I’ve never, ever liked the neutral color scheme myself. It feels sad and clinical. We’ve lived in many homes over the years both in the US and in two African countries, and we’ve embraced color wholeheartedly as a result. I loved the blues and yellows of French Country as a newlywed, and the furniture we inherited from family members fit that color scheme admirably. We currently live in a 1906 Prairie-style house that we hope will be our forever home, and we’ve surrounded ourselves with deep blues, rich reds, and warm yellows. We have a lot of good art on the walls picked up at estate sales and thrift stores, and most of our furniture has been bought the same way over the five years we’ve been back in the States. People walk into our front room and sigh with pleasure, telling us it feels like stepping into a Tasha Tudor book or a favorite fairy tale. Eclectic antique for me and mine! No television, either. Books are my wallpaper of choice, along with sheet music strewn on the piano and stained glass hanging in some of the windows. Warmth! Life! People! That’s the whole point of a house. Thank you for sharing yours. I know I’d feel right at home.
Substack doesn’t allow me to share a photo, sadly, but if you visit www.coffeecorner.cafe, you can see our family’s coffee shop, which is basically an extension of our home and colorful, too!
I grew up in Front Royal, and we lived in Virginia for the first five years of our marriage. We are way down south in my husband’s hometown, Enterprise, AL. One of our sons attends Christendom College, so we do get up your way from time to time! I’ve read your fairy tale retellings since you first published, and my girls love them. 🥰
Our current house is a “kit house” from the 1950s, and when we bought it the molding on the ceilings and corners was painted the same shade as the walls, as if the previous owners were trying to hide it! We immediately repainted the walls cream and the molding navy blue so it would stand out.
And this post gives me some great ideas (especially the Laura Ashley book). We’re hoping to move into a larger home in my parents’ neighborhood sometime in the next three years or so, and it’s likely going to be the “greige” you mentioned. So it’s time for me to start dreaming about styles and figuring out what I like!
Regina, at the top you “apologize(d) to all my male readers in advance,” which I took to suggest “No boys allowed.” But my wife thoroughly enjoyed this post and recommended it to me. So, I’m jumping ahead of other plans to put in an anecdote here.
My wife and I “had our colors done” when we were newly married. Our downstairs neighbor made her living as a personal colorist. We became friends, and she convinced us. One’s skin and hair coloring determine what one looks best wearing. In the lingo of the time, I turned out to be a “winter,” my wife an “autumn.”
I’ve put this too tamely. Janeice made crackpots of us. We went on a tear with this info for at least a year. And to this day, it guides our clothing choices.
Shortly after Janeice worked on us, we had to replace our old jalopies. It was for each of us our first new car purchase. This was before children. We took our time. We studied on prices and possibilities like Consumer Reports budget scientists with an extreme “thing” for colors.
Once we knew what vehicles we wanted, we began visiting car dealerships, doing our neophyte best to wrangle good deals. The last salesman we worked with was puzzled at first, then frustrated. My wife would get into a car, then have me stand outside holding up her autumn color palette. Sort of like an artist holding up his thumb for proportion. “How do I look in this?” she’d ask, meaning the car.
At one point the salesman took a cigarette break. He actually kicked a tire on one car, and muttered, “I’m selling paint!” He knew already, as did we at that point, that we were not buying from him.
I ended up in a winter white Ford Escort, which I promptly named “Whitey Ford” and for which I purchased personalized license plates: “YT FORD.” My wife rejoiced autumnally in a medium teal-green Ford Taurus. We were happy. And we were in our colors.
Surely, you’re wondering what I’m wearing as I type this. I’ll tell you. A long-sleeved black t-shirt, navy cargo pants, grey hiking shoes. Winter. Just a sec, and I’ll see what my wife is wearing. . . . She’s in an oyster blouse with pale blue and green geometries on it. She’s also wearing blue jeans. The jeans are not in her color palette, but that’s okay. Their color qualifies as UAF – “use away from face” – as she is doing. See? We’re still at it.
P.S. Very engaging post, Regina. Thoughtful throughout. My wife loved it. I did too. I also liked the bookshelf in your bedroom, but the titles were too small to read.
LOL, I am shocked, Robert, that you did not instantly recognize the complete "History of Middle Earth," all first editions, gifted to me by a good friend, and now supplemented with lots of other Tolkienania and fairy tales. Plus a full set of my Snow White and Rose Red trilogy in Polish, published by John Paul II's original diocesan publishers, which was kind of cool.
I’ve never, ever liked the neutral color scheme myself. It feels sad and clinical. We’ve lived in many homes over the years both in the US and in two African countries, and we’ve embraced color wholeheartedly as a result. I loved the blues and yellows of French Country as a newlywed, and the furniture we inherited from family members fit that color scheme admirably. We currently live in a 1906 Prairie-style house that we hope will be our forever home, and we’ve surrounded ourselves with deep blues, rich reds, and warm yellows. We have a lot of good art on the walls picked up at estate sales and thrift stores, and most of our furniture has been bought the same way over the five years we’ve been back in the States. People walk into our front room and sigh with pleasure, telling us it feels like stepping into a Tasha Tudor book or a favorite fairy tale. Eclectic antique for me and mine! No television, either. Books are my wallpaper of choice, along with sheet music strewn on the piano and stained glass hanging in some of the windows. Warmth! Life! People! That’s the whole point of a house. Thank you for sharing yours. I know I’d feel right at home.
Hi, Jennie -
I liked "Books are my wallpaper of choice . . ."!
Jennie, I love this! Any chance you might post a picture to inspire?
Substack doesn’t allow me to share a photo, sadly, but if you visit www.coffeecorner.cafe, you can see our family’s coffee shop, which is basically an extension of our home and colorful, too!
Whoa! I did not realize you owned a coffee shop! So cool! Somehow I thought you were in Virginia?
I grew up in Front Royal, and we lived in Virginia for the first five years of our marriage. We are way down south in my husband’s hometown, Enterprise, AL. One of our sons attends Christendom College, so we do get up your way from time to time! I’ve read your fairy tale retellings since you first published, and my girls love them. 🥰
Our current house is a “kit house” from the 1950s, and when we bought it the molding on the ceilings and corners was painted the same shade as the walls, as if the previous owners were trying to hide it! We immediately repainted the walls cream and the molding navy blue so it would stand out.
And this post gives me some great ideas (especially the Laura Ashley book). We’re hoping to move into a larger home in my parents’ neighborhood sometime in the next three years or so, and it’s likely going to be the “greige” you mentioned. So it’s time for me to start dreaming about styles and figuring out what I like!
I figured out how to post pictures! Just posted my first note. Have a look and see!
Regina, at the top you “apologize(d) to all my male readers in advance,” which I took to suggest “No boys allowed.” But my wife thoroughly enjoyed this post and recommended it to me. So, I’m jumping ahead of other plans to put in an anecdote here.
My wife and I “had our colors done” when we were newly married. Our downstairs neighbor made her living as a personal colorist. We became friends, and she convinced us. One’s skin and hair coloring determine what one looks best wearing. In the lingo of the time, I turned out to be a “winter,” my wife an “autumn.”
I’ve put this too tamely. Janeice made crackpots of us. We went on a tear with this info for at least a year. And to this day, it guides our clothing choices.
Shortly after Janeice worked on us, we had to replace our old jalopies. It was for each of us our first new car purchase. This was before children. We took our time. We studied on prices and possibilities like Consumer Reports budget scientists with an extreme “thing” for colors.
Once we knew what vehicles we wanted, we began visiting car dealerships, doing our neophyte best to wrangle good deals. The last salesman we worked with was puzzled at first, then frustrated. My wife would get into a car, then have me stand outside holding up her autumn color palette. Sort of like an artist holding up his thumb for proportion. “How do I look in this?” she’d ask, meaning the car.
At one point the salesman took a cigarette break. He actually kicked a tire on one car, and muttered, “I’m selling paint!” He knew already, as did we at that point, that we were not buying from him.
I ended up in a winter white Ford Escort, which I promptly named “Whitey Ford” and for which I purchased personalized license plates: “YT FORD.” My wife rejoiced autumnally in a medium teal-green Ford Taurus. We were happy. And we were in our colors.
Surely, you’re wondering what I’m wearing as I type this. I’ll tell you. A long-sleeved black t-shirt, navy cargo pants, grey hiking shoes. Winter. Just a sec, and I’ll see what my wife is wearing. . . . She’s in an oyster blouse with pale blue and green geometries on it. She’s also wearing blue jeans. The jeans are not in her color palette, but that’s okay. Their color qualifies as UAF – “use away from face” – as she is doing. See? We’re still at it.
P.S. Very engaging post, Regina. Thoughtful throughout. My wife loved it. I did too. I also liked the bookshelf in your bedroom, but the titles were too small to read.
LOL, I am shocked, Robert, that you did not instantly recognize the complete "History of Middle Earth," all first editions, gifted to me by a good friend, and now supplemented with lots of other Tolkienania and fairy tales. Plus a full set of my Snow White and Rose Red trilogy in Polish, published by John Paul II's original diocesan publishers, which was kind of cool.
Wow! Very, very cool!
And at the very moment you wrote this, I was writing to my sister about Tolkien.