A day in the life of an architectural color consultant
PHOTO SOURCE: Maritere Rice Photography
No two days in the life of an architectural color consultant are the same just as no two projects are the same! LFB Color’s top priority is always to appreciate property value and fill building occupancy through our color consulting. From visiting new clients on site to creating proposals for nationwide builders and staying abreast of color trends across all industries, architectural color consultants never experience a dull moment. Here’s how I spend my days at LFB Color Consulting.
PHOTO SOURCE: Maritere Rice Photography
It’s my job at LFB Color Consulting to understand and anticipate color, materials and finishes trends across all industries, but the concentration is primarily on real estate and new construction. A key trend area is paint.
Paint color trends
LFB Color is subscribed to various paint brand and design publications and receives monthly updates about new trends and color palettes. I attend webinars and continuing education classes at every opportunity!
We evaluate new collections and colors of the year as determined by paint and materials brands. Let’s not forget the study of commercial industry color trends with a focus on local, regional, national and worldwide preferences.
Regular meetups with industry colleagues to share insights and info
LFB Color attends monthly meetings focused on commercial real estate in and around The Woodlands, Texas, as well as weekly calls or meetings with industry peers. It’s my responsibility to stay abreast of industry happenings and understand my colleagues’ businesses to better serve them and my own clientele.
PHOTO SOURCE: Household Names PR
I meet regularly with materials and supply brands to discuss their businesses. We at LFB keep a pulse on their inventory and offerings so as to present more options to our clients in the way of materials and design elements (i.e. wallpaper, plumbing and lighting fixtures, upholstery fabrics, hardware, hard surfaces).
A recent visit to our favorite commercial and hybrid-office furniture and fabric design firm Debner
LFB talks trade and compares notes with other color and design professionals. This is done by phone, in-person visits, and/or participation in continuing education courses. I’ve got wallpaper, interior design, realty, architecture and furnishings contacts in my circle of business friends!
Color testing……all the time!
Since my specialty truly is color, I’m constantly learning more about its complex nature through study, observation, testing on painted color boards, and dissecting how colors relate to one another in a given architectural space. Especially on exterior color projects, I test, test, test and test color to ensure harmony and accuracy.
Petting dogs and taking photos with them
We pet clients’ dogs and take photos with them, and frankly this is the most fun part of our work! LFB Color treats clients as family, and dogs are undoubtedly integral parts of our clients’ families. We love, love, love them! The image below is actually a “before” photo of an exterior I’m working on. I will post the “after” images once the project is complete!
Lincoln (left) isn’t so sure about new color choices, but Penny (right) is totally on board!
Working on interiors with Max and Breeze!
Reviewing architectural plans
Before working on custom residential builds and/or commercial spaces, we at LFB Color review architectural plans. Why? Because a sizable part of work is color allocation or placement, and it’s equally as important as the color palette selection itself. Knowing where blocks of color should be placed and in what combination and ratio are essential aspects of architectural color consulting.
Material sourcing
Architectural color consulting involves quite a bit of sourcing materials such as paint, flooring, tiles, wood, building materials, roofing, stains, lighting and plumbing fixtures, wallpaper, and fabrics,
I source especially on custom home builds or remodels and commercial, large scale projects. Ensuring that materials costs stay within budget yet maintain highest quality and safety standards is also a part of my work. I’m thankful for that accounting degree of mine on projects like these! Hee hee!
Client inquiry calls and creating color design proposals
Let’s not forget my discovery calls with potential clients and the submission of color design proposals. Not every prospect who calls becomes a client obviously, and I’m forthright in my introductory calls about whether or not LFB Color Consulting is the right fit.
As soon as I receive a call or email inquiry, I set up a complimentary discovery call to discuss and understand the project scope and unique needs of the potential client.
If it’s a good fit for us both, then I submit a color design proposal for the client’s review and approval.
On-site color design consultations
Here’s where most of the magic happens for LFB Color Consulting. It’s our job to translate the vision of either the homeowner or commercial client into a beautiful reality with our color scheme and material choices.
Residential projects include new home builds, remodels and renovations.
Commercial projects include home builder color schemes, multi-family/apartment complexes, strip centers, medical complexes, mixed use real estate projects and restaurants.
Following all consultations I submit a digital color report and deliver color swatches and samples to my clients. All color reports include the material brand, color name, color SKU or code and area allocation or color placement.
Sharing knowledge on social media and the color blog
Color education is my passion, so for those followers who aren’t quite ready to hire me or don’t yet have the need, this is my way of sharing color expertise with the world. For now I focus on the weekly blog but am gearing up for e-courses and downloadable color presentations.
Delivering professional presentations
I’ve often presented to designers, real estate professionals and homeowners or DIYers, and this remains part of LFB Color’s business model. In 2023, I plan to partner with other industry brands for collaborations, color education and presentations.
It is such a joy and privilege to pick colors all day long in my line of work, collaborate with industry peers whose work I admire and respect, appreciate property values for my clients looking to list and sell their spaces through my “eye for color,” and enhance residential clients’ homes with pleasing color palettes.
As you have read, my work is much more intricate than simply walking around picking random colors from a paint fan deck! There’s a genuine methodology and science to what we do here at LFB Color Consulting.
In closing today, I encourage you to comment below with any observations or questions about LFB Color’s work in architectural color consulting. I’d be happy to answer any of them! Feel free to drop me a line HERE.
In color always,
Lauren Battistini
