For the last few years, and increasingly so, there’s a big focus on AI/Machine Learning technologies, and many technophobes are happy to write a million and one narratives about how the end is nigh. It’s actually a much deeper problem than that, and it’s far more complicated, too. Read on!
I get it, the advancement and widespread adoption of these technologies is something we have not experienced in a long time, potentially ever. Need a dinner recipe? There’s a recommendation for that. Looking for a new sofa? A website will suggest one. Trying to choose a paint color? Upload a photo, and dozens of options instantly appear on your screen.
Honestly, I know of too many friends and family members who have lost their jobs to new technology, and it’s NOT because technology does a better job. We have to be smarter than the technology and know when it works for us, and when it’s a mistake to use it at all!
Technology has made many things easier. But when it comes to creating a home that truly feels like you and aligns with your emotional intentions, I believe the human element matters more than ever.
As a nationwide color specialist, I know that my talents, insights, wisdom, and intuition will keep people in my field busy for many decades to come!
As color consultants, we often meet homeowners who have spent weeks or even months collecting paint samples, scrolling through photos, online inspiration boards, and experimenting with online color tools. Instead of feeling confident, they often feel overwhelmed and disenfranchised; the problem isn’t a lack of choices; It’s having too many. Technology is wonderful at generating possibilities. Knowing which possibility is right for your home is another matter entirely.
One of the biggest misconceptions about color is that it can be selected in isolation. An app can suggest a beautiful shade of mint green or an array of earth tones for your living room. It can even show you a digital rendering of the room. What it cannot fully understand is how that color will interact with your specific home, furnishings, lighting, and lifestyle – and above all else, your lifestyle and desired emotions.
A paint color doesn’t live on a screen; it lives in a room! It changes from morning to evening. It responds to sunlight, lamp light, and shadow. It reacts to wood floors, stone countertops, fabrics, artwork, and everything else that surrounds it. Heck, reflected light and even the aromas in the home will affect how you perceive the colors around you. The relationships and bonds I make with my clients are where the magic/discovery happens!
One of the most valuable things color consultants bring to a project is perspective. We are not simply evaluating a paint sample. We are considering how colors work together, how they flow from room to room, and how they support the feeling a homeowner wants to create. That feeling is often what gets lost in the conversation about technology.
Most people aren’t looking for a technically correct color palette. They’re looking for a home that feels comfortable and personal. They want to walk through the door and feel at ease. They want guests to feel invited. They want their home to reflect who they are rather than what an algorithm thinks they should like.
The online world can suggest a million options, but the world you live in should reflect your personal taste, your style, not the look and feel of a magazine centerfold!
These are the decisions I make daily as a color expert, and they require more than data; they require intuition, observation, and experience. Here’s an analogy I like to use: a baseball GM has all the data and analytics at their fingertips, more than they could ever use, but time and time again, it has been shown that their instincts and intuition are also needed to deal with real-world variables that the data could never understand/see.
A problem I am running into more and more is that people are tempted to go online to find what paint colors will look like on their home. Look at the image I have offered below. A homeowner took the colors I gave her and loaded them into her computer to see what it would look like using AI. It was a darker, more intense color than what I gave her. She was upset, and I couldn’t agree with her more! The AI version produced results that lacked the finesse of how the actual paint colors would have looked. I told her to ignore the AI version, get a paintbrush, and have the painters sample the colors I gave her. Once she tried the colors (on the outside of her home), she realized I had chosen much lighter ones; she was thrilled and moved forward with painting her home. You can see how WRONG the AI interpretation was! It was quick, but it was far from accurate.
A color expert doesn’t simply recommend colors. We ask questions. How do you use the room? What time of day do you spend there? What pieces do you already love? What mood are you hoping to create? Sometimes the answers to those questions matter more than the colors themselves.
In my decades as a color consultant, I’ve also found that many homeowners already know what they like; they simply need help trusting their instincts. One of my favorite parts of this work is helping people uncover the colors and combinations that genuinely resonate with them.
No algorithm/model can walk into a room and immediately notice how the afternoon light softens a wall color. It can’t sense that a room feels cold despite technically having the “right” palette. It can’t recognize that a homeowner lights up when discussing a favorite piece of artwork, treasured collection, or family heirloom. Those observations often lead to the best design decisions.
I enjoy many of today’s digital tools, and I think they have their place. They can spark ideas and help homeowners visualize possibilities. But I see them as starting points rather than finished projects. Art and inspiration do not exist without the artists, and that’s how I will always view any new technology that comes around the bend.
The role of color consultants isn’t becoming less important because of technology. In many ways, it’s becoming more important. When everyone has access to endless suggestions, professional guidance helps bring clarity. It helps separate what looks good on a screen from what will truly work in real life.
The future of design isn’t choosing between technology and human expertise. It’s about combining the best of both without relying on technology to see what you need to see with your own eyes! That’s why I believe color consultants will continue to play an important role in creating homes that feel authentic and deeply connected to the people who live in them.
