Jane Hall: The Voice of
Color
By Jack Kohane
Luba Goy of CBC's Royal Canadian Air Farce used to be terrified of
colors. Then she met Jane Hall, who calmed her color qualms. "I think most
people are uncertain about what color combinations to use in their homes," says
Goy. "How do you match up a carpet, a couch, a chair, a cushion to
complement a prized work of art? Jane takes the anxiety out of the decorating
process." And in soothing her customers' fears, she has built a booming
business.
When Toronto-based artist Jane Hall opened her boutique
decor store, The Voice of Color, in May 2001 she never imagined the splash
she
would stir up in this grey town. "It's amazing how much people crave
color in their lives, how important it is to their emotional well-being
and self-image," she says. "We give customers permission to step
out of the beige paint can and plunge into lilac, deep wine reds, and golden
yellows." Identifying a need to instill the wow factor into selecting
decor shades for homes and offices, Hall and her partner Ian Levack have
grown their customer base from a handful of local devotees to a throng
of clients - all without spending a dime in advertising.
The pair charges
clients a $100 / hour fee for in-store color consultations, and $150
/ hour for in-home service. The Voice of Color recently won the Arc Award
(a $50,000
prize sponsored by Cadillac Fairview in Toronto) as the 2002 Best New
Retailing Concept in Canada.
It's a strategic time to be starting out in this industry. "About
$4 billion annually is spent in just the Metro Toronto region alone for
home renovations and decor, growing at double digits year over year," says
Hall. "Almost 25% of the household renovation budget is spent on paint;
and 42% of consumers refurbishing their homes opt to use professional decorating
services."
Hall and Levack worked to develop a concept in decorating that combined
their love of color and texture. And they came up with the idea
of marketing design by organizing merchandise in color groups. The
result
is a color-coding
system that enables clients to see an integrated decorating scheme
at a glance. "People are confused about selecting colors for
their environment, at home or at work," explains Hall. "They
see up to 6,000 different shades on those tiny swatches at the
paint store. We offer clients an array
of 240 shades using large 1-square-foot boards so that they can
more accurately visualize what it will look like on their walls."
Hall
and Levack are partnered with Pittsburgh Paints to promote more
intense color lines
such as Rum Raisin, Chilled Wine, and Caramel Apple. They are also currently
negotiating with brand name decor suppliers to produce Jane Hall labels
for beddings, cushions, and fabrics - and, of course, paint.
The pair also sells custom-designed sofas, chairs rugs, bed frames and
fabrics and tables. Each piece, says Hall is individually made for the
store. "Each piece has the stamp of originality," she says.
Goy, who first visited the store looking for advice on bedroom curtains,
is now fearless when it comes to using color in her home. "I ended
up re-doing my entire home," she says. "It's a wonderful space
to come to now after a hectic day at Air Farce. The reds, lemons and
purples are fun, happy, and literally off the wall."
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