Christina Kittelstad is a tutor of QC Design School. She’s also an accomplished color consultant, home stager, and painter. Her work has even been featured on HGTV’s show, “House Hunters”. She’s the owner and lead color consultant for Spiral Design Color Consulting. Christina is best known for creating beautiful, functional spaces through the use of color, as well as establishing a sense of style and personality that’s as unique as each of her clients!
As color consultants, we spend most of our time listening to what our clients want us to know; the important details they need to share with us in order to create a successful color project. But what many clients don’t realize is that color consultants also have valuable tips to share with them, too!
This knowledge will make the overall color consulting process go much smoother. It will also make the entire project a lot more enjoyable. Below are 5 things that color consultants want the clients to know!
1. Our #1 Goal is for YOU to love your color plan!
Yes, it’s our job to help define what colors will look best. As part of our expertise, it’s also our responsibility to share what we believe will not work well. But ultimately, we want YOU to be excited about your color selections!
We want the new color scheme(s) to reflect who you are, how you live, and what you love. If it celebrates your unique style, then we have done our job. When color consulting, it’s our duty to guide you through the process, offer professional advice, and support you along the way.
Always go with your gut! Don’t shy away from sharing with us which colors you typically dislike, and definitely do NOT want to see in the project. I’ve had many clients over the years who know what they want/like. Still, they’d choose not to share this information with me upfront, in favor of hearing my recommendations first.
This is a waste of valuable time that the client is paying for! Communication is key, and getting straight to the point is best for everyone involved. This allows us to offer you the very best services.
2. Color test, color test, color test!
Often times, clients believe that if they hire a professional color consultant, they’ll be quickly guided to the perfect colors – with minimal effort – and can start painting immediately.
Yes, this scenario is possible. It does occasionally happen, thanks to an experienced color consultant. But there are certain steps that every client must be willing to take! The biggest step that clients must NOT skip is color testing.
Always color test! Too often, I’ve walked in on a color disaster. Why? Because the clients did not color test first. They simply took the swatch at face value and went for it.
This is a big, expensive mistake! When color consulting, the expert will provide you with your color plan. On it, they’ll recommend different paint colors for your consideration.
Importantly: you, your painter, the color consultant, and/or the designer should ALWAYS get paint samples and perform a color test.
There is no way around skipping this step! If you do, don’t expect a beautiful color transformation. Yes, it takes a little time to wait for color swatches to arrive in the mail. Similarly, narrowing down potential colors, picking up paint samples at the store, and placing them on your home is also a bit time-consuming.
But doing all of these things WILL assist you in selecting the proper colors that much faster! You’ll easily be able to see which colors you love, which colors you don’t, and any colors that need to be adjusted prior to painting.
Every home is different. Every color looks different in different lighting. Taking just a little extra time to color test will make or break your project!
3. Color consultants will meet you where you are!
By nature, color consultants are flexible in their work. You’ll find that most (if not all) are willing to come to YOU. The color consulting process doesn’t strictly need to occur at the beginning of a project. You can turn to a color consulting expert at any stage along the way!
Maybe you’re just starting to think about planning a new project, and want to gather information to create a solid budget. Perhaps you simply need a fresh repaint in a few rooms throughout the home. Either way, your color consultant is ready to help!
If you’re working on a new construction home, your color consultant can help with recommending some trendy color schemes that work well for both your specific architectural style AND color preferences. If you’ve already tested way too many samples on your walls, you’re completely overwhelmed, and ready to set your home on fire, your color consultant can come to the rescue!
With their expertise, they can help you bring things back into perspective. Their practical advice can bring you back to a calmer, more confident state.
The color consulting process can also take place in the comfort of your very own home. Depending on your needs, location, budget, and schedule, you may not always have the option to travel to your consultant. But if possible, your consultant can definitely travel to you!
That being said, consultations and follow-up appointments can also be held virtually as well! This option works wonderfully in the event that you and your consultant cannot meet face-to-face. Virtual meetings are especially useful now, when people everywhere are advised to remain indoors and socially distance from others.
Virtual services allow clients to receive all the same benefits of working in-person, with added flexibility and convenience!
4. Everyone deserves to live with beautiful color!
As a color consultant, I truly believe that each and every person deserves to live in color – whether it’s in their home, their business, or their community.
Color is one of the easiest, most budget-friendly ways to create big design transformations, in an affordable and fun way! Bringing in pops of color can develop spaces that are more functional, inviting, cozy, and beautiful.
From the smallest décor items, to larger furnishings, artwork, and painted walls – everyone can benefit from enjoying color!
5. We want the color consulting process to be simple, stress-free, and enjoyable!
While the ultimate goal when working with our clients is to provide the perfect color scheme, we also want the process to be stress-free, easy, and fun!
This goes for both the consultant and the client. The easier the process is, and the more communication between both parties, the more successful the project will be for all parties. It’s a win-win!
If you’re struggling with your color consultant and overall vision, politely share your frustrations with them. If you aren’t able to see eye-to-eye, it’s completely okay to consider working with a different color consultant. If your first choice isn’t working out, someone else may be a better fit for you.
Don’t be worried about hurting our feelings! At the end of the day, this is business. You should never be expected to sacrifice the vision you’re paying for, just to appease your color consultant. It’s important that your personalities work well together during this creative process.
On the flip side: if you appreciate the work that your color consultant is doing for you, let them know. It really does go a long way! If you’re happy with what they’ve done, and love your beautiful color transformation, you can go even further by:
- Recommending them to your friends
- Sharing your positive experience on social media
- Writing them a positive review
It makes a world of difference, and helps us to gain new clients!
Above all else, color consultants want you to know that we love what we do. We are never happier than when our wonderful clients love their new colors. After all, we want to help you to live a happier and healthier life!
When we succeed at this, we know we’ve done our job right!
