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True Colour ExpertUnderstanding Undertones

How Maria Killam Saved My Paint Life – Part 1 of 2

By 02/15/2012January 28th, 201711 Comments

This is the first of a two-part guest post written by my Design Associate, Irene Hill. It describes how we met. . . read on and find out that you may have a lot in common with her!

Brown (with a green undertone) fireplace.  Pinterest

“I have a confession. I have been a designer for a long time – in both residential and developmental applications. My work is great. My clients love me and refer me to their family and friends. I have never spent a dime on advertising, as every job I’ve ever completed has generated referrals to new clients and new jobs. That’s not the confession.

The confession is, I was intimidated by picking paint colours. I am confident and competent at every other aspect of the design field except for choosing the paint colours. Every time that part of the job came up, I would stress about it, hold my breath and pray that the client would be happy once the paint was actually painted on the walls. I always had my clients test the paint, but they didn’t know it was for my benefit more than for theirs.

Charcoal sofa with green-gray walls.  Pinterest

Almost a year ago it occured to me that it would be a good idea to try to find a workshop or course to help me gain a better understanding of how to pick paint colours (okay, it was my therapist’s idea). It was a lightbulb moment. Surely there must be help out in the world of design for designers like me, whose strong suit hasn’t been paint colours. Apparently not. I Googled up one side and down the other with every relevant paint word I could think of. Nothing. Not until I unwittingly stumbled across the compound word, “undertone” and plugged it into my search engine. That was when I came across what undoubtedly turned my understanding of paint upside down.

I found Maria’s blog and her workshop. Amazingly, her True Colour Expert Workshop outlined exactly what I wanted to learn. Astoundingly, there was a course scheduled in a few weeks’ time. Unbelievably, it wasn’t that far from my home. It was serendipity and I signed up right then and there.

Pinky-beige tile with blue-gray walls and wainscotting.  Source

I walked into Maria’s workshop and a whole new world opened up to me. I learned that while I was looking at colours, I wasn’t actually seeing what was going on in any given colour. Especially neutrals. I had never discerned and noticed a pattern in how neutrals could be categorized. Undertones? I had been a full-time designer for over a decade and never heard the word. Never.

And this, I discovered, is why I was being completely bossed around by the over 2,000 paint colour options in my fan deck. Even though I had the larger, 2×6 samples in my architectual fan deck and thought I could see what was going on with them, I could not. I didn’t have the knowledge of how to look at and discern colour and I didn’t have the wisdom to know that no one can accurately see colours based on a tiny paint chip or even a slightly bigger paint chip.

Blue-gray walls, yellow-beige headboard, slightly pinker-beige carpet.  Pinterest

Through Maria’s workshop I learned the limits to how confusing paint can be and how to start to really see colour. Instead of being bossed around by over 2,000 Benjamin Moore colours, I could now narrow down appropriate choices to a handful. And I learned it was completely unrealistic for me to truly see how colours behave from a small 2×6 paint chip.

At the end of the three days I had a solid foundation of knowledge that I put into practice – immediately. I started a new relationship with paint colours and began to develop my eye to see colour accurately. I had also made a new friend and, as it turned out, a new working relationship with someone wonderful. But that’s a story for another day.”

Part 1 of 2 – written by Irene Hill

Related posts:

What Everyone Should Know about Beige

Five Designer Secrets that will Make or Break Your Paint Colours

Beige is Only ‘Blah’ When it’s Wrong

It’s All in the Undertones, download my eBook here. (If you have a computer you can download my book).

If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in, contact me.

To make sure the undertones in your home are right, get some large samples!

If you would like to learn to how choose the right colours for your home or for your clients, become a True Colour Expert.

 

11 Comments

  • Awesome! Being able to ascertain undertones is absolutely vital to choose colors that just feel “right!”

  • What a great and honest story. I give her tons of credit for admitting that weakness. I’ll make it to you one of these days, Maria!! :). Looking forward to part 2.

  • I think your course should be part of every designer’s curriculum. Wish I was a designer so that I could justify taking the course.

  • Roberta says:

    Sounds like a match made in heaven Irene! Thanks for sharing your story with us. I’d love to take Maria’s course too.

  • Coley says:

    Irene! Although my story of how I showed up at the course was a lot different, I can relate to so much of your story 🙂 So glad you were there so I was able to meet you!

  • Grace says:

    What a great testimony to the effectiveness of Maria’s courses. Very impressive!

  • Maria,
    Do the same principals in choosing color apply for picking fabrics on furniture and drapery. I am usually working backwards as most clients already have paint on their walls and I we are picking fabrics that play off of that and existing carpets. This might be a whole nother ball of wax! Thank you for your posts they are great learning tools 🙂

  • How much are you paying her, Maria? I can be bought! 🙂
    Just kidding. For everyone out there, Maria’s course is well worth the money! And, like Irene, I have never come across anyone else who trains in the nuances of undertones.
    Can’t wait for part 2!

  • Maria Killam says:

    Hi Celina,
    Yes the same principals absolutely apply for every thing with colour in it that you would choose for your house. Just like in the above photos, I’m listing the undertones in the fabrics shown. Maria

  • Maria Killam says:

    Patsy,
    Haha, yes I do pay her but it’s a true story 🙂
    Maria

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