An article for Design Industry Professionals
By Cristina Acosta ©2007
Environmentalism is in the air and the
color green has become the color of sustainable change. Pay
attention to the news and you’ll observe that people are
thinking and talking about the environment every day. Our
thoughts and conversations manifest in our choices, and that
includes the choice of the color we put on the wall.
Though we may have a good idea of what we
like, getting into the heads of our clients and guiding them to
know what they like is a bigger challenge. We are not privy to
the experiences they have, and even if we were, the tendency
within ourselves to relate to the client through our own story
influences our perceptions. The way any of us respond to a
color is the result of our experience, good or bad.
Everything we see, hear, feel, smell and touch informs our
color perceptions.
So how do you get out of your own head and
into your client’s head? Nurture your intuition and you
can leapfrog your personal preferences and truly hear your
client.
Developing active listening skills will
enable you to successfully engage your intuition in the
process. Listening between the lines of your conversations with
the client and observing their reactions to choices will give
your subconscious the clues you need to respond intuitively. 
I’m not saying you need
to psychically pull solutions out of the atmosphere, though
that would be nice. You do need to be open to ideas that may
seem a bit random. Here’s an example: I was working with
a couple who were finishing a very complicated remodel of their
home. They brought me in to help them create their foundation
color palette. Things went well until we got to the master
bedroom. They couldn’t agree and their frustration with
the remodel and each other was growing. They went to another
room to quietly argue, leaving me alone with my color samples.
During that time, I started leafing through the samples. The
name Mt. Rainer Gray caught my eye. I knew that the couple was
very athletic and spent time in the Cascade Mountain range. The
color fit well with the existing palette, so I presented it to
them when they returned, making a point to say the name of the
sample (something I usually don’t do). They looked at the
color, looked at each other and exclaimed, “That’s
where we met!” Remembering how much they enjoyed each
other (when they weren’t remodeling) they quickly put
aside their frustrations and agreed on the color.
My solution was a long shot; nonetheless,
it illustrates how by observing and listening carefully my
subconscious got enough clues to create an answer for my
clients. Intuition isn’t failsafe, but is does help.
Begin to exercise your intuition by starting with something
down-to-earth. Note the color of something your client enjoys
regularly: a favorite food or drink, a color they wear often,
even the color of their dog or cat can be a starting point.
Include that color (or something similar) among their choices
and watch their response. People and their perceptions are
constantly changing. Clearly observe what is and your mind
becomes more open to what might be.
Guiding my clients through change and
watching them grow with their choices is a gratifying aspect of
my work. Buildings shape how we live our lives and the designs
we live with reflect our past and prepare us for our
possibilities. Relevant design brings beauty to the process.
It’s good work!
