Friday, July 29, 2011

Lessons From a Teenager

When my eldest son put in his paint request for his room, I hesitated. Ok, I tried to talk him out of it. I may have mentioned before that he loves vibrant colors and geometric shapes. He knew he wanted his room to be BRIGHT. (Like ha-ha-it's-so-bright-no-one-will-want-to-come-into-my-room bright)

We started with curtains and a neon green clock. Then he brought home a glued puzzle of tropical fish that he and his classmates put together when he attended school in 6th grade. His comforter is full of color, and one day, I'll finish that quilt I promised him so long ago. But until this week, he has had white walls.




I decided to grant him his request and painted his room exactly how he wanted it. We still have to paint the furniture (maybe black?) and hang some things, but the walls are painted.
And you know what? I learned a few things...



1. Unique is good. 
Just because you don't see an example of something out there anywhere doesn't mean you can't do it. 
Give it a go. Take a risk. It might make you happy.
If not, you can always repaint :)


2. Don't be afraid of color. 
I used to worry about dark or bright colors making a room look small or closed in. I tend to sit on the neutral side of things and splash with some accent colors here and there. But the teal and orange on these walls make the space feel very cheerful and inspire creative thinking.


3. Whose room is it? 
Seriously. Are we decorating a certain way because we really love it...or because it's the style in a magazine? Sometimes those two things match up, and I'm all for sharing ideas and creating great knock-offs. But honestly...my son could not care less if Pottery Barn approves of his new space or if his mother thinks his wall looks like a beach towel. It's his space, and he loves it.


{On a side note...if you ever want to paint stripes-- whether they're Blind Me Orange or Calming Gray-- check out this tip for getting a crisp tape line. It really works!}

Have a great weekend!

7 comments:

Suzanne@Meridian Road said...

You know, I don't normally like orange~but I LOVE this! It really looks great!
You're right. Who's room is it? My son wanted to paint his room orange and I said no. I need to rethink that.

Gran said...

What can I say, I like Dutch's room. So bright & cheerful, the stripes are brave. My teenage room was sunflower yellow (high gloss) with burnt orange baseboard & moldings (satin), love those bright colors.

~Kristin~ said...

Marie!
Tell your son that I am so impressed!
I, like you, would never do this. I stick to builder beige...which since my hubs is a builder makes sense! lol


The walls look fabulous and add so much depth and personality!

I love it!!!

Heather said...

WooHoo! Way to go, Mama...it looks fabulous!!! I just love it!;) Tell Dutch he has great taste...I bet he's totally loving it, too! You know I'm a crazy lady about all things stripified. I just can't wait to see Tootsie's room...;)

Anonymous said...

I applaud you 1 - for letting your son have his way with his room and 2 - for letting go and going with color! Our house is purple, green and orange. Since day 1, I've loved color and contrasts! Your son's room is wonderful!

Marie @ Chocolate-Covered Chaos said...

Thanks, Jenn! I bet your house is beautiful!

Marianne said...

The room looks absolutely amazing. Great job well done.

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