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If you are preparing for your first color consultation, congrats!
A one-on-one with a professional color consultant is a unique experience that is incredibly advantageous to make well-informed decisions for home improvement projects. If you’ve had a color consultation before, we hope to offer some considerations that you may like to explore further this time around.
We’ll discuss ways to prepare for your color consultations and some important questions that your consultant will absolutely love answering for you.
A great place to start your consultation is to discuss the reasons you are making this update to your home. This can be quite helpful to determine the direction your consultation should venture. If you’re painting in anticipation of selling your home, ask your consultant what the current trends are in the paint industry.
This is a wonderful way to get the perspective of someone who has their finger on the pulse of what those more popular hues are. If you’re updating the space for yourself, bring to the table different styles or genres you are attracted to.
Does a modern vibe engage you?
Are you more drawn to a timeless look?
Are you feeling adventurous?
These are all great questions to ask yourself ahead of time as your consultant will use this information to guide you.
It is also okay to feel a little lost when it comes to paint colors. Looking at the style of your home can be a good starting point for inspiration. If you aren’t familiar with the classic schemes that your style of home tends to gravitate towards, feel free to bring that up when your color expert visits as well.
With all these components together your consultant will then have a clear vision of what your goals and dreams are.
Before you completely rule out a certain color or undertone, chat with your consultant about what colors will feel most harmonious in your current space. It’s easy to overlook what’s not changing by getting caught up in the big transformation. It is important to keep those fixed elements front of mind. Think of it as giving the space what it needs versus what you want.
When painting an exterior, the fixed features are the substrate, roof colors, brick, lighting fixtures, or landscaping. With an interior project, your flooring and furnishings will heavily impact color decisions. This is not an extensive list by any means and is best looked at when you are in the space with your color consultant.
Be open about what other projects are in the future for your home and what is here to stay. Even if the projects seem like they are in the very distant time ahead, you can gain valuable advice now.
Their expertise with color theory will make finding those compatible matches and schemes much easier. They can even help you to make future color selections based on what you envision. Your consultant will have many ideas on how to work with what you have now and enhance your space. Try not to write off any particular undertone and be open to colors you may have overlooked!
The undertones are essential when it comes to the type of mood you are trying to evoke. If you are looking to have a soothing or fresh appearance, you will probably look at colors with cool undertones. On the other hand, try out warmer undertones for a cozy or energetic feeling. Your consultant will have a sharp eye to help you navigate and pinpoint certain undertones in the colors you like.
They will be able to give you reasons behind why the make-up of the color functions better than another and how it captures the feeling you envision. Color is quite subjective and can appear differently to each of us, but there are methods to help us find commonality.
If you do have a differing opinion to your consultant, make that known. Being a harsh critic and having strong opinions is valuable during your consultation. The goal is to find a color that you will love, so if you aren’t sure, don’t settle.
Lighting is everything when it comes to color. When you do get close to making those firm decisions, your consultant will be able to offer insight on the Light Reflective Value or LRV of your winning hues. This number is a very important piece of the puzzle and helps to decipher the unpredictable nature of some colors.
If you do find color inspiration online, proceed with caution. More often than not, the color you see will appear completely different in your own space. This is due to the amount of light your space receives and that can make the color appear very different from that well-exposed, edited image on the internet.
So try not to get bogged down on those details. The temperature of the light that will be hitting these colors also ranges from very warm to cool and is certainly dependent on the direction your home faces. There is the option to change the type of lightbulbs inside your space, but you’re much more constrained with an exterior project.
During your consultation, you will be able to dive into all these components and what to expect when they all come together in your unique environment. Your consultant should absolutely recommend that you pick up paint samples to test your potential colors.
That way you are able to see the true paint on the exterior or interior of your home during all different lighting scenarios, morning, noon, and night.
From the initial inspirations to your current style and design choices, your color consultant will help you navigate this unknown territory to create a spectacular transformation. Color can be difficult but I hope these questions and considerations help to make your preparation and Color Consultation experience even more beneficial and fun. Enjoy beautifying your home!
If you need more help narrowing down your colors for an interior or exterior paint project, you can schedule a consultation with one of our certified color consultants at Kind Home Solutions. And if you have a paint project you are ready to get started, schedule a free consultation HERE.