Dive Into Color With David Bromstad

What do you tell folks who are afraid of color?
I tell them that color is a challenge even for designers for whom it might come naturally! But if they start small, it’s really simple. One of my main design tips is to keep all of your big pieces neutral. The couches and chairs — anything that’s expensive and an investment — should be neutral. Then you can pop in the trendy or current colors in with paint and accessories that you can change that from season to season without breaking the bank. The worse thing is if you’ve invested in a red couch and — eeeuuw — you realize that in a few years that’s going to be really out or you’ll be really tired of it. I’d rather have that color in a pillow. It’s all about shopping smart.

During Design Star you were known for your custom furniture. How’d you get so handy?
That’s thanks to Disney again. I was working on site at the Disney parks doing murals, painting sculptures, and one of the managers of Animal Kingdom said, "Hey, can you do woodworking?" I said yes, even though I had never done it. I thought I could at least try, and I found that I excelled at it. I taught myself as I went along, and then the project kept getting bigger and bigger. It was great.

Are you one of those annoying people who can eyeball something and know exactly how much wood or fabric you need?
Well, yes. I do have a decent sense of what’s needed by looking at it. But I’ll tell you a secret: over buy! It’s always better to have too much than too little! You can find something to do with the extra later.

And the painter in you always comes out somewhere, doesn’t it?
Yes. I want to leave my clients with something that’s unique and original that has a signature feeling to it. So for each project I do a special painting of some kind for them. A mural or small piece. It adds so much personality.