Color consulting is something that not many people really consider for a home or business project, yet often an interior designer just doesn't have the expertise in some specialized areas, such as visual ergonomics for computer work stations or how to compensate for the synaesthetic associations in manufacturing plants. Plus, interior designers normally don’t deal with product design or merchandising. Here are some answers to questions I get all the time. This may help shed light on the profession and how I can help you.

How come I've never heard of color consultants?
Color consultants have been around for ages (Since ancient Greece) and were formally recognized and given professional status in 1957, when the IACC (International Association of Color Consultants/Designers) was formed. The profession is also regulated in Europe and Japan. In Japan, individuals must take a test in order to call themselves "color consultants". Color consulting is serious business and should be treated as one. You wouldn't hesitate to look into the training or credentials when hiring any other professional for you home or business, such as an accountant or a plumber.

Is color consulting like Feng Shui?
No. Unfortunately, some so-called Feng Shui practitioners are giving color consultants a bad name. Real Feng Shui is a natural science, not a new-age marketing gimmick to get you to buy little fountains and red tassels. I do not believe a color (or a mirror) can bring you "good luck", but I do believe a good color consultant can increase customer traffic in your retail store or restaurant if properly used. That is definitely good luck! A great way to learn about real Feng Shui is The Feng Shui Ultimate Resource Guide.

What about "Color Therapy"?
I do not perform color therapy. I don't entirely discount it, but most of it is similar to the Feng Shui craze. Yes, color can affect the human organism through the skin and eyes, but that’s all. I don't think drinking colored water does anything, but then there is always the placebo effect.

What about personal colors? I want to find out what clothing colors look good on me.
I do not do personal image consulting. There are many companies that have this service, but be careful with the cookie-cutter approaches of many image specialists, such as the "4-season" methods. Your image consultant must consider the whole person, including body type and personality, not just skin and eye color. There are some excellent image consultants out there though.

You recommended I paint my child's room light yellow. I've heard this will make him cry more!
Yellow supposedly will make people fight more as well. I like to think of this as a "color urban legend". Yellow is fabulous as a dominant color in a room, as long as it is the correct shade of yellow. Any bright, fully saturated color will probably irritate most people if it is the dominant color in the room. Even bright blue can be tiresome.

My child is hyperactive. I was told by an interior designer to paint her bedroom light blue to calm her down. How come it didn't work?
Color will affect the body on a biological level, but only under very specific conditions. Pastel colors won't do a thing. Painting her room a bright, electric blue wouldn't do much either, because the effects do not last very long. The body is always trying to find a state of equilibrium. Better to paint her room a color she loves, but in a fashion that is livable for both of you. A color consultant can work wonders in creating a lovely place for her to call her own.

Speaking of bedrooms, aren't they supposed to be calm, relaxing and only decorated in cool tones of blues and greens?
Your bedroom is your own sanctuary. There are no "have to's" and "should's" or recipes for fixing rooms. I can help you create a beautiful bedroom that you will love because it reflects your own taste.

I've heard that if I paint my kitchen blue, I will loose weight. Is this true?
If it were only that easy! This "color urban legend" has been transformed into a whole slew of "Blue-isms" associated with weight loss: eating off of blue plates, blue lights in the refrigerator, blue tablecloths, cobalt blue tumblers for drinking water, etc. What is true is that blue is one of the most popular colors for dishes! Mid-tone blues such as cobalt and aqua blue make a fabulous backdrop for many foods because of color contrast. An interesting note though is that blue is a very rare food color in nature, and most foods would be very unappetizing if they were blue. (Imagine blue lasagna). Yet it seems to work fine for artificially flavored items such as blue Jell-O or M&M's. (Notice how these items are marketed to children though). Blue won't quell your appetite or help you loose weight when used as paint on the wall.

What about color forecasting? Isn't that just a bunch of people picking colors every year and forcing us to wear or buy them?
Color forecasting is a complex process. I belong to the Color Marketing Group and participate in color forecasting for consumer products markets. Colors are not arbitrarily chosen, but are based on what is currently selling well in the marketplace and what is anticipated. In addition, the colors that are chosen are only directions, not directives. The information is highly valuable to manufacturers and designers that need to know what trends will become popular in the future. There is nothing worse than designing and manufacturing something that won't sell.

I tried to copy the decorating style and colors I saw in a recent magazine for my dining room, but it didn't quite work. How can I fix it?
Those decorating magazines such as Elle Décor, Martha Stewart, House Beautiful, are all great for ideas. However, the way the colors are featured in those rooms may only work in that particular room, in that context. And some of the rooms in those magazines are not done very well anyway! In order to really make something like that work for you is to adapt colors and designs to your specific situation. Hiring a color consultant is a great way to get a similar look, yet something that will work for your house, your rooms, in your situation.

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