Home At Last

By now, most of you probably know about my deep and abiding love for a woman named June.

Sadly, she has been in a box for over a year. Every once in a while, I slide her out from between the cardboard and bubble wrap, and just look at her. It makes me happy. And oddly, looking at her imparts a serenity that is very pure and organic. The chemicals in my brain react somehow to the juicy hues and the languid pose.

This past week, we have finally begun redecorating our ugly, ugly, ugly master bedroom.

For thirteen years we have lived in this house. And for thirteen years, I have lived with sickly mint green walls, garish brass fixtures, and a vomit colored electric blanket tacked over the window in lieu of draperies.

Needles to say, it has not been a space that inspires. I don't know what it says about me as a person or as a possible headcase, but I need beautiful and tranquil surroundings to maintain my peace of mind. I consider it a form of Spiritual Lipstick.

We are hoping to move back to my hometown sometime soon, but of course, the economy and the housing clusterfuck that currently exists make that a remote possibility at present. So, while the powers that be labor to fix the problem, we are laboring to make our ugly little fixer upper as attractive as possible to faciliate a sale, if and when the economy recovers.

We have made much progress. And finally, the master bedroom is getting a makeover.

I love color. I don't care what is current or trendy or fashionable. I don't care that, according to real estate experts, I should really paint everything beige.

So I have agonized over what colors to choose for my new bedroom. Orange was a given. It's my favorite color in the whole world. But what accent colors? What metals on the fixtures? How to coordinate the attached bath without being too matchy matchy?

I chose colors I loved, but I worried that they were too bold and too deep for the space. I worried that they were not conventional.

My Mom, who, along with my Dad, has spent 30 years renovating their 100 year old Craftsman style home, convinced me that sometimes, you just have to take a risk. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. But the only thing that is lost is some time and effort, and a little bit of paint.

So I did it. I took a risk.

My color pallette:

Walls: Faded Clay (deep, earthy terracotta)
Ceiling, doors, window insets: Canyon (warm orange based tan)
Trim: Rustic Earth (deep rich brown)

We painted this past weekend, and from the moment the first stroke went on the ceiling, I was concerned. The colors are gorgeous. But I just didn't know if they were going to work.

And I have been inordinately concerned about lamps.

Long, long ago, Husband worked for a well known furniture company and we were able to buy home furnishings at deeply discounted prices. One thing we bought was a pair of ridiculously expensive green Carerra marble lamps that we could never have afforded otherwise.a They are not the kind of thing one discards. So we've had them for almost 20 years. Would they go with the new furnishings, or would there be too many conflicting hues?

And what about June, my beloved June?? Would she fit in with the color scheme and the bedding, which is beautiful, but busy? Perhaps it would be too much, the color of June's gown against the riot of color in the bedspread and the green marble lamps.

Would it all work?????

We aren't finished yet. The crown molding hasn't been hung and I haven't painted the insets on the doors and windows. But yesterday, I put everthing together to eyeball it.

Here is what I saw:



Here's a picture of the wall color and trim together. I'm still not sold on the brown, but I'm committed now, since I've done more coats of trim paint than I ever thought to or want to again. And I did it freehand. No tape. I think it would take an act of God to cover it now anyway. The crown molding will be the same brown as the baseboards.



And here is a picture of the ridiculously expensive outlet and light switch covers I had to have. Originally, I had planned just to paint the cheap plastic ones to save money. But I happened across these and decided it was fate. They were $8!!! I don't know about you, but that's strikes me as extravagant for an outlet cover. But, in my own defense, I only put them on the switches outlets that show. I still ended up spending a stupid amount of money on a relatively insignificant detail.

Eh well. Sometimes you just have to.



Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. I think it's so warm and inviting.

You might find it busy and garish, and that's okay. I find neutrals bland and uninspiring. To each his own.

But personally? I think June has found a home.