Start with what you notice.
You may arrive with a favourite colour, a piece of stone or a photograph of a room. Rather than forcing those references into a ready-made recipe, separate what you respond to: warmth, reflection, softness, contrast or the way a joint makes a rhythm.
That gives the conversation something concrete. A small group of samples can then be compared against the materials staying in the room. The aim is a palette you can explain, not simply a photograph you can point at.