Colour has been a driving force for Sharon Gage throughout her whole life. It’s almost as if colour is part of Sharon’s DNA, something she just can’t live without. Colour has taken her around the world initially as a Fashion and Textile Designer and then as an Interior Design and Colour Advisor, given her an award-winning colour consultancy business, and inspired her to share her abundant knowledge as an Educator at Sydney Design School.

Sharon is a highly sort after Consultant whose work spans many mediums and disciplines, from working closely with clients choosing exterior and interior colour schemes, to consulting with leading fashion and design businesses on trend forecasting and colour psychology. With an eye for detail and the art of visualisation Sharon can see the potential in both projects and people.

How has colour impacted your life?

“It has given me such a wonderful life, full of amazing experiences and fantastic connections. I would have never guessed that something that started as a fascination when I was a small child watching my mother sewing exquisite, coloured textiles, would blossom into a career full of worldly experiences and incredible projects. Colour has allowed me to travel the world, collaborate with some of the world’s leading design businesses, as well as establish my own colour & design consultancy business. I also get to share my passion of colour with the next generation of designers. How lucky am I?”

What do you love about colour? 

“Everything. I can’t imagine a day passing without me interacting with colour in some form. It feels like part of my soul. It has underpinned lots of my life’s big decisions. I love the quote from Claude Monet, “Colour is my day long obsession, joy, and torment”. It sums up my relationship with colour. It is my best friend who has a changing personality impacted by light, texture and its interaction with other colours. While sometimes, as a perfectionist, it torments me, it has brought me so much joy. I love to share this with my clients by giving them the perfect colour that suits their personality and space. It’s like introducing them to their very own new best friend. I love seeing the delight it brings clients when a scheme just works. It becomes an extension of their personality and I get to experience the joy of introducing them to a part of their psyche that they didn’t know existed.”

Describe a memorable project…

“It was the transformation of a humble cottage into literally a traffic stopping home which really launched my business. I worked hard with the client to develop the perfect custom colours that saw the dilapidated structure (I actually put my foot through the rotting floor boards during my first site visit) morph into a stunning home that went on to the win a Dulux Colour Award. People were literally stopping and causing traffic jams to take a look. My phone rang off the hook with clients wanting me to help them with colour and design choices. Interestingly each project I do gives me inspiration for the next. It’s like an ever changing, ever evolving space to work in. It pushes me to keep growing as a Designer.”

What do you love about teaching?

“I believe that knowledge is a gift to share. I really love sharing my experiences and understanding of colour with my students. It is extremely rewarding helping them to appreciate how colours work together, like an orchestra where each one plays a special part to bring the project together. I feel very privileged to be playing a part in setting them on their colour journey. Many students start by being very overwhelmed by colour, but as they start to understand how colour works and begin to play with it, their confidence grows, and they develop as Designers. I’m inspired by them, and I genuinely feel excited to start each teaching day with the anticipation that their world will be enriched through the knowledge and training of colour. Colour has given me so much and I want to share that with others.”