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December 27, 2003
Some of us just don't have any taste...
I admit it. I need help. I need help in the worst way.
Last summer, we had the long put-off foundation work done to our house. When they finished jacking up the house and filling in the holes, they told us to wait 6 months before repairing all the cracks in the walls, ceilings and basement floor.
John and I agree that it is now time to start the interior repairs.
This house was built in 1960 or '61. It is a ranch style house with a walk-out basement. We have 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, dining room and kitchen on the street level floor. We have 1 very large bedroom, 1 bath, a den w/wet bar (now better known as John's collection of guns), and a large unfinished area in the basement.
This house is due for some serious redecorating. I have been browsing different sites, such as Martha Stewart Color Palette from Sherwin-Williams - even though I'm sure that Martha is the debil,
Choosing the Right Paint Color, Tips for home decorating, design, ideas, House & Home, and Behr.com Explore Color.
I actually took a pillow from my sofa to Sherwin Williams and tried to pick a few colors that 'pop' with the colors in the pillow. I'm not really sure what the hell 'Pop" means, but I ended up with about 5 different color palattes.
I brought them home to show John.
And John, of course, said - pick whatever you like, I have no idea how to do this. I have no preference at all.
So I picked a palette.
A bit later in the day, we needed to go to Home Depot to get a few things for the weather station that I gave John for Christmas. I stopped by their paint display. They had a nice pamphlet with examples in them. I showed John an example of colors close to the palette I had selected. He liked them, but he really really really liked a different picture, and started discussing how we could make the dining room work with that green and put in a pilaster between it and the living room so my original green would work there.
The problem being, the green that John loves so much is not in my palette. So, now I have to start all over.
Arghhh!!! I need help. I may very well send Joanie a roundtrip ticket to come here and help me!!!
Posted by Beth at December 27, 2003 5:21 PM
Comments
You guys will understand... somehow this all became my fault!
Posted by: John of Argghhh! at December 27, 2003 7:54 PM
Sigh - it is not your fault. Hell, I like the color you like, too! I'm just too insecure to try to be dramatic, but I don't want all white or cream or eggshell walls again!!!!!
Posted by: Beth Donovan at December 27, 2003 8:04 PM
Beth - a tip someone gave me once about painting. If you can swing it, buy a small can of paint in the color you are thinking of using. (quart is generally the smallest, but ask at the store if there are smaller containers) Buy a large piece of poster board (the thick stuff) and paint it that color. As large as you can find, so you get a good idea of how it will look. Paint the poster board and let it dry.
Then set it up in various parts of the room to see what you think of the color. This will give you an idea if it's too dark or not quite what you were thinking of.
I happen to be really lousy at choosing colors and paranoid to boot, so I generally end up using various shades of white - LOL. I have found that when I do use color, the shade I choose from the teeny swatch ends up being about 50 shades darker than I thought when I get it on the wall!
Anyhow, you might want to give this a try so you don't waste lots of time and money and end up with a color you didn't expect. If the color is right, be sure to take the can with you when you get more, so they get the color right at the store. Make them take samples together and dry them. (I've had paint stores - yes real paint stores not just Home Depot, get colors wrong, so I ALWAYS make them do a sample before leaving the store - from each can!) Good Luck - decorating is really really hard!
Posted by: Teresa at December 27, 2003 11:29 PM