NORTHAMPTON - Amy Woolf, color consultant, made a career out of her passion when she stumbled upon a need most don't know exists.

Advising others on what colors they should use to paint rooms around their homes and offices, Woolf's business is booming in Northampton.

"I can provide them with very specific assistance with an interior design project. I'm not going to help them pick a sofa, although I will discuss sofa colors. There are jobs for interior designers, large-scale focusing on all aspects of a job. But if a client really just wants help with color, that's where I can help them," Woolf said.

In 2004, Woolf was working on an extensive renovation on her home in Sarasota, Fla., and needed some help choosing paint colors. When she couldn't find anyone, she decided to do some research on her own. In 2006, she ended up joining the International Association of Color Consultants and began the process of becoming certified.

Now she runs her business - Amy Woolf Color Consulting - out of her home in Northampton. Visit her web site at http://awcolor.com.

As a consultant, Woolf works with clients to create color plans and examine the functions of color in their work and home spaces. Her goal is to help people overcome the initial overwhelming feeling many encounter when they enter a paint store. "I love to make the process easier for people. I love to teach what I know to clients who are interested in learning, to help them move on on their own after I'm gone with color in their lives. I just find that it's a universal desire to have color that works in your home around you, and it's exciting to help people get unstuck," Woolf said.

About half of her clients are local, with the other half long-distance, ranging from Florida to Connecticut and Missouri.

A new project she will soon be working on is a pet-grooming salon in Northampton. She will work with her client to find a color that can be welcoming for customers as well as energizing for the employees who will be working on their feet all day.

"You have to be really careful about using a color that, for instance, you like in your advertising brochure," she said. "You put it on the walls, and it gets a little out of control. When you're surrounded by color on four walls, the color builds up, it echoes and reflects off itself and can get really overwhelming."

In the end, Woolf's job is more about helping her clients reach their goals than telling them what to do.

"All the paint companies come out with 'The Color for 2011' and you see a lot of magazines with a lot of colors that are the colors the designers like to use, but it is very individual and everybody has their own needs."