Why Do You Need a Color Consultant for Your Home?

For anybody trying to sell a home or even spruce up the look of their house, a professional color consultation can be a worthwhile investment. I recently interviewed Christina Kittelstad, owner of Spiral Design Color Consulting in Denver, to find out more about color consulting. For more information on Christina and her business, visit www.spiraldesignsinc.com or call 303-233-4739.

Q. What is color consulting? What is a color consultant?

A. Color consulting is the art of using and selecting appropriate paint colors by working with a professional color consultant to create a thriving, functioning, modern home that meets each homeowners unique lifestyle. Anyone from homeowners to CEO's can utilize a color consultant to create a beautiful space that meets a variety of color goals from creating a warmer inviting space to creating a workspace that improves productivity and overall health.

Q. How can it improve my home?

A. By using the benefits of color, especially paint color, you can create a home that you love to come home to without breaking your design budget. Color has been scientifically proven to provide many benefits to your home such as decreasing stress levels, enhancing rest and relaxation and improving communication, not to mention is better than looking at cold white walls.

Q. Give us three basic rules of color in homes.

A. 1) Start Small and Think Big - Any color can work in almost any room if the right hue is used. If you are afraid to go too bold then consider starting on a smaller scale with a small room in your home such as a powder room or an accent wall. As you begin to articulate your color tastes and gain confidence, you can venture into larger scale areas of your home.

2) Ignore the Rules and Get Inspired - It's your home and not your neighbor's, so take a deep breathe and throw the rules out the window and do what makes you happy. Your home is your retreat and should reflect who YOU are and what interests, hobbies and styles make you and your family tick! Color can accomplish this by being incorporated into all aspects of your home through paint color, furnishings, fabrics, flooring, tile, artwork, accessories, garden features and any thing else you draw inspiration from in life!

3) Make A Plan - If you are an organized, articulate "A" type personality like me, creating a plan will make incorporating color into your home that much easier. I recommend selecting one overall neutral color for your main living areas such as the entry, living/family rooms, hallway, and other open areas of your home. Then select 2-3 accent colors that work well with your overall color, to use in specific rooms or accent walls in your home, such as the dining room, main family room, wall above the fireplace, and niches. This is a great fool-proof way to incorporate colors slowly, over time and on a budget.

Q. I know what colors I like. Why do I need a professional color consultation?

A. Knowing what colors you like or dislike is an excellent place to start! Working with a professional color consultant will help you make the all important color decisions that will make or break your final results such as: what specific color shade will work well in what specific rooms or what specific walls, how will the colors I like work together or not work together throughout my home, what paint sheens should I use and where, and what types of paint are best for my specific home. There are many small decisions to made and a color consultant has years of experience to offer in getting perfect color.

Q. What difference can you make for home staging?

A. Home staging services has proven time and time again that a well staged home can sell up to 40 percent faster than non-staged homes! First impressions are everything and potential buyers make judgments within the first few minutes or seconds of walking through the front door. The market is competitive today and every detail counts! As a home stager, I work with homeowners to make their home look as great as possible as quick as possible to potential buyers while remaining within in their budget. Many realtors today will not even take on a new client without an agreement to professional stage their property because hey know how successful it is. Through furniture placement, clutter-management and other simple techniques, most homes can look great and sell fast.

Q. What qualifications do you have to be a color consultant?

A. You do not need a professional degree to be a color consultant. That said, it is extremely important to have the actual experience and knowledge in color and design to provide professional services to your clients that meet their color goals within their budget. Through my lifelong interest in the nuances of color, I bring a strong dose of creativity and talent to my work. I studied in fine art, believe in quality design, studied color through a certification program, have painted more walls than I ever want to count, work with many professional painters, home and business owners, realtors, contractors and designers, and have many years of on the job experience to assist me in providing my clients with the best possible color services available.

Q. What were you doing before you started this business?

A. I was the program director for an arts-in-education non-profit organization that provided quality arts programs to K-12 schools throughout Colorado, and I managed and marketed over 100 professional performing artists in all disciplines. I have always worked within the arts where I could use my creativity and this background has helped me be so successful today.

Q. What is the hardest part of your job?

A. The hardest part about my job is probably the constant commute to each client's home. Sometimes it can mean driving all day and in these times with high gas prices and traffic, it can be a challenge to stay fresh and creative through out the day.

Q. What do you enjoy about running your own consultation business?

A. I love being my own boss and the freedom it provides me to create my own schedule and meet new and interesting people every day! I love my work and the satisfaction I get from helping people create beautiful spaces that provide them with a sense of style, space and personality that is uniquely theirs. I strongly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the benefits of incorporating color into their lives whether it be in their home, school, office or community.

Q. What advice do you have for people thinking about starting a home business?

A. There was a lot of useful advice that I received (and still receive) when I started out, that truly helped me to keep going and make it happen when the odds were against me succeeding, such as a lagging home industry, little start-up funds and the critics who said there was no need for such a service. Here are a few bits of advice. I recommend creating a timeline that allows you to remain within your current career for as long as possible to provide start-up income and to really think through what your business goals, marketing plan and target customer base will look like. This will keep you focused and on track as you move through the MANY challenges of starting your own home business and staying in business. I also recommend creating a strong support network around you to provide encouragement and feedback when you need it most - and you WILL need it! Owning your own business means you have to be 150 percent accountable every minute of the day to generate a solid income. This can be a change for those who have worked behind a desk and receive a paycheck every two weeks like clock work. Lastly, remember that as with any career or job there will always be ups and downs, and you just have to remember to do what you love most and don't give up! In my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons of owning your own business so if you know your stuff, then go for it and don't look back!

Q. How should people choose a color consultant?

A. I recommend searching online in your area. This will allow you to take a look at their websites, testimonials and photos of past work they have done. I also recommend calling or emailing any that you are interested in working with to discuss their consultation fees, any promotions they may have such as during the holidays and discuss your personal color goals and tastes to determine which consultant will listen and work to meet YOUR unique vision and not theirs. Color results that make you love your home and want to show it off are well worth spending1-3 hours with a talented color consultant, to get it right the first time. The fee you will pay is well worth every penny to save you time, frustration, poor color choices and too much money spent on color testing and repaints.