Thursday, June 30, 2011

Color me

So this got me thinking a bit: How do people choose the paint they use in their homes?

This was a tough process for me, mostly because Rich said to do what I wanted -- ugh, decisions! -- and I had too much time to think about it. But in the end, I wanted the rooms to be different, but they needed to flow into each other; the house is simply too small to show a lot of contrast.

These are the colors that currently cover our walls (all Behr; we're big fans).

1. Cornmeal (living room, dining room, hall).


Does it evoke "cornmeal"? I guess so. I didn't pick based on names, though I'll admit it does make it a lot more fun when you're sorting through thousands of color cards ... so yes, I'm a victim of marketing. Sue me.

2. Twenty Karat (kitchen).


"Twenty karat"? Absolutely not. Bright as hell in the morning? Abso-freakin'-lutely. Come in with a hangover, and you'll blind yourself.

3. Apple Crisp (office).


Um ... we like orange?

4. Manila Tint (stairwell, upstairs alcove).


In no way whatsoever does this hallway say either "school folder" or "Philippines."

5. Maiden Voyage (the bathroom).


Thought process: I thought it was pretty. It also doesn't fit at all in the color scheme of the rest of the house, which is sort of what I was going for. It's bright, it's water-y, it makes white pop. Works for me.

6. Flint Smoke (guest bedroom).


Hmmm. Flint, smoke ... flint smoke. When we got the color on the walls, it surprised us by not being at all what we expected. I was going for a deep gray, but I got this sort of bluish gray, which is fine, but next time, I'll go for something named "Depression," perhaps, in order to get what I want.

And there is, of course, some Shale Grey waiting for our bedroom; we loved it so much in Edgewater, we wanted to use it again. Of course, it's now been a year, and our bedroom is still a muted vomit color. Same goes for the porch, but I'm not touching those walls until we get the windows replaced.