Rachel Perls has a blog called Hue. She is also a member (along with me) of the International Association of Colour Consultants/Designers. The most fascinating thing about the colour profession, is that each colour designer looks at colour from a slightly different view allowing us all to learn something new from each professional!
Rachel’s blog is no exception. I never know what she’s going to be talking about when I get there, but her blog always grabs my attention! Thanks Rachel for the interview!
[MK] What’s your favourite colour?
[RP] My favorite colors change all the time, based on my mood, the weather outside, etc. At this very moment, I am loving the combination of turquoise and orange. I love the balance of warm and cool in such vibrant, happy hues.
[MK] What colour would you like to see banished from all paint decks?
[RP] That’s a hard one to answer, because as a color consultant, I have to become a chameleon, stepping into the shoes of each client and taking on their individual aesthetics. So to me, a color might appear muddy or depressing, but my client might really identify with it. Besides, any color can look beautiful in the correct and appropriate scenario.
[MK] What was your biggest colour/design mistake?
[RP] I actually made my worst mistake in my own home, thankfully not a client’s house. We wanted a warm, middle-range beige for our stairway, and chose Benjamin Moore’s Roxbury Caramel. Unfortunately, the undertone was way too pinky in the lighting of our hallway and I couldn’t stand living with it. Just my luck, it was the hardest room in the house to paint, with a challenging ceiling to reach in the stairway. The acrobatics I achieved to reach that space- hanging off the side of a ladder perched precariously on the stairs, must have been pretty comical to watch. To correct this color, I opted for a much less orangy brown, Wilmington Tan, and was much happier with the results. Click here to read entire story.
[MK] What is the most important colour lesson you’ve learned?
[RP] Color is all about context. Context, context, context. Your friend can have the most gorgeous color painted in her house, but if you try and use that same color in yours, chances are, it will appear quite different. By context, I mean that color is nothing without context- what color is next to it? What value is it up against? What is the lighting like? What are the desired goals for the space, and does that color satisfy those goals? Is the palette balanced? Without context, color is nothing.
[MK] When it comes to colour, what’s hot? Which one do you think it timeless and which colour trend would you love to see disappear?
[RP] While I try to keep appraised of color trends, (how can you avoid them when consumers are bombarded with them virtually everywhere?) I try not to let them influence how I use them in design work. I understand the need for trends to market goods, but honestly, I don’t think they belong in architectural color design. Every space has it’s own criteria, and this formulaic approach does not take into consideration how to create user-supportive environments. Read my rant here.
[MK] What do you think is one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make with colour?
[RP] The biggest mistake a homeowner can make is to rush with their color selection. People should not expect to hit the paint store, select a room color from a tiny 1” color chip under fluorescent store lights, and just throw it up on the wall with any amount of success. First of all, the bigger your color sample, the better. But not to be painted directly on the wall. I repeat, not on the wall! Imagine painting a red square on a white wall, and the same red square on a black wall. The red will look dark against the white, but pale against the black. Use a 2x2’ board- then you can move it around the room, check it out during different times of day, etc. Rushing causes a disastrous domino effect in your design goals.
[MK] What are the 5 things in life you cannot live without?
[RP] Well, there are the obvious ones like family, my husband and dog. Other than that, I would say sunshine (I get really blue when it’s too dreary out), color (I could never ever live in a black and white world), and music (it’s the very first thing I do when I enter a room- I turn on music). If I had 6, I’d add chocolate. Specifically, milk chocolate. My biggest weakness.
[MK] Why do you think people are so afraid of color?
[RP] Ah, the million-dollar question. I’ve heard that Europeans are much more comfortable embracing color in their personal spaces. Seaside communities, like Bermuda, also tend to use stronger colors- perhaps because the sun would wash out otherwise weak or pale hues. I chalk it up to fear of the unknown- it’s out of their comfort zone because they don’t feel knowledgeable enough to take on the challenge. Just as you wouldn’t attempt a complicated electrical rewiring project by yourself, by bringing in a professional color consultant like you or me, the guesswork is taken out of color selections.
Related posts:
