The XX Factor

Miracle Color Matching, Part Deux

Greetings from L.A., a town that REALLY enflames the car and gadget-envy. My traveling companion just bought an iPhone, and we’re putting all the applications to great use, especially for mapping “coffee” and “Cher’s house” and “Ed Hardy Outlet” (kidding on that last one). It’s an endless source of amusement:

“Do you have an app for passive aggression?”

“I want to invent one called ‘Tap that App.’”

Anyhoo, a friend saw my post from last week on ColorHunter.com , which will churn out a readymade color palette inspired by any photo. Feeling my pain about the mysterious numbers next to every shade (savvy readers informed me that they’re for web designers, not decorators), she e-mails to say that Apple (via The New York Times ) has come my rescue with Color Capture Ben , a new app that lets you zoom in on a photo in your phone, match that particular color to a number in Benjamin Moore’s deck (“Malibu Mudslide,” anyone?), and also shows you a range of other shades on the lighter and darker sides. GENIUS!! Free in any Apple store after June 1, CCB will also help map the nearest BenMoore vendor locations, just like I requested!

Except I don’t have an iPhone. [Insert “California Dreamin’”/ “Dream House” joke here.]