Complimentary Color Consulting

South Shore, South Coast, Plymouth & Boston areas

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House Painting > Complimentary Color Consulting

Complimentary, On-Site Color Consultation

Our designer, Kate Rafoth, can work with you, at your home or business.  This helps you find colors that coordinate with your existing furnishings.

Kate has a degree in interior design and was Sherwin Williams’ color expert before working with us.  She is skilled in choosing exterior and interior color schemes and whole-house color palettes, allowing the paint colors to flow seamlessly between rooms in an open floor plan.

Complimentary color consultation with our designer Kate.

Complimentary color consultation with our designer Kate.

Kate Rafoth is a trained and educated designer who was the color expert at Sherwin Williams prior to working for us. Working with her is free with every project.

Exterior Color Consulting

Exterior Color Consulting

Want to change the color of your home, but don't want to end up making a mistake? Kate will work with you to ensure you love the paint color.

Interior color consulting.

Interior color consulting.

Kate will use your existing furnishings as a springboard for the paint colors she suggests. And she'll never push you into a color you're not comfortable with.

"Kate helped me choose colors for both my exterior and interior. What's funny is that all of the colors are ones I was considering already, but Kate helped me tweak them to be a little bit darker and gave me the confidence to make the final decision."

- Leah G. | Duxbury, MA

Leah G. | Duxbury, MA

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FAQs about our Free Color Consulting Service:

Here are some frequently asked questions about working with our color consultant to help you choose interior and exterior colors for your home.

How do I work with your designer?

Our designer Kate Rafoth can help you narrow down colors to a few paint choices that will work well with your furnishings. She will never push you into colors you’re uncomfortable with but will help expand your options to colors you might not have chosen without guidance.

Kate is a designer on the South Shore, and we pay her to work with our clients for free.

Why use a color consultant?

Many customers get stuck choosing a color and can’t move forward. This is why 20% of our customers take advantage of our free color consultant. You’ll be living with your paint colors for years, so being thrilled with them makes all the difference to us.

Can’t I choose paint colors myself?

Ordinary people without design experience tend to choose colors that look very light on the color samples they get at the paint store but appear much darker or brighter when painted in a whole room. That “baby pink” from the sample chip can look more like “bubblegum” when painted on all four walls.

Neutral colors are tough to get right, too. Whites have undertones that are hard to read on the small paint chips. Pick the wrong white, and the walls can look dirty or yellow. Color Consultants are trained to see the color nuances in whites and neutrals that the average person has trouble seeing.

Without a designer’s help, you’ll likely be able to get a good “first read” on the paint color, but you’ll likely have trouble determining the undertones that will cause your home to look “too blue” or “too yellow” when the project is done.  Having Kate help you choose colors allows you to drill down in the color family you like to a color you’ll love.

Even if the color you choose is the exact color of a friend’s house you love, it will look different since the lighting in your home is different.

I like the paint color on the home’s exterior at 334 Main Street. Can you match that color for me?

faded sage colored exterior clapboards with a bunch of new paint color samples painted
We are committed to ensuring you love the exterior paint color you choose.

Yes! You’ll let us know that you like the color at home across town, and we’ll have our designer, Kate drive by the house.  She’ll then consider the lighting and shade of your home and choose a color that will make your home look the same color.  What’s interesting is that the color you end up with may or may not be the exact paint color as the home you liked, but it will LOOK like the exact paint color once Kate considers the shade and sun your home is exposed to.  And yes, all of this is free once you hire us to paint for you.

Can CertaPro’s designer help me choose both interior and exterior colors?

Yes!  While many designers can help you choose interior colors, Kate also specializes in helping you choose exterior colors.  You won’t believe the difference a few subtle touches of paint make to the outcome of your exterior.

Will your designer push me into trendy paint colors?

When we were interviewing designers, it was super important to us that the consultant had a demeanor that was open-minded and low-key – we didn’t want the consultant to push their taste onto our customers, but rather work with our customers’ tastes to choose the best palette for them.

Most of our customers are so happy with the result that they mention Kate by name in our reviews.

How much does it cost to use a color consultant?color samples

Free if you’re a customer of CertaPro Painters of the South Shore, Plymouth, and Boston areas.

If you’re not our customer, check Google for local designers on the South Shore and Boston area – usually, you can find a designer for about $100/hour.

How can I visualize what the colors might look like?

Sample the paint color first.

If you want us to order you large Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore paint samples (for free!), just email us at [email protected], and we’ll have them mailed to you. Just let us know the names and numbers of the paint colors. This is a free service we offer to anyone – even do-it-yourselfers!

If you’re still choosing between a few paint colors, the day the painters arrive, they will paint a few swatches for you so you can decide while they are preparing the surfaces for paint.

CertaPro offers free color paint renderings even before you hire us!

White home painted half gold
We’ll provide you with a free color rendering of your home so you “try on” different colors.

If you’re considering choosing new colors for your home, mention that to your estimator during your free quote.  He or she will snap a photo of your house or rooms, and our designer Kate will provide free paint color renderings that allow you to visualize your home or space after it’s painted.  All of this before you even hire us!

Will the paint color look different when it dries?

Yes, you can only judge the color after the paint has completely dried.

What if I don’t like the paint color I chose?

Stop the painting immediately.  It’s easier and less expensive to stop the painters before they apply more paint than to have to repaint your whole project.

Is there any “rule of thumb” when choosing new paint colors?

The most important thing to consider is how a color makes you feel.

Our color consultant, Kate, will have Clients choose ten colors they like from a fan deck and then ask them to use words to describe how each color makes them feel.  Try this yourself, and you’ll see that certain colors can be eliminated immediately.

color consultant working

"Having Kate to help me choose a navy blue paint color for my beige home has made all the difference in how I feel when I drive in the driveway."

- Jeanne M. | Canton, MA

Jeanne M. | Canton, MA

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Want Free Color Renderings?  Just let our estimators know at the time of your quote.

We want you to be able to visualize your home after it’s painted.  At the time of your quote, you can let our estimator know that you’d like Kate, our designer, to create a paint color rendering for you before you even hire us.  The estimator will take photos at the time of the quote, and you’ll have your rendering in a few days.  Once the rendering is on our computer, Kate can change the space or exterior to any other color you wish.

color design packet

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Exterior Paint Color Tips and Trends

Drive through various neighborhoods and take note of appealing exterior paint color schemes and adaptability to your own home. For example, driving down Main Street in Hingham or Washington Street in Duxbury will give you a wide palette of historic New England colors.

Define the entry. Use your front door paint color as a “Welcome” sign to your home. Typically your front door should be very visible in contrast with the rest of your home, so visitors know where to enter.  This is why red and black front doors are so popular.

Most importantly: Exterior colors should always coordinate with your roof color. If you look carefully at your roofing shingles, you’ll see tones and flecks of green, gray, beige, and even maroon. Use your roof’s undertones to help choose your main exterior color. This is more important than it may seems.


Interior Paint Color Tips and Trends

Determine the mood you want to create with the room. Warmer tones are friendly and inviting. Cooler tones create calm and relaxing spaces.

Think about ‘flow’ and how the colors of neighboring rooms will work together. Very dark to very light transitions, or transitions from rooms with highly contrasting colors can either be jarring or invigorating. Open floor plans can be tricky, but our designer can help you choose colors that work together and don’t look choppy.

Keeping the trim all one color provides continuity as you move from room to room. Stark white in a semi- or full-gloss creates a very formal look.

Check out the most popular colors we’re painting right now – we update this color list every 6 months with the most popular paint colors we’re using right here in the Boston-area.

Ready to have your home professionally transformed with interior and exterior painting?

Schedule your free, detailed estimate appointment now!


You might also like to read:

Choosing a paint color based on how it makes you feel.

Roof color – one of the main things to consider when choosing a new exterior paint color for your home.

The historic paint colors of Plymouth, Massachusetts

yellow painted front door and screen door