There has been a painting situation going down in this house lately.
In 2007, I fell in love at first sight with my home right off the MLS sheet. I called my realtor (the Worst Realtor Ever, BTW) who got me in to see it the very next day and standing on the front porch, after months of searching and countless boring houses, I knew that this was the house I was going to buy - a tiny little 2-bedroom bungalow with a semi-finished basement. It looked like a beach house with the massive windows, snow white trim, and scuffed-up hardwood floors. I wanted to expand on the beachy feeling and in sharp contrast to the vivid colors I painted the townhouse in Virginia*, I chose seaside shades for this home - sand, green beachglass, and blue, blue water. I wanted to create a soothing, relaxing, girlie-if-you-will, space for what I expected to be mine and Mackenzie's oasis.
That lasted one year.
With a new husband and new sons and new busyness, the colors in this home haven't felt vibrant enough for this family in constant motion. So last week, I painted the dining room Asparagus Green:
... and this week the living room will be Robin's Egg Blue (keeping the brown on the chimney):
Hopefully by spring, the kitchen cabinets will be white, the walls Periwinkle, and the back wall of the kitchen chalkboard paint - necessary for keeping track of my crew.
Mackenzie laughed at me when I told her what I was going to do, saying, "I don't know why you painted the house those colors in the first place - I think you were trying to be grown up. Are you over it now?"
And I suppose I am. The bold colors are back and they seem to infuse our home with a vibrancy that fits the constant hustle and bustle around here.
*Wow. There is a lot of new furniture in this house - a combination of selling my old stuff on CraigsList and purchasing new PaigeAndTim furniture, and a bit of Tim's stuff added to the mixture.
10 comments:
I think the beachy colors were what you needed at the time....something soothing.
I like the new colors. I'm always up for painting. Time for me to paint my bedroom again. The purple is getting boring.
word verification.... trenewde
Like... trendy.
Of course, you are right. It was exactly what I needed at the time but now the game is back on and we needed to liven up the place.
I like the new colors too. They are actually both a bit darker than it appears in the photos but the shades are great together. It took me a damn month to pick them out. You should have SEEN all the samples taped to the wall. Freakshow.
Repainting is such a great and cheap way to redecorate. It changes the look of the room without having to buy a lot of expensive furniture. I'm also relocating lots of pictures and decorations and stuff. I'm like my own HGTV show. Dork.
SPEAKING OF PICTURES!!! Thank you so much for the Hail on the Boardwalk print. When I saw it in your Christmas card I was so excited! I meant to take a picture of it framed and hung and send it to you as a thank you but you know me - the ADD got to me and here we are. Anyway, I want you to know how much I appreciate it - I lovelovelove that picture. When I finally get it framed and hung I'll take a picture for you of where it ends up. xo
You are so very welcome. If you'd like a larger size just let me know. I have several 8x10's laying around.
I'm particularly taken with the green. I have a spare bedroom / den that needs redecorating and I'm trying to imagine what colour it should be. It's on the cold side of the house so needs to be warm, but not too dark either.
Sarah - You clearly love the green:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/453307403_61d8f61125_m.jpg
Just paint it already.
(BTW - the greens in these photos are actually two different greens, not that anyone besides me can tell...)
I love the new colors! When we lived in Florida, Jas knew he was home at the end of the day because of the paint fume smells. I changed colors in that house quite often until I got it right! Now we're renting and I don't want to fool with it. I do love to rearrange some furniture though.
Mac is so intuitive isn't she? Wise beyond her years.
Very cool colors!
Rach - That is SO FUNNY! I can totally see you repainting all the time and Jas saying that. Crackin' me up. And you are right. Mac is an old soul in a little girl's body. Always has been. Freaky, actually.
Chris - Thanks! I like them too. Now if it just wasn't So Damn Cold out and I could get to Home Depot to get 2 more rollers and finish up...
Someday I'll own a house and be able to paint. Someday. And maybe I'll actually see your house before you repaint it again.
Post a Comment