Cycling the wine country from the perspective of a newly certified True Colour Expert™.
Is it taupe or is it pink-beige?
I recently took a color course from Maria Killam, a True Colour Expert, to gain confidence in selecting interior and exterior color for clients. I thought I had a good understanding about color and made informed decisions specifying colors that complemented the home and its furnishings. Oh boy, is there a lot more to learn!
I am a cyclist. I love riding my bike in Sonoma County enjoying the beautiful scenery and homes along the way. On a recent ride I found myself observing the homes and buildings a bit differently — I was looking at the COLOR of each rather than the property. Is that home taupe or is it pink-beige? I was applying my new skill of defining the undertone of color first.
You see, if you understand the undertone of color, an informed color selection will be made.
During my 35-mile bike ride I concentrated on the color of each home and challenged myself to get it right. At that point, I wish I had my big color boards with me to test my accuracy. The color of a yellow house or blue house or green house is obvious. I am talking about the “neutral” colors. Is there truly a single neutral? Probably not, as each neutral has an undertone. There is yellow beige, pink beige, orange beige, and gold beige.
And there is green-grey, blue-grey, and violet-grey.
What about taupe? Taupe is a grey-beige that is violet or pinky in undertone.
And here comes greige. Greige? A newer defined neutral that is white with a grey undertone. It goes in the neutral category because it is not really a white.
You are probably wondering, well how do you determine the undertone of a neutral? The only way to truly understand the undertone of a color is to hold the color chip next to a true white or compare it with another neutral. The undertone of the color will be obvious. As you become more experienced and skilled with color, seeing the undertone will come naturally.
HaPpY designing!