Decorative Paint Finishes With Barbara Jacobs

What does a color consultant and interior finishes specialist do?
My job is really about helping people enrich their lives with color design and imagery. I have a variety of clients. I work with builders who are doing a whole community by suggesting the exterior colors for the whole neighborhood. I’ve worked on a project where a bunch of existing attached buildings were being rehabbed. In that case color was used to differentiate the buildings from each other. Color can do so much, from making a whole neighborhood feel more appealing and inviting to increasing pride in ownership.

In an office environment my job has to do with creating healthy spaces that help people feel more productive, more relaxed or more aware. In those cases color goes beyond what looks good to its function. You don’t want people dozing off on the assembly line because everything is painted gray.

Inside the house I do everything from flat paint to decorative finishes. I gather information about people's homes and lifestyles and help them visualize a final color palette and combinations. The overarching connection among everybody I work with is that they want an experience or have a desire to express something, and I have to help them get that.