Who We Are

It’s true. The six of us do not share identical points of view when it comes to color. Our philosophies differ in several areas. Our backgrounds are diverse and we each followed a unique path to the professional realms of color. But let me tell you what we do have in common —  bona fide color expertise.

Six different opinions is to your advantage.

When you listen to the podcasts, not only will you hear the latest news from the trenches of paint, color and design but you will also hear authenticity. Everyone on this team is confident in their color expertise because they’ve done the work it takes to achieve expert status. There is nothing feigned, counterfeit or deceptive. We’re just real about what we know and who we are.  Credibility comes through loud and clear.  I am very proud of this team and am excited for you to learn more about who we are through our bio’s.

I invite you to meet the team.

—Lori Sawaya, Executive Producer

Kelly Berg is an Interior Designer, Color Expert and Writer. Established in 2003, Arte Styling focuses on Interior Design and Color Psychology with the mission to inspire individuals and organizations to express their authenticity and truest design visions.

Kelly holds a B.F.A. in Interior Design from the Design Institute of San Diego, a B.A in Communication from U.C. San Diego and is a member of the IIDA and IACC-NA.  Her business was born out of a desire to guide and inspire homeowners and business owners to fearlessly approach color and design decisions and to have fun in the process.

When she’s not working hands-on with clients, Kelly is busy exploring and sharing color and design through ColorPodz podcasts and her two blogs, Arte Styling and The Brave New Home™. She has been featured as a color and design authority in numerous online and print publications including Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle and ShelterPop and is one of the winning designers of the 2011 California Paints Color Challenge.

Email – kelly@coloroutlook.com

George Gehringer has over twenty five years experience in the interior fashion industry. Extensive international business experience in Europe, Mexico, Asia and South America influences his award winning designs.

Introductions include the Laura Ashley Collection for American Olean Tile Co., The Ceramix Collection for Formica Flooring, Urban Settings and the Liz Claiborne Ceramic Tile Collection for Armstrong World Industries. He has designed for every channel of sales in the interiors industry and has published and presented on the topics of color and design trends, surface coverings and the design profession.

George has participated in the development and implementation of several new business ventures and has served as the Design Trustee for the American Ceramic Society and as a board member of the Color Marketing Group. He is currently co-owner and creative director of the design studio METAPHOR llc and is listed in the 2006 Global Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals.

Email – geogehringer@comcast.net

Annie Elliott – bossy color/interiors by annie elliott – is a decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

After working in some of the nation’s top museums, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution, Annie wanted a more direct relationship with art and design “consumers.” She pursued additional color and design training at the Corcoran College of Art + Design and IACC-NA and started bossy color in 2004. Today, Annie is considered an expert on color, residential space planning, and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.

Annie has been quoted in publications from The Washington Post to Real Simple, and bossy color blog enjoys a strong national and international following. Her designer’s guide to the drawing program SketchUp (co-authored with Bonnie Roskes) will be published by Pearson this year.

Email – annie@coloroutlook.com

Rachel Perls is an architectural color consultant, artist, and writer. She runs Hue Consulting, based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Rachel earned a degree in Art Studio from UC Davis, and is an Associate Member of IACC-NA where she served as a committee chair for several years.

Artistic pursuits have included scenic painting, graphic design, custom pet portraits and even painting high-end wedding cakes. Additionally, Rachel taught color theory to interior design students at Maryland Institute College of Art, as well as art classes at various community colleges.

In her business, Hue Consulting, Rachel uses her multi-disciplinary approach to help clients realize the full potential of color in both residential and commercial spaces. Rachel is also founder and author of Hue blog (2004), one of the first to focus on color.

Recently publicity has included the Washington Post, Robb Report magazine, and Apartment Therapy.

Email – rachel@coloroutlook.com

Lori Sawaya – Executive Producer, Color Outlook • Principal, Color Strategies, LLC • Founder Color Budz Blog • Producer ColorPodz podcasts • IACC/NA Associate Member & Committee Chair

Lori’s color point of view has been cultivated over 20 years of hands-on experience working as a graphic designer and architectural color designer-consultant.  Experience gained working with print, paint and color has built a multidisciplined foundation of color knowledge.  It is this expertise that has made her a sought-after color authority.

Known across the web as “funcolors”, she has participated in various genres of social media including decorating forums and message boards. Lori used this innovative platform to demonstrate her color expertise and design aesthetic.  An innumerable following (a.k.a. Tribe) view Lori as a thought leader.  Learning about her original color insights through effectively written treatises has inspired them to adopt her consulting approach and philosophies on color for the built environment.

Email – lori@coloroutlook.com

Architectural color consultant and principal of Amy Woolf  Color Consulting, Amy Woolf was born into a family of artists and antique traders in Baltimore. She graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Economics but has spent her life involved in the visual arts, studying at Maryland Institute College of Art, Ringling College of Art and Design and Boston Architectural College.

In 2006, following a major house renovation, she began her studies with the International Association of Color Consultants in order to gain a fuller knowledge of the psychological and physiological effects of color in the built environment. She has been consulting ever since, both locally and nationally, from New England to Florida to the Midwest.

Sensitive to the personal needs of her clients, Amy is particularly adept at bringing consensus to homes and businesses where there are conflicting points of view about color. Rather than simply “prescribing” color, her specialty is teaching and thereby empowering people to use color more confidently.

Amy currently lives in Western Massachusetts where she is an avid vegetable gardener and maker-of-jams when she’s not color consulting.

Email – amy@coloroutlook.com