Let’s talk about color– that mystical force that lives in your kids crayon box, your closet and hopefully, at least to some degree, your living room. I’ll be honest most of my adult life my preferred style has been less farmhouse and more surf shack. Turquoise bathrooms, mango colored living rooms, teal bedrooms. Hmm…maybe I should bring that back.
But, if your living room looks like the inside of a mayonnaise jar, you are not alone. Over the last decade or so colors have become much more muted. Many people now fear color in home decorating; much the way our dog fears the vacuum cleaner: irrationally and with dramatic flair.
Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. You go to the paint store determined to pick a statement color. You march past “Buttercream Whisper” and “Foggy Alpaca” and land on a shade somewhere between “Inferno Red” and “Turmeric Explosion”. Then you panic, imagining your home looking more like the inside of a fast-food restaurant, and settle on something called “Greige Mist” because it goes with everything. But does it really? Or does it just whisper, “I gave up”?
Here’s the truth: using color in your home doesn’t mean you have to throw paint at your walls like you’re in an art therapy class gone rogue. It just means you don’t have to live in a beige bubble of boring. A turquoise throw pillow won’t destroy your feng shui, nor will a mustard yellow accent wall summons the 1970’s kitchen in your nightmares.
Color is your friend! It is the extrovert at the party who brings snacks and starts a conga line. It wakes up a tired room, adds personality, and dares you to be the fabulous human you are. Do you love hot pink? Drape it in the form of a throw blanket across your favorite chair. Obsessed with emerald green? Slap it on a cabinet! Craving something a little moodier? Navy is basically a neutral now, so go wild!
For the skeptics clutching their neutral fabric swatches like they’re security blankets- color doesn’t mean chaos. Remember even small bursts of boldness- like a coral-colored vase, a royal blue rug, or a sunny yellow colored chair- can completely transform the feel of your space and lift your spirits. You can dip your toe into the rainbow without doing a full-on cannonball into fuchsia.
I am one of those people who use to repaint the entire inside of my house every couple of years so I could change colors. However, that’s a ton of work! The older I get, the less appealing that whole process sounds. So, with the exception of a couple of accent walls, most of my walls are the same shade of grey. The color is then brought in in easily changeable wall and table decor, pillows, and blankets.
And for the few nay-sayers that comment on your “Interesting color choice”, that’s just jealousy. Deep down they really want a canary yellow front door too. They’re just not ready to accept it yet.
So, the next time you’re decorating a lovely space in your home and feel the gravitational pull of beige, remember you’re not beige. You’re not greige. You’re a walking kaleidoscope. Full of opinions, and personality and perhaps a little chaos. And your home should reflect you!
Final Thoughts
Paint the wall yellow. Buy the teal couch. Hang up the gigantic artwork of the dog surfing, if that’s what you love. Live a little. Preferably In color!
What color are you obsessing over right now? Let me know in the comments!
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