Brad Dufton, 31, and Benjamin Scott, 34, are the brains (and
the brawn) behind recently launched design firm colorTHEORY. Like other interior stylists, they consult on color
and choose wall coverings, handle furniture customization and re-upholstery,
plan layouts, shop for accessories, and more. But they differ in execution.
Whereas most designers hire a slew of tradesmen to get the job done, Dufton and
Scott do a lot of the work themselves. Dufton asserts, "We wear every hat,
which is more economical and time-effective because we can make decisions on
the spot, without the hassle of having to go back and forth between everyone."
They even do light carpentry, like hanging moldings. In addition, Scott, who
studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, creates incredible
murals and executes faux finishes.
The two met back in 2006 at BoConcept in Cambridge, where Dufton,
who studied furniture design at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, was the
general manager. While he initially hired Scott to paint the showroom, the two
hit it off so well that Dufton hired Scott as a design consultant for the company
shortly thereafter. The pair eventually landed at the high-end Italian
furniture showroom Roche-Bobois at the Ritz, where in the midst of a recession,
they found themselves working (or, rather, not working) on commission. Dufton
recounts, "They gave us this book, The Power of Positive Thinking.
It said to take risks and follow your heart. After reading it, I realized it
was time to go." colorTHEORY was born.
Dufton describes their mission as "a Ligne Roset service on an
IKEA budget." colorTHEORY is a full-service design concierge, from start to
finish or for anywhere in between. The leap of faith that led these friends to
go out on their own in an unsteady financial climate served them well; six
months in they had numerous clients. But don't chalk it up to pure luck, or
even raw talent. In a genius marketing move, Dufton entered the 820-square-foot
South End condo (pictured) he shared with his wife Kendra in the "Small Cool
2009" contest on the well-known home-design blog Apartment Therapy under the
name colorTHEORY. It was the company's début on the web, with links to its
website and Facebook page. Not only did the contest garner a following for the
company, but the condo made it to the Final Four, and the couple won a $2000
gift card to Room & Board, where they bought a black Eero Saarinen pedestal
dining table.
The condo, which Scott and his wife recently sold, was painted in
dramatic shades of cream and black. His plan for their new place in SoWa
includes his favorite color of the moment, "Silhouette," a dark gray with
chocolate brown undertones from Benjamin Moore's eco-friendly Affinity Color
Collection. He says admiringly, "It reads like milk chocolate in the daylight
and charcoal gray at nighttime." Scott, on the other hand, is all about color.
He tells us, "Right now I really like ornate and crazy antiques in bright
colors - a Rococo piece in a high-gloss robin's-egg blue, a Louis XV console
table in teal. I like that irreverence."
As for work for clients, it runs the gamut. In a Seaport loft,
they recently painted a huge wall magenta; Scott plans to add a life-size tree
in a dark gray silhouette atop, complete with photo-real cherry blossoms. When
questioned about the inspiration for the concept, he replies simply, "I was
looking at the wall and I just saw it."
The duo is seeing a lot of things lately. They have big plans for
the future, including a retail storefront in which they would sell refurbished
antiques with an interesting spin. They're also dreaming of their own line of
wallpaper and maybe even a color collection for Benjamin Moore paints. Says
Dufton of their creative collaborations, "We trust each other's opinions and
aesthetics, so we can challenge each other. We'll get into rifts, but at the
end of the day, it turns out fantastic." That's just what we think.
- Marni Elyse Katz
Marni Elyse Katz blogs about design at
stylecarrot.com.
