Gretchen Schauffler's journey into color began with her sitting in the back seat of her parent's car during sun-drenched car rides in Puerto Rico. From the other side of chrome-trimmed windows, she fell in love with how light painted a new sky and shore day and night. These mesmerizing memories became her 'color baggage,' which shaped her unique perspective on color and brought with her when she moved to Portland, Oregon. Once she unpacked her color baggage and recolored her world, starting with her home, she went form sticking out like a lime green thumb to stepping out into her personal limelight.

If Puerto Rico taught her the sovereignty of light, the Pacific Northwest taught her the sovereignty of shadows. The gray, wooly blanket sky of the Pacific Northwest became a new filter of light, allowing her to see hundreds of new hues breaking through their shy gray nature. She realized the body spoke fluent color, and its language of beauty and harmony could be clearly understood by all for a reason. Color is a master teacher of true love, a state of harmony that feels imperfectly beautiful, meaningful, baggage, and all. Most of all, shared by all.

Drawing from her rainbow-filled journey, Gretchen turned her color baggage into art. She studied Art Therapy, Architecture, and Fashion Design before earning her B.A. in Graphic Design. Her expertise in color deepened while working as a make-up artist and regional trainer for Estee Lauder in the Pacific Northwest. Her artwork—colorful collages featuring women in moments of bliss—sold in renowned galleries across the country, including the Bellevue Art Museum, before she expanded her canvas from traditional art to walls.

This success eventually led her to expand her canvas from traditional art to walls, where she began creating custom colors and faux finishes that would later inspire Devine Color. She discovered her gift for color harmony and used it to turn environments into harmonious atmospheres that felt like true love, baggage and all. They became more remarkable than the sum of their parts, regardless of the size of the home, social status, or income.

As an entrepreneur, Gretchen's influence reached new heights. She founded Devine Color, a trailblazing brand that empowered women to take charge of their paint color experiences. Her success led to the acquisition of Devine Color by Valspar Paint, and a non-compete agreement, during which she explored meditation, served on the board of the Alzheimer's Association, and developed Color With Benefits, a color protocol benefiting memory care. Free from her non-compete, Gretchen returned with an expanded mission: to harmonize lives through the power of wall color.

When you surround yourself with colors that feel like true love—personal, beautiful, and richly satisfying—walls become mirrors that reflect confidence. Environments become loving atmospheres for years to come. Color Baggage invites you to recolor your world with true love, starting with walls.