wall color

>> Sunday, February 15, 2009

I am very affected by wall colors. I love lighter colors, accented with white trim and neutral colors accented with dark trim.


When I walk into any establishment or a person's home, the wall color really tells me what's going on. If it is bulk neutral, but the trim is carefully thought out, I can tell the person is working within the limits they have.


If the color is too dark for the trim and there is no accent, that tells me they are confident and tried an experiment, given the restraints of dark wood trim.


If the color is hard to determine with chips, scratches and crayon marks, and the trim needs to be replaced that tells me it's my house.


We have tried to be bold and stylin with the colors we picked, but some of the rooms just didn't get any attention and as a result we are left with what I like to call "Previous Owner Primer". This encompasses any color that someone moved into and didn't pick themselves. Though usually it's between white and off white.

I think Previous Owner Primer is so popular due to those shows on HGTV and A&E, where neutrality is sold as the only road to a sale.


However, it leaves me feeling no sense of personality whatsoever. Almost like no one lived there before. It's just so flat. At least with the other end of the spectrum—bold RED or YELLOW that is almost painful to look at, you know someone cared, someone was trying—there was some sense of individuality.


We recently had a home up for sale and we painted it a darker color than everyone suggested. In the end, all six rooms were the same color. And you know what? Even if someone doesn't like it, at least it lets people know there once was life in that house. A family lived and grew there. Someone cared to leave a little of themselves behind.


That sounds like anything but neutral. It sounds like home.


6 comments:

Sheila February 15, 2009 at 11:20 AM  

Once again I typed a comment and blogger ate it. I'll try again....
Our home is painted in what I call sugared almond colours. White, tinted with grey, yellow, pink, coffee,or sage..etc. The baseboards are nondescript so they are painted the same colour as the walls..why draw attention to them? The trim is bright white, not gloss, but eggshell finish. Any other colour comes from furniture and art work.
I love dark colours in other's homes, but I can't live with it.
Our rooms always look suuny and bright even on the dullest day, which makes me happy as I love light!
Persevere, and you will come up with a formula that works for you. You'll find you can change a rooms colour scheme to fit the season, just by changing pillows or pictures.

Maggie Madison February 16, 2009 at 7:33 AM  

I love the idea of changing a room scheme just by changing pillows and pictures. Maybe a Spring theme? Wishful thinking...

Maggie Madison February 16, 2009 at 7:33 AM  

BTW I will contact Blogger for eating comments.

Maggie May February 16, 2009 at 3:41 PM  

i painted one wall in my kitchen/dining area yellow, and love it. i want to do wallpaper in the bathroom and another color in the living room. only money holds me back.

Maggie Madison February 16, 2009 at 8:14 PM  

I love the idea of painting one wall in a room. It's a nice spot between total commitment and dreadful mistake. Kind of like cohabitating always was for me. LOL Seriously, I always wanted an "accent wall". Thanks for reminding me!

Unknown February 18, 2009 at 12:27 AM  

Every room in our house is painted a different color and I love the feel of it. Just remember that lighting or lack there of will change the color of the paint.
I also agree that accent walls are just the thing. Commitment without to much commitment. They really make a statement too. I had a friend do red and highlighted the adjoining room with framed pictures featuring red. It looked magnifique.