i LOVE color

I do.  I believe it’s a manifestation of all the white walls we endured as kids.  Because my dad was in the military, we moved every 3.5 years, and so painting just wasn’t on the agenda in our houses.  So now, as an adult, I’m a paint-a-holic.  I even painted my first apartment.

I’m already brainstorming new color schemes for our next house.  Confession:  I’ve been doing that for a long time.  Like, way before we found out we were moving.  I think it’s a combination of wanting some change and learning what I like and don’t like.

Well, I’m certainly getting my change!

Anyway, the whole reason for this post is to show you this:

I purchased it on a recent trip to Waynesville, a local small town filled with antique shops.  A couple friends and I went for the afternoon to walk around and have lunch.

This was one of those things I see, gasp and announce to those in earshot: “I LOVE this!”

I LOVE LOVE LOVE color in rainbow patterns.  Just about every kind and everything.  There are some exceptions.  I don’t do pastels, or those “autumn-y” colors like dark green and wine and burnt orange.  I hate mint.

I bought the panting and have been day-dreaming of my new kitchen/dining room color scheme ever since.  If you remember from our “after” photos of the house, this is our current kitchen:

And no, this is not mint on the walls.  It has way more yellow in it–it’s called “Limonata.”

The ivy plates will go–I grew up in an ivy kitchen and it’s time for something new.

My ultimate dream kitchen will have white cabinets, gray-ish counters and stainless steel appliances.  One day…

You can see some of my color above (the green and orange crocks, the lemongrass mixer), but I have TONS more that I didn’t have out for the photo.  I’m thinking of going with a more blue/teal theme and bringing that into the dining room as well.

Speaking of the dining room:

I hate it.  Honestly, if I could do it all over again (and I can’t), we’d have a totally different table (I’m kind of stressed that now ALL of our furniture is black…bedroom, living room, dining room, office shelves…just call us the Addams Family) and I would not have gone with red.  Red was Andrew’s idea.  He loves it.  I hate it.  In the almost-four years we’ve been in this house, the number of times we’ve eaten in here probably wouldn’t even add up to six months.  And I think it partly has to do with the fact that I don’t like the room.  I’ve never really decorated; we threw the stars up there because we didn’t know what else to do with them.  The placemats are new and I got them to add a little color into the space.

When we get settled into our new place, I intend to go with a whole different theme for the dining room.  I want to re-cover the seats with a patterned, yet neutral, sturdy fabric since the off-white is so modern, stark and formal.  (Not to mention it shows EVERYTHING, including cat hair!)  I’m thinking something in the blue/teal range as well.

I’ve really learned that I like the blue/gray/teal/green color families much more than the reds and oranges.  And in our next house, I want the color to flow from room to room and all be in the same color family, as opposed to what we have now, like our light green kitchen and red dining room and light brown living room.  And much more muted this time around!  I’ve learned that lesson…I’ve already decided the colors in the bedroom and guest room will be pretty much the same, just a few shades less bright.

Anyway, the print I got for the kitchen (or maybe the dining room) was just the thing I needed to get the creative juices flowing!   (Someone hold me back, though–I’ve been known to go overboard…)