Fall is the perfect time to talk about color. As the light changes with the shorter days, I’m more aware of the nurturing effect that color can have.

A recent experience gave me insight into the origins of my sensitivity to color. Out of the depths of the home where my mom has lived for over 50 years, emerged the fabric swatches that she saved from when she had my colors done in the 1980s.

For whatever reason, my single working mom decided to splurge on what must have been a bit of an extravagance, especially for a 9-year-old. And I’m so glad she did. I remember being mesmerized by the hundreds of fabric swatches that my colorist held up to my face, representing nuances of color and tactility that never would have occurred to me at that age.

A compact color deck was made for each of us with the idea that we’d take it along when we shopped for clothing. Unbeknownst to me until recently, they also sent the original fabric swatches, taped to sheets of paper without the plastic cover.

When I pulled the stack of colored fabrics from the packet my mom had saved all these years and ran my fingers over the fabrics, it activated a familiarity that is like reuniting with an old friend. This set of colors is unique to me, and I’ve internalized them as my go-to colors of which I never seem to tire.

It gave me pause to recognize that the experience created a sort of color language between my mom and me, and it was an early introduction to color concepts that have influenced my approach to interior design. “That’s one of your dramatic colors” or “That’s one of your eye extensions…”

All these decades later, I realize what a gift it was to have been introduced to these subtleties of color so early. It gave me an understanding of how the right colors can nurture, soothe, and energize us, whether they fill our closets or the spaces where we spend our time.