What makes your method (Sci/ART) different from House of Colour (HOC)?

I get this question a lot. It’s important to note that I wasn’t trained in the House of Colour system, so I can’t speak to their method from the inside. But I’ve spent a lot of time observing their approach, and I can share what sets my method apart based on what I know. I’m trained in the Sci/ART method of color analysis, which is designed to eliminate as many outside variables as possible so we can isolate what’s actually happening with you and the drapes.

Environmental Neutrality (Gray vs. White)

In Sci/ART, the entire environment is intentionally neutralized. The client wears a neutral gray drape and bonnet (hair covering), not white. I, as the analyst, wear a neutral gray coat, because I am standing behind you serving as the background. To take it a step further, the background of the space is kept free of bright colors or distractions. I use a neutral grey backdrop. 

House of Colour often uses white capes and white head coverings, and I have observed their analysts wear brightly colored clothing, sometimes with saturated or colorful backgrounds in their studios. While visually appealing for tik tok and instagram posts, these choices introduce unnecessary visual variables, and from a color theory perspective, that matters.

White, for example, is not neutral. It reflects surrounding light and alters the way colors appear next to it due to a phenomenon called simultaneous contrast. The same goes for a cobalt blue sweater. These surrounding colors can skew how you appear when different drapes are tested.
My setup is designed to eliminate these distractions so that we’re only observing how the colors of the drapes interact with you. Nothing else.

Lighting Conditions

House of Colour typically uses natural daylight, usually from a north-facing window. That sounds ideal, but it introduces several uncontrollable variables: cloud cover, time of day, how clean that window is, etc.

Sci/ART uses calibrated daylight-balanced lighting at 6500K, which mimics natural daylight without being too warm or cool. It creates consistent, controlled lighting that gives more reliable results.

Process and Philosophy

I don’t apply makeup during the session, and I don’t use “wow colors.” Instead, we look at your full color range based on objective qualities: hue, chroma, and value.

You’ll receive your season (like “Soft Summer” or “Bright Winter”) within a 12-seasonal-tone color palette system that reflects your natural coloring, not just what looks exciting or pretty on the surface.

The process we use to get to that result is structured and methodical. In the standardized Sci/ART method, we assess chroma first, then value, and only after that, temperature, which is then followed by visual cross-checks to ensure accuracy.

From what I’ve observed, House of Colour appears to prioritize temperature first, and the path they take throughout the analysis may vary from analyst to analyst based on their discretion. As a result, from a scientific and objective standpoint, their method is not standardized, which introduces more room for interpretation and potential inconsistency in results.

After your analysis, you’re welcome to try makeup from clean beauty brands that has been pre-swatch tested by season in the boutique my studio is connected to. I also offer personal item testing and a luxury drape session with curated fabrics to help you translate your palette into real life.

Training and Business Structure

Another difference is in how we’re trained and how we operate.

House of Colour operates under a franchise model, meaning analysts are licensed to use a standardized system under the House of Colour brand. Their training is brand-specific, and while I can’t speak to their internal process, it’s built to maintain consistency across all locations and often includes makeup application and styling guidance as part of the client experience.

In contrast, I was trained independently in the Sci/ART method, which is not a franchise, it’s a color theory-based methodology that prioritizes objective visual testing, scientific lighting, and environmental neutrality. My studio is not tied to a parent company, which gives me more freedom to go deep into the precision of the analysis, integrate complementary psychology and styling concepts, and tailor the post-session experience based on the individual.

So while both paths aim to help people feel confident in their colors, the philosophy, business model, and training approach are fundamentally different.

A Note on Style Services

While House of Colour offers both color and style services, the approach to style can vary from one analyst to another. Although they follow a branded framework, the structure and execution are not fully standardized, and individual discretion often plays a role, both in their color analysis process and in their style recommendations.

By contrast, the Sci/ART method I’m trained in focuses specifically on color analysis, using a standardized, objective process, but it does not include a built-in style system. That gives me and the client the freedom to approach style from a different angle.

While my style services aren’t fully launched yet (coming soon), what I’m building is not a plug-and-play formula. I’m not part of a franchise, which allows me the space to create something that goes deeper, not just in color, but in the psychological, functional, social, and emotional dimensions of personal style.

During my color sessions, I often ask questions, not to influence the results, but to better understand how you feel in certain colors. I believe personal style isn’t just about how something looks, it’s about how it feels, what it reflects, and how it supports your life. My upcoming style services will be rooted in individual identity, real-life function, and meaning, not just visual rules or trends.

So while I don’t currently offer a formal body typing system like House of Colour, what’s coming will be tailored, flexible, and designed to help you feel aligned inside and out.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a method that controls every variable, from lighting to background to the environment, to ensure an objective and accurate result, the Sci/ART method is built for that.

House of Colour offers a more aesthetic, beauty-focused experience, and many enjoy that! But if your priority is clarity you can trust, this is likely the more precise and aligned fit.