Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/618807
B Y R E B E C C A S H E R M A N . P R O D U C E D A N D P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y J E N N Y A N T I L L . H A I R A N D M A K E U P T O N Y A R I N E R . S ara Eliason obsesses about color. "No matter where I am, I'm always trying to correct the color to create a more harmonious environment," she says. A professional colorist and designer in Houston, she consults with residential and commercial clients, interior designers, architects and builders. "I'm one of those people who are highly sensitive to color. Things that are slightly annoying for others are really palpable for me." Picking the right hue for the mood has become her life's work. A fine artist who cut her chops with Benjamin Moore as a color consultant — she helped roll out its all-natural paint line, Aura — Eliason has specified color for just about every type of surface including customized grout. "Every detail and hue is a part of the visual narrative," she says. Color can be fun, but it's also serious stuff. Pick the wrong one, and it can make you unhappy at home or less productive at work. Eliason took the TED stage recently to talk on the topic, explaining how the manipulation of color in buildings isn't just cosmetic; it can create order, harmony and happiness. Her own home — a 1979 condo near River Oaks that she shares with her two children, Michael Connell and Everett Cooney — is rendered in subdued tones of black, white, gray and gold, similar to her preferred style of dress. It's subtle for what a colorist's living environment and sartorial statement might be, but at this stage of her life, she's traded a shout for a whisper. "Color is a lot like music; it can be very stimulating," she says. "The older I get, I like to live with less and less color, so that it's more of a sanctuary." Eliason spent her formative years in Alaska surrounded by wilderness. "Nature really influenced me as a kid," she says — and it still does. Her place is filled with richly figured and rustic wood furniture, natural linen and worn leather upholstery. She decorates with found elements from the natural world, such as wasps nests, naturally shed horn, COLORIST SARA ELIASON'S HOUSE AND STUDIO NEAR RIVER OAKS WHISPER RATHER THAN SHOUT WITH COLORS DRAWN FROM NATURE. SHE's NATURAL A In Sara Eliason's studio, a tumbleweed found during a treasure hunting session in West Texas. Encaustic artwork in progress by Eliason.