Lately some of my spare time has gone to help my daughter paint the interior of her house. It is a good bonding experience and nice to eat someone else’s cooking. We make a great team, as I like to do the cutting in and she likes to do the rolling.
Any color would be better than what she had, as it was the most non-descript color I have ever seen. I have a real aversion to taupe, but this was even worse. Have you ever noticed having an aversion to color? Does it nearly make you ill?
Over time, I have had my color mistakes like everyone else, but as we say: It is only paint! There was a time in the mid 90’s I found a cute little comforter and curtain set for my bedroom. So, thinking I could not go wrong, I picked a “pink” from the set and painted the walls. It was a bit intense, but maybe I could get use to it? Change is not always easily accepted, but I figured after a few days…. NOT. In the morning, one eye would open and see the wall, the other would open and I would groan. It should have been soothing; after all it was Pepto Bismol Pink! 6 months was enough!
Over time, I have had my color mistakes like everyone else, but as we say: It is only paint! There was a time in the mid 90’s I found a cute little comforter and curtain set for my bedroom. So, thinking I could not go wrong, I picked a “pink” from the set and painted the walls. It was a bit intense, but maybe I could get use to it? Change is not always easily accepted, but I figured after a few days…. NOT. In the morning, one eye would open and see the wall, the other would open and I would groan. It should have been soothing; after all it was Pepto Bismol Pink! 6 months was enough!
The trends today are going back to what I saw as a young adult in the late 60’s.
My daughter has adopted the "brights" of the 60's-70's styles: lime green, bright turquoise, hot pink and loud orange. Her home office is called Jetfire, which is a tangerine color and much better than the pumpkin it was a few years ago.
There are awesome new designers who are getting into the retro creations. This is a sample of fabric done by Jessica Jones, who has How about orange... blog. Stop over there and see the neat ideas and creations she has going. For some of us it is a blast from the past. She does a great job updating furniture and has some fun crafts. The graphic above is from her first fabric collection. There are alot of great links to other young creative people also!
It took a lot of dissuading to get my daughter to give up the idea of putting turquoise with it. All I could think of was Howard Johnson’s from the 70’s! I was abhorred, but since I do not live there…
After I thought about the room design a long time, I realized I had a number of swatches of discontinued upholstery fabrics that I salvaged when I worked at the furniture store. I came up with some wonderful combos of wild prints and solids to use for pillows and perhaps some sort of wall art. I lugged the bag over to her house and made her look at the possibilities. Guess what! She liked the ideas. We discussed what we could do in the room, as it is very orange, a black framed futon covered in a dark brown. Cream recycled heavy weight sheers and mostly dark furniture.
Once again inspiration hit me and I was on a roll. I really felt the color combo she had chosen was rather juvie. I told her she need something more adult, but she was afraid she might lose the FUN aspect. I explained you can decorate more adult and have a bit more class WITH WHIMSY. She said that is exactly what she wanted.
The whimsy will come with the bright patchwork pillows using rather graphic fabrics and art work. It has been years since I have painted, but I think I can do something organically graphic? I am very excited! (Soon as I have pictures to post, they will be here.)
Personally, my diningroom has taken a step back in time to the olive (NOT avocado), golds (NOT harvest gold) and rusts (NOT burnt orange). They are not quite the shades we had in the 60’s, as they are cleaner and clearer.
After having lived with a burnt orange “living room set” for nearly 30 years, I have no desire to see that color again! Yes, it does pay to buy quality…and it is a good thing I learned to slipcover!
After I thought about the room design a long time, I realized I had a number of swatches of discontinued upholstery fabrics that I salvaged when I worked at the furniture store. I came up with some wonderful combos of wild prints and solids to use for pillows and perhaps some sort of wall art. I lugged the bag over to her house and made her look at the possibilities. Guess what! She liked the ideas. We discussed what we could do in the room, as it is very orange, a black framed futon covered in a dark brown. Cream recycled heavy weight sheers and mostly dark furniture.
Once again inspiration hit me and I was on a roll. I really felt the color combo she had chosen was rather juvie. I told her she need something more adult, but she was afraid she might lose the FUN aspect. I explained you can decorate more adult and have a bit more class WITH WHIMSY. She said that is exactly what she wanted.
The whimsy will come with the bright patchwork pillows using rather graphic fabrics and art work. It has been years since I have painted, but I think I can do something organically graphic? I am very excited! (Soon as I have pictures to post, they will be here.)
Personally, my diningroom has taken a step back in time to the olive (NOT avocado), golds (NOT harvest gold) and rusts (NOT burnt orange). They are not quite the shades we had in the 60’s, as they are cleaner and clearer.
After having lived with a burnt orange “living room set” for nearly 30 years, I have no desire to see that color again! Yes, it does pay to buy quality…and it is a good thing I learned to slipcover!
