Before you become my client we will have a human phone conversation, during which we will begin to clarify your specific requirements. Once you have decided to engage my services, I will send you a questionnaire, which will enable us to be more focused during our initial consultation. During the consultation, we will discuss your plans, aspirations, favorite colors and any specific ideas you have in mind. Additionally, we will make an assessment of the rooms, spaces, lighting sources, and how the rooms will be used.

After our table discussion, we will walk through the house together. I will bring large samples of 9″ X 11″ color sheets with actual paint on them, which is not the same as the CMYK  (printer ink) translation of the paint color that is typically found on paint store color sheets. We will then work together to select the colors for every space, room, trim, and architectural feature to create a coherent whole. The complete process usually takes 2 – 4 hours in one or two sessions. This may vary depending on the size of the house, the complexity of the architectural features and the scope of your project. You will not need to purchase samples of paint and put them on boards or walls.

By the end of the process, we will have a harmonious, coherent color palette for your home, including all surfaces and rooms, even those that are not being painted.

For your home exterior, in addition to the process described above, we will examine the house from different angles and explore how you would like your house to appear within your neighborhood and landscape, taking into account your local terroir and changes wrought by the seasons.

Following the consultation, you will receive a detailed specification sheet for you and your painting contractor, giving you the recommended colors and finishes.

You are ready to paint!

Architectural Surfaces:

Especially when remodeling or with a new construction project, you may elect to hire my services as you choose tiles, carpets, rugs, countertops, and other architectural elements, so that these can be thoroughly integrated in the color palette and style of your home. Either I can help you choose from samples you have already selected, guide you in your own research or directly assist you in shopping for these materials.

Decor:

Successful application of color consulting increases and changes the aesthetic level of a home. As a result, almost without exception, my clients feel the need to bring into this new harmony all other furnishings, including curtains, upholstery, bedspreads, shower curtains, light fixtures and towels. Here we have the opportunity to play with some of your favorite accent colors as the finishing touches to the color symphony of your home.

Commercial Projects:

Commercial color consultations are similar to residential ones, in that full collaboration is the key to ultimate success. There are, however, a number of additional dimensions that must be taken into account. Personal taste and style must harmonize with the mission, image and established brand, of the enterprise in question. The requirements of a wider range of users — owners, clients, employees and others — need to be considered. The physiological and psychological impacts of color — on creativity, productivity, user comfort and employee satisfaction — must be addressed.

Our approach begins with meeting all partners, appropriate stakeholders and, if useful, architects and contractors to assess the scope of the project, and to come to an understanding of the image that the structure must convey. We concurrently assess the needs of its users regarding light reflection values, atmosphere, tone and color intensity. Then, incorporating the requirements of the building itself — including its surroundings and lighting conditions — we work together to select the final color palette that will elicit the appropriate psychological and physiological effects.

During this process, interested stakeholders may wish me to guide them to a deeper understanding of the effect of color on humans. Well-accepted research has documented the impact of color that has rarely been applied, although in recent decades sophisticated practitioners of color have effectively applied this knowledge for the benefit and well-being of those who use their spaces.

My experience includes consultation for office buildings, restaurants, medical offices and laboratories, as well as a music concert hall, a library and a church. My emphasis has been to embrace the diverse needs of all those who use the space, while creating a coherent and harmonious atmosphere and image.

Over the phone:

Once you are my client and we have started working together, I am happy to offer complimentary consultation for anything less than 10 minutes for any clarifications or advice over the phone. For anything over 15 minutes, I will bill at my standard rates.

Payment is due at the end of the initial consultation; further services will be invoiced.