Best Wallpaper Christmas: Sensational Color for Your Home Training

Kate Walsh (left) and Kiki Titterud (right) Presenting Me With My Color Certification

Paint color is one of the first things that people notice about your home. It sets the stage for all of your decorating and the mood you are trying to create. I remember when I moved to Jacksonville from New Jersey into a brand new home. I thought about what mood I wanted to create. My home would be a warm and inviting place where people would visit and not want to leave. (Sometimes that's bad) I selected my leading patterns for the rooms with that mood in mind making sure that I was creating harmony and balance - that the colors would flow from one room to the next. Needless to say, I created a very colorful home. Some of my neighbors who love color raved about it; others who are a bit more conservative liked the more neutral rooms. That was fine because color is a very personal thing. One day one of the sales ladies from Furniture Mart, a local furniture store, visited my home to get the feel of it before helping me make my furniture selections. She asked if I had made all of the color choices myself. I told her I had and then waited nervously for her response. She looked at me and said, "I am so proud of you. You did a fabulous job!"

A Muted Green Wall Color Complements the Red Orange Undertones in My Dining Room Table

Maybe that's one of the reasons I decided to become a home stager, interior redesigner, and paint color consultant. My own home served as part of the training for my entry into the field of home decorating. Since those days back in 2006, I have continued to take courses in home staging , furniture and accessory placement, and paint color. Throughout my travels, I noticed that many homeowners really seemed to be anxious about selecting paint colors for their homes. I could see there was a great need for assistance in this area of home decorating. With that in mind, I took a two-day color class with The Decorating and Staging Academy in Tampa, Florida in February of 2010, which helped me to understand color theory, undertones of paint colors, and variables that affect paint color. That training focused mainly upon the Sherwin - Williams Paint Color System and I became certified as a Color With No Regrets Paint Color Consultant. After the training, I also met with the southeastern US territory rep for Sherwin-Williams to further educate myself on their products. I soon started getting calls for paint color consultations. Not only did my paint color knowledge and skills help me in assisting paint color customers, but it also enhanced my home stagings. I now know what colors are best for selling a home - to emotionally connect with buyers. I realize how powerful paint color is in affecting people's emotions and beautifying their homes.

A Colorful Downstairs Bedroom in My Home

Another More Neutral Upstairs Guest Room in My Home

Using Turquoise and Chocolate Brown in My Master Bathroom

In order to further refine my skills in color selection, I have just completed another two-day training course on paint color with Kate Smith and Kiki Titterud of Sensational Color for Your Home which was held on May 13^th and 14^th at the beautiful green-designed JBanks Design Studio in Hilton Head, S.C. Both of these color experts who are members of the International Color Marketing Group have years of experience in color forecasting, color trends in fashion and home design as well as advertising.

A Refreshing Combination of Yellow, Gray and Orange - JBanks Designs

Our training focused on creating color palettes to change emotions and infuse feeling into a room; identifying the undertones of color in flooring, textiles, counter tops and cabinetry; and mastering the art of combining colors and creating schemes. The training was both lecture and hands-on. We actually used fabrics, flooring and counter top materials to create beautiful color palettes. As a result of this course, I am now also a certified Color for Your Home Consultant.

A Leaning Tower of Pisa Draws Our Eyes Upwards - JBanks Designs

The Sensational Color for Your Home training is the only color certification program accredited by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), National Kitchen and Bath Association, (NKBA), and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) among others. Our class was comprised of interior designers who were acquiring training credits to maintain their design credentials as well as some decorators and home stagers who wanted to add color to their business services.

What mood are you trying to create in your home? Contact me to find the perfect hues for you!