Divest, divest, divest! Highly recommended on all fronts. Hard to give up those books, but any charity that will take them is better than lying unread on the shelf.
Best change of life event was getting rid of EVERYTHING, painting the entire home art gallery white. Enjoying the empty echoes and all the head space it freed up. Only, of course, to be re-colonized by all the crap from the thrift shop that quickly re-entered to fill it back up. But once you've done it, it's so much easier to throw it all out again.
Lesson in color: In a romantic moment my then-wife wanted to paint the staircase in the honeydew color of my favorite tee shirt. Matched it at the paint store. Painted the fifteen foot high staircase, with its three back-breaking bends, on an adjustable ladder. The morning sun flooded in and we invited the neighbors. "Kind of nauseating." "I feel seasick." "Dude, that's so ghetto."
Back to the paint store. An entire coat of flat white primer. Then a barely off-white beige. After three battles with the ladder and the bends, the lesson is clear (at least to me): white is your friend, subtle tints may be friendly, and always test on a large section under multiple lights before completing the job.
There are websites where you can photograph your room and then choose wall colours. I love yellow in a dining room especially with black and wood furniture. One thing I did learn from an amazing interior designer is to consider the ceiling colour as well - if yellow walls then maybe a soft white for the ceiling. Can’t wait to see what you do
Great point about the ceiling - mustn’t forget it. As you probably know, in imperial China the use and wear of yellow was reserved for the emperor. A powerful colour!
Ohhh .. I can totally relate … we were in the midst of renovating our guest apartment where a Ukrainian family lived for 2 years when the contractor came down with Covid. So we decided to go on a bike tour down the Danube river and we’ll carry on renovating in September 😉
So excited to hear you're thinking of adding some color to your walls! When I finally bought my own house after years of renting, I ditched the landlord beige for good. And when I got divorced and moved into a house that was all mine, I went wild with color—an orange kitchen, yellow dining room, and a yellow living room with a red accent wall. My space is now bright, sunny, and full of life, and it makes me feel so energized.
Go for it! You'll be amazed at how much a splash of color can transform your home and lift your spirits.
I spent 6 months choosing paint colours only to have the painters change my mind at the eleventh hour for two main rooms, and they were absolutely right. Looking forward to seeing the results!
Coolest mom in Heidelberg.
Divest, divest, divest! Highly recommended on all fronts. Hard to give up those books, but any charity that will take them is better than lying unread on the shelf.
Best change of life event was getting rid of EVERYTHING, painting the entire home art gallery white. Enjoying the empty echoes and all the head space it freed up. Only, of course, to be re-colonized by all the crap from the thrift shop that quickly re-entered to fill it back up. But once you've done it, it's so much easier to throw it all out again.
Lesson in color: In a romantic moment my then-wife wanted to paint the staircase in the honeydew color of my favorite tee shirt. Matched it at the paint store. Painted the fifteen foot high staircase, with its three back-breaking bends, on an adjustable ladder. The morning sun flooded in and we invited the neighbors. "Kind of nauseating." "I feel seasick." "Dude, that's so ghetto."
Back to the paint store. An entire coat of flat white primer. Then a barely off-white beige. After three battles with the ladder and the bends, the lesson is clear (at least to me): white is your friend, subtle tints may be friendly, and always test on a large section under multiple lights before completing the job.
That's a big job Angela, glad to see it's coming along. Paige has a good eye for design and colours, she says blue for the dinning room.
Thanks Paige! I love blue but maybe for the small bedroom where you slept. Also, which blue? Periwinkle is my favourite. 🦋💙
Me Ma's quite partial to the periwinkle in her caravan!
A lady with taste.
There are websites where you can photograph your room and then choose wall colours. I love yellow in a dining room especially with black and wood furniture. One thing I did learn from an amazing interior designer is to consider the ceiling colour as well - if yellow walls then maybe a soft white for the ceiling. Can’t wait to see what you do
Great point about the ceiling - mustn’t forget it. As you probably know, in imperial China the use and wear of yellow was reserved for the emperor. A powerful colour!
Ohhh .. I can totally relate … we were in the midst of renovating our guest apartment where a Ukrainian family lived for 2 years when the contractor came down with Covid. So we decided to go on a bike tour down the Danube river and we’ll carry on renovating in September 😉
So excited to hear you're thinking of adding some color to your walls! When I finally bought my own house after years of renting, I ditched the landlord beige for good. And when I got divorced and moved into a house that was all mine, I went wild with color—an orange kitchen, yellow dining room, and a yellow living room with a red accent wall. My space is now bright, sunny, and full of life, and it makes me feel so energized.
Go for it! You'll be amazed at how much a splash of color can transform your home and lift your spirits.
Cheers to brightening up your space!
Julie
Sounds great! You give me hope. I’ve heard a red wall in a home office is energising. 💯🌶️💃
I spent 6 months choosing paint colours only to have the painters change my mind at the eleventh hour for two main rooms, and they were absolutely right. Looking forward to seeing the results!
Miss you! Let’s compare notes when you’re back.
Ha! I absolutely trust our painters too. Curious to hear their reaction. What were your original choices?
Kinda baby-shit brown but I was convinced it would work. Three cans still sitting under the stairs waiting to be used ...
Glad you were talked out of that.