diff --git a/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/magellan-fixNullRootRef_2018-02-26-22-26.json b/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/magellan-fixNullRootRef_2018-02-26-22-26.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..71f1f0af4d67a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/magellan-fixNullRootRef_2018-02-26-22-26.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "changes": [
+    {
+      "packageName": "office-ui-fabric-react",
+      "comment": "ColorPicker: internal ref issue was fixed, which lets colors be picked a little better.",
+      "type": "patch"
+    }
+  ],
+  "packageName": "office-ui-fabric-react",
+  "email": "law@microsoft.com"
+}
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/ColorPicker/ColorRectangle.tsx b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/ColorPicker/ColorRectangle.tsx
index 292182370cd446..3adb8739c99f3a 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/ColorPicker/ColorRectangle.tsx
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/ColorPicker/ColorRectangle.tsx
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export class ColorRectangle extends BaseComponent<IColorRectangleProps, IColorPi
     minSize: 220
   };
 
-  private root: HTMLDivElement;
+  private _root: HTMLDivElement;
 
   constructor(props: IColorRectangleProps) {
     super(props);
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ export class ColorRectangle extends BaseComponent<IColorRectangleProps, IColorPi
   @autobind
   private _onMouseMove(ev: React.MouseEvent<HTMLElement>) {
     const { color, onSVChanged } = this.props;
-    const rectSize = this.root.getBoundingClientRect();
+    const rectSize = this._root.getBoundingClientRect();
 
     const sPercentage = (ev.clientX - rectSize.left) / rectSize.width;
     const vPercentage = (ev.clientY - rectSize.top) / rectSize.height;