marketing, colors can catch and hold the eye of your intended audience and increase your bottom line.

Hiring a color consultant may seem like an expensive endeavor, but compared to the possible financial loss and loss of time and effort involved if your result is less than pleasing, it is a small investment that is well worthwhile.

I offer color consultations thorugh out the San Francisco Bay area. For out of town clients, you can send photos in the mail of your project and I will consult with you over the phone and via email. Give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

Cool Stuff for Babies





Dwell's baby collection is just awesome. It's fresh, modern and just plain cool. I love the patterns and colors used in their ensembles. When I decorated for my son I couldn't afford goodies like these and had to settle for consignment store goods but if it's in your budget then check out Dwell, your baby will be so in style!

For those of you who are on a tighter budget, there are inexpensive ways to spruce up bargain hunter finds. I bought a pastel blue nursery ensemble in ginham from a second hand store. To give it a a modern look I ironed on some appliques that I cut out from some fabric remnants I had around the house. I cut out silhouette style shapes of elephants, dinos and hippos in a red fabric. I sewed a running stitch around the edges in a navy blue and it looked great. I wish I had some pictures handy, I'm going to dig a bit and hope to post some soon. It was an easy project that anyone could do!! You just need to either draw some shapes or get some clipart. Adjust the size, print and trace onto the back side of wonder under or some other sort of iron on adhesive. Iron your fabric onto the other side, then trim. Then you're ready to iron it onto your project. Many fabric stores have a bargain box and just a few colorful scraps will do. It's fun to do and nice when the compliments come in to be able to say you did it!