Color Consultant or Interior Designer: What’s The Difference?
Choosing the right person for your design needs is crucial to achieving the best outcome to fit your budget. Fortunately, interior color consultants and interior designers are distinct disciplines, but how do you decide which one is right for you?
Color consultants
It may not surprise you to learn that color consultants focus purely on the use of color in interiors and building exteriors. They can advise on anything from color palettes for paint and wall coverings to furnishings, artwork, tiles, and accessories. Anything, really, that contributes to an overall color scheme.
Their superpower is a deep understanding of color, its associations, and the psychological and physiological impact it has on our behavior and how we feel. They also have highly developed skills when it comes to reading light and shade. These color pros help you curate sophisticated color narratives that improve flow, atmosphere, and generate a cohesive look throughout. They also advise you on finishes, color placement, and paint brands.
As with interior design, color consulting is highly collaborative. It relies heavily on getting to know you, how you live, what you love, and, of course, what colors you like and why. It’s not unusual to explore your favorite photos, art, fashion designers, and even treasured memories on the journey to finding a palette you love.
Perfect for: Anyone who needs help choosing the right paints and colors for their home but wants to do the work themselves. Armed with a color palette, proportions, and swatches, you can decorate and buy key pieces with confidence. from a single room to a large home, color consultants are also great choices when designing/decorating rental and investment properties.
Key benefits: Working with a color consultant is often more affordable than opting for full service interior design. The creative process and results are speedier, too. Also, the right colors can add value to your home, investment property, or rental by increasing market appeal.
Interior designers
If you need someone to help you plan, design, and create interiors from the ground up, an interior designer is the best choice. Again, through a highly collaborative process, they answer specific design challenges that ultimately elevate your experience, making life easier, seamless, and more beautiful.
Interior designers cover everything from structural changes to designing custom furniture. Every step, from layouts to lighting to cabinetry, puts the client at the heart of every decision. The process often takes time, especially if you’re constructing. Your designer will also likely project manage other trades to ensure the project remains on track.
Perfect for: Anyone who needs help with the entire design process from concept to completion. That spans everything from new builds to renovations, from a single room overhaul to a large-scale project that requires full design, sourcing, installation, and styling.
Key benefits: The most obvious is gaining access to your designer’s creativity, knowledge, and network. However, their process for getting things done in a timely manner is key to avoiding overspending and minimizing stress, which is priceless. Think of them as your human shield to the many less-than-glamorous tasks that come with any renovation and construction project.
Are you considering a renovation or refresh project? Let’s talk