Ive been thinking about starting an irregular blog series called “The Bitter Decorator,” because I’m a decorator and sometimes peoples design choices make me plain bitter. In general, I like to keep the blog a positive place, but I also try to keep it really honest too. So let me know if you like, or don’t like this direction, and based on your response, maybe I’ll tackle more topics.
PAINT COLORS. I’ve been spending a lot of time in paint stores, which proves to be an excellent place for people watching. You can tell a lot by a person by how they act in a paint store; they are ambitious, they are frugal, they are bold, they have marital problems, they are boring, they are confused… and so on. So many times I find myself wanting to step in and shout “STOP you are making a mistake! You are about to turn your room into a massive blueberry, or that beige has too much green in it, or that pink is WAY too bubblegum or that yellow is so FUG I can’t even name all the reasons its wrong.” But I don’t step in because I wasn’t asked, and usually these paint stores have their own decorating specialists and frankly, I prefer to be paid for my opinion. Unless I’m spouting it widely and loosely on my blog, of course.
Last week I watched a young lady merrily purchase a gallon of gloss purple paint in a similar hue to this, and I couldn’t help but think she is in for a Barney-like disaster.
We all remember Barney the dinosaur, right?
Here’s the thing, I bet she really likes purple. I bet she wants a colorful room and thinks WOW this purple is FUN. But there are lot’s of ways to have a fun, colorful room without painting your walls Barney purple. Now, before I go on further, I should say, that there are certain people that could take this color purple and craft a masterpiece of a room. A jewel box, a study in rich contrasts, a gorgeous space to turn my whole theory on its head. But that’s only about 5% of the population. The other 95% of us (yes I’m including myself in here) will take this wall color and turn a room into a HOT MESS. So before painting your room Barney Purple (or any other super intense hue) perhaps you should ask yourself if you are a member of the elitist decorator color club. If the answer is NO, maybe it’s a good idea to take your design scheme and make a few small adjustments.
Take your inspiration purple, and go down a few shades on your fan deck. Use that for your wall color instead.
(I bet you are thinking this isn’t purple enough, aren’t you? Well we aren’t done yet.)
Now take your inspiration purple and find a great rug that picks up that bold shade. It will ground the space beautifully without overwhelming the room.
Next go find two accent colors. Maybe one is in your rug. Use that again somewhere. Choose a 3rd color that’s a little unexpected. Use that sparingly in the room as well.
Mix in a little wood to help foster a warm organic feel and bit of metallic for a little spice of glam. And suddenly, you have yourself a purple room that not’s so overwhelmingly purple.
So, you are happy because you don’t live in Barney’s magical playhouse. And I’m no longer a bitter decorator because you are making smarter color choices. Suddenly the paint store has become just a little less painful. High Five! Now, don’t mind me while I go back to eavesdropping on that couple arguing about which shade of hunter green will be less hideous in their bedroom.
K Thanks Bye.
PS- Purple is my least favorite color and I don’t hate this room. Who’s bitter now?
I plan to introduce new colors with a rug and pillows. Here are my favorite color schemes that work well with red. Which is your favorite?
I love red mixed with powder blue for a preppy, happy feel. Tie in a powder blue rug with a pillow that features both red and the same shade of blue.
I love red mixed with pink for a romantic yet vibrant room. Mix in black to add a tailored edge to the space.
Red and cerulean blue is a perfect combo to design a traditional room with a twist. Mix in pillows that bring in a third color element so that the room doesn’t just read red-white-and-blue.
