Debra Gould Shares Behind the Scenes Look at Color Consultations

Summary

Staging Diva Debra Gould recently shared the details of two color consultations she did for clients in the Toronto area.

Debra Gould Shares Behind the Scenes Look at Color Consultations

(UNITED STATES) July 16, 2012 – According to home staging expert Debra Gould, color consultations can be a great source of income for home stagers. On the Home Staging Business Report blog, Gould shared the details of two recent color consultations she did for clients in the Toronto area.

“When I’m choosing colors for home staging, I don’t really care too much about what the client likes or will feel comfortable living with, because in a staging situation it’s all about decorating for home buyers. However, if I’m doing color consultations for clients as part of interior redesign discussions, I’ll often bring my color books to help them figure out what look and mood they’re drawn to before I recommend paint colors for their home.”

The first of Gould’s color consultations was at a luxury home in Forest Hill that had been totally gutted top to bottom. She found it quite challenging because the place was still a construction site, with none of the furniture or final lighting installed.

“In this case, I had to stay fairly neutral because I had no idea what precise colors the furniture and art actually were. And in some cases, I didn’t even have floor color as a reference because the hardwood hadn’t been installed yet! For this home, I relied exclusively on the colors I recommend in the Staging Diva Ultimate Color Guide since I know they work in a wide variety of homes and with different lighting and furniture styles.”

Gould was able to choose a color palette for this five-bedroom, three-story home in just two hours. One of the ways she made it easier for herself was by opening one of her color fan decks and having the client indicate the color of the furniture for each room.

“Naturally, the client’s visual memory of the actual colors may not be accurate, but I needed something to go by. When evaluating wall color options, I’d put them up against the red of the sofa, or the blue of the dining room chairs, for example.”

Gould’s second color consultation was in a home in the Beaches area that was built in 1919. The home featured dark wood trim and leaded glass windows.

“The couple was very nice and the husband really warmed up to the whole process about 30 minutes into my visit. When I arrived, he had his arms crossed over his chest, but once we hit the kitchen and he got to show off his new restaurant-style 6-burner gas stove and tell me about the chef certificate courses he’s taking for fun, he became much more open. It turns out he’s a very talented (amateur) photographer and we had fun hanging many of his works in various rooms of the home.”

His wife served tea, and Gould helped them finalize which glass tile to use for their newly renovated kitchen, selected drapery for the living and dining rooms, and chose paint colors for the entire house.

“In this client’s case, we could have more courage with color because I could see what they liked and all the furniture and lighting were in place. We came up with a fabulous color palette that really pulled the rooms together and worked with the dark wood trim. It was a lovely afternoon for all of us (I know because she hugged me at the end and said all her questions were answered) and I left with a check equal to what many people make in an entire week after only 2.5 hours of work. I don’t say this to brag, but to emphasize that it’s possible to be REALLY well paid for your creative talent when you understand the business of home staging, interior redesign and color consulting!”

For additional tips on selecting paint colors for color consultations and home staging, Gould invites home stagers to visit the Home Staging Business Report on the Staging Diva website.

About Staging Diva

The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars’ worth of real estate, including 7 of her own homes. She is the president of Six Elements Design Group Inc., which operates a home staging division, SixElements.com, in addition to StagingDiva.com, which has trained over 7,000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.

Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, Reader’s Digest and more.

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