Sunday, October 4, 2009

It Was So Much Easier When My Only Color Choices Came Out of A Box Labeled Crayola

A few months ago I mentioned that Mike and I are working on some home improvement projects. Mike has replaced all of the old, piece of crap windows that used to give our home that lived-in shanty feel with new windows that are clean, pretty, and open and everything. Along with the new windows, he has also installed new molding which really makes the windows look incredible.


The next phase in our plan is to start painting. I love to paint. I live to paint. I would blue tape, prime, and paint the children if they would just hold still. The dilemma is what colors to paint? It's not as easy as saying, "Well, the living room will be brown, the dining room will be......" because all of the rooms are sort of connected. The living room and dining room are one big room, and one of the kitchen walls flows into the dining room, so I feel like all of the colors need to coordinate. This also feels like a big decision because we are still up in the air about whether or not we will put this house up for sale in the next few years to look for something with a bit more space. So whatever we choose needs to be somewhat neutral so that we don't have to repaint before selling, if we sell, which we probably won't, but just in case.


When we painted the house the first time, Mike and I were newly married and I wasn't sure what my decorating style was exactly. Up until then, I lived with my parents and decorating a bedroom is nothing like decorating a house, as New Kids on the Block posters and college mementos don't really say fine home decor. Since then I have accumulated enough knick-knacks to decorate the house several times over and never once repeat a theme, but nothing goes together. They make it look so easy on HGTV. Damn you Genevieve and your mad decorating skills.

I just want the house to look put together, but not so much so that people don't feel comfortable hanging out here. I want to decorate with things that mean something to us as a family, but not with just any old junk that has been lying around for the last six years. Of course, I can't even think about decorating until I make the final paint color decision which brings me right back to my original dilemma...what colors? So what do you think? What colors say comfy family home that is put together, but not too much, and looks like it was decorated by a woman who has logged thousands of hours watching HGTV, and not by a girl that has never had to decorate anything larger than a 12ft x 12ft box in the upstairs of her parent's house?

2 comments:

Aunt G said...

I know how monotonous picking paint colors can be. On Lowe's website under Paint/Home Decor they have an online tool that lets you pick rooms and paint them so you can get a better idea of how the colors will look together. I am pretty sure you can even save the rooms and print out the info to take to the store for purchasing the paint colors.

Leslie said...

I'm no good at picking colors. There's a big difference between what I like and what looks good on the wall. I'm itching to make some changes at our house. One day...when we can afford it. Okay, maybe never. But I can dream!