And the winner is…

Vintage Claret!

Hadn’t mentioned that color before, had I?  O.k. So. I took all of the pink samples and poured them into a bucket and it made a very beautiful pink color, that I had no desire to put on my bedroom walls. So I painted it the color I’d decided on months ago, Vintage Claret. It’s a deep, intense pink, “so bold and so inviting… a bright violet pink color…” Technically it’s pink, so I’m not completely in the closet about my love of pink.

Really pretty but...

Originally, the bedroom had been a peachy beige. Maybe salmon-y. Peachy salmon. I’m not sure how to describe it, but I knew I wanted to get rid of it. I painted the bedroom Ashley Gray (Benjamin Moore). Not Chelsea Gray, one of the famous Benjamin Moore grays, but Ashley Gray, a kind of deep greige. It was nice. It was fine. But really what had I been thinking? Deep greige? That’s so not me. I’d let myself be influenced by too many decor blogs, and the whole “gray” thing. (I’d painted the office a gray too, but that’s another post.)

Before: peachy beige

Then: Deep Greige

I found Vintage Claret, a rather bold choice if I do say so myself. But before I got around to painting the bedroom. I saw a video ona Benjamin website (see link above) and “Sonu” suggested using Vintage Claret in the kitchen. Genius!! That’s what I have to do! So, long story short (I know: too late), that’s when the search for another perfect pink  started.

Now: Wow!

But the lesson here is to follow my instincts. When I saw Vintage Claret I knew immediately I wanted it for the bedroom, but then I let self doubt in, instead of just forging ahead. It took a while but in the end I realized my initial instincts were right. So it’s Vintage Claret in the bedroom.

And maybe one day in the kitchen.

Paint Intervention

Since I wrote a few days ago, things got kind of out of hand. And it all has to do with avoiding making a decision. I need my third chakra!

Things got a little out of hand with the paint sampling.

In the previous episode, I couldn’t decide between the RL Venetian and the BM Wild Aster. Again the room made a difference. In the yoga room, Venetian wins hands down. In the Bedroom, the Wild Aster or even the BM Pink innocence sort of wins, but I’m not wow’d by either.  So I kept sampling.

I bought four RL “pinks” from Home Depot, then another four from BM. That’s 8 additional soft barely-there supposedly pinks, all of which were more of the same, or worse. One was so peachy I couldn’t bare to even put it on the wall (RL Pink Sunset is neither pink nor like a sunset. It’s more of a melted orange sherbert in the paint pot.)

It was also at this point that I realized that I don’t really like pale, barely-there pinks. I like PINK! Here’s one of my favorite tops and my purse:

Favorite blouse

My purse

These are not shy pinks. So I started to wonder if maybe I shouldn’t go all out with the Pink Innocence; it’s pretty bold. And I like it. but I stop myself. Instead of making a bold decision, with the idea of PINK! in mind, I tried samples one last time.  BM Begonia is a beautiful color. Really it is. But there’s no way I’m putting it all over my walls (It’s the one alone at the very top of the sample photo).

At this point I have enough samples for a gallon of paint. Seriously. So this is what I’ve decided to do: I’m goign to get a big bucket and mix them all up and put it on the walls. At this point, what color I put on the walls doesn’t really matter. What matters is making a decision and acting on it. I hope it’s pretty.

sample pots

Colors shown in top photo:

Top: BM Begonia. Second row, left to right: Paisley Pink, Strawberry Yogurt, Bridal Rose, First light, all Benjamin Moore. Third row, l to r: Mercer, Tudric Pewter, Venetian, Early Morning, all Ralph Lauren colors in Behr samples. Fourth row, l to r: Ballerina Pink, Pink Innocence, Wild Aster, Calm, all BM. Fifth row, l to r: Cameo Pink and Tea Rose both RL; third from left is a combo of Wild Aster and Venetian, and Verona Pink RL is the last on that row.

Good Bones

I love my bright yellow house! Inside it’s got good bones. It’s a three bedroom/two bath in the Agave development of modern homes here in East Austin. It just needs make up and hair.

main room from the front door

The open central space haunts me. It’s so open, with windows and doors on all sides, exposing two floors, every choice influences another space. How do paint colors and rugs work with the concrete floors which are awesome!)? How do counter tops and seating work with the color of the kitchen? What to do with the huge blank canvas that is the 2nd floor wall and the catwalk? And what does the blazing sun do to all of it when it’ s 104 degrees here in Austin? It’s all a little overwhelming for this relatively new homeowner.

Looking and the kitchen and front door on the right. Same space!

That said this room is breathtaking. It’s the reason I bought the house! Seriously, even in its current state it’s breathtaking when I stop and look at it. I know this space could be STUNNING!!

 

But. I’m an untrained home decorator. What layout uses the space most efficiently? What colors on the wall will make it come alive? How do I integrate my old pieces? What do I do first?!!!

I have no idea. Well… I have some ideas. O.K. I have lots of ideas! But the execution? That’s the tricky part. And, the cost! Making mistakes, even good ones you learn from, can be costly! More gallons of paint equals more money disappearing out of my pocket!

How will I balance that cost with the trial and error process of making a house my very own home?  Where there’s a will there’s a way!

Drama! Looking in from the side porch