I have worked as an Interior Designer since graduating from The Art Institute in Ft. Lauderdale in 1995.  Before all that, my first artistic boss, Audrey, taught me the art of seeing color.  More than any of the degreed, licensed designers I have worked for or with, she taught me how to truly see color. She has a rare photographic memory for color and taught me to look at color critically and account for metamerism (how shifts in the design environment can change the way a color looks). Audrey catered to a shrewd clientele that redecorated in measured increments.  I saw how she guided clients through their own decision-making process, and they valued her opinion for it. She never told them what to choose. Instead, she took their ideas and polished them and gave her clients the confidence to realize their desires. This was a truly formative experience. She shaped the designer I have become and that my clients deserve. Thank you, Audrey!

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Through the dot.com era, I managed the furniture assets of Fortune 500 companies and Fortune100 companies through periods of growth and corporate restructuring, liquidations, and acquisitions.  While I enjoyed solving the puzzle of systems furniture reallocation, something was missing. Corporate mandates drove design decisions that were at times contrary to the needs of the individual. It felt disconnected, impersonal, and sterile. I needed to get back to helping individuals realize their design dreams, being their trusted advisor. 

 

In 2016 I took a job at Sherwin Williams paint company doing color consultations. It was intensely fulfilling to visit clients' homes or offices and help them choose a color palette they loved. Painters started giving my name to their clients, HOAs called asking for help, and sales reps enlisted my expertise on commercial projects. Then the global pandemic hit, and I was "grounded". No more site visits. Clients started calling around to find me. I felt a responsibility to them, wanting to provide whatever limited help I could right there at the Sherwin Williams store. Unfortunately, without seeing the client's site and all the elements that must be considered, I felt I wasn't giving my clients the service they deserved. Repeatedly, they would ask when I would be able to make site visits again. It became obvious that the only thing I could do is go back to what I love, meeting clients where they are and guiding them as they realize their design dreams. Color Guru was born.