Color Consultation FAQ

Here are key Paint Color Consultation FAQs. Do everything you can to get your paint colors right the first time. Hiring a paint color expert to help with interior paint colors or for exterior house paint colors will save you money and lots of stress. Color affects how we feel in a space. It has a direct connection to our emotional state and therefore our happiness and feeling of well-being at home.

• What is Architectural Color Consulting?

An Architectural Color Consultant is a trained professional who has mastered coursework related to choosing colors for interior and exteriors. They choose paint colors but also colors for other substrates and materials used in and on buildings.

• Why hire a Color Consultant?

Hiring a paint color consultant helps avert expensive mistakes. You won’t end up with the wrong paint color for your property or waste precious time endlessly taping color swatches to your walls. A paint color consultant will analyze the light in your home (or commercial property), the style of architecture and decor, the color temperature of your light bulbs, the color of your fixed finishes and find the perfect colors to suit you. They will help you bypass feeling frustrated when trying to choose paint colors yourself and will install confidence in the color choices you’ve made by knowing a trained professional has helped you.

• How does a virtual, online, remote color consultation work?

At Amy Krane Color I work virtually all over North America. I have perfected my proprietary methodology for understanding the light and colors in your home or property making the remote selection of paint colors seamless and foolproof. I use floor plans and photos taken a particular way to help me understand what your house looks like and an in-depth questionnaire to understand you!

• Do you work on large commercial projects including multi-family buildings as a Color Consultant?

Yes, I work on commercial projects often.  From vacation resorts to condo communities, movie theaters to university housing. The process differs from residential work but the skill set is identical. Understanding the brand identity, demographic target, region and architecture are all important when working on large scale buildings or communities. Being a skilled communicator is key to working with developers, architectural teams, Boards of Directors and shareholders. 

•How is an Architectural Color Consultant different from an Interior Designer?

The training for an interior designer is different, covering structural remodeling, furniture layout and specification, material selection and procurement of furnishings. A Color Consultant’s training is laser focused on the selection of colors for surfaces. This could include the specification of materials and finishes as well as paint color but their training is based on science – how the brain sees and processes color, the psychology of color and visual ergonomics. While aesthetics are always very important, the Architectural Color Consultant will also consider the function of the colors chosen and how they will enhance the well-being of the building’s inhabitants. 

• How can I see the paint colors suggested for my project?

If we use Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams paints large paper swatches will be shipped to you free of charge. Boutique paint companies require you to purchase, peel-n-stick samples, color cards, large swatches or paint samples. It depends on the brand. 

• Can I get a computer rendering of the paint colors suggested for my house exterior?

Yes, but first you must understand that colors rendered digitally do not look the same as when a surface is painted. They are created by lights whereas paint is pigment. Because of this a rendering can only answer broad stroke questions like do I want a blue house or a white house, NOT the nuances of different blues or whites. If seeing a computer rendering of the suggested colors photoshopped onto your house is important to you, you can purchase one as an add-on service. Inquire about price.

• What if my HOA has very specific parameters and requirements for exterior colors allowed?

No problem. Sometimes HOA’s limit the LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of paint colors permitted for exteriors or Historical organizations require certain kinds of colors to be used on an exterior of a house. I am well versed in both situations.

• Can you work with blueprints for a new build?

Of course! I work on new builds every year and am often hired to work on more than paint color. Wallpaper sourcing, finishes and materials for bathrooms and kitchens – like counters and tiles, cabinet style, flooring, lighting and more, all come under my purview.

• When should I reach out to you?

Contact me as soon as you know you have the need for color advice. Don’t wait until the painter is there or coming tomorrow. My availability is often 3 weeks out but every season and year it’s a bit different. If you are remodeling or building, I highly recommend starting our collaboration well before you start making choices about things like counters and flooring, millwork and cabinetry, choosing windows, doors and the fireplace surround. You will greatly benefit in terms of your own stress management and maintaining the build schedule by having my experience back up your design choices.

• How does an in-person color consultation work?

An on-site color consultation begins with an in-depth questionnaire you fill out. I ask for you to send me inspirational photos you’ve collected on sites like Pinterest about the types of colors you think you want.  Have no idea? I work with people who know the color they want but not the best shade for their house to those who are completely stumped and have no idea. I’m the color expert so you don’t have to be!