Color my world...

And now I'm back around to paint. This time for my wall color.  I've been following the suggestions to collect a variety of paint chips. I'm almost positive I own every color chip from every paint store within a 30 mile radius at this point. From experience I know to hold off on making my final choices until the theme for the room is finalized. Since paint is easy to change and one of the cheaper elements of a room I know this isn't my most urgent of decisions to make. I'm collecting ideas but ultimately waiting to make my final decision until after I select my area rug, settle on a light fixture and make sure I'm good with the fabrics I'll be employing.

My present home is a variable  plethora of color. I'm not a believer in the style rule that each room should have complimentary colors that flow into one another...I'm more into the shock factor of throwing in a random color that has nothing to do with any other room in the house. I am absolutely not scared of color...just ask anyone who visited my prior home to see the vibrant purple guest room accessorized with bright orange and hot pink feathered pillows.

After the birth of my last two children, both of whom are girls, I find myself taking a step back in time to all things frilly, big brightly colored ribbons and bows, pony AND pig tails, tutu's , ruffled white socks, patent leather Mary Janes, my best friend Beauty Secret Barbie and her hunky boyfriend  Sport & Shave Ken...  Ahh, such pleasant times when all of my choices were made for me and I didn't realize just how good of a thing that was. So now I'm left to my own druthers and just what color am I feeling inspired to consider...PINK!!! Not pale pastel 'half-hearted' pink but BOLD magentas and HOT pinks. Why you may ask...I honestly don't know...just something I cannot seem to get enough of lately.

I did an Internet search to try and find inspiration for hot pink rooms and came up with several giving me some great ideas to think about if I go the pink route. First one I stopped to take a second look at was this great harlequin pattern...I obviously have forgotten just why there were so many expletives exchanged at my last house over wanting to have something 'differnt' on the walls than just a solid paint color...and all we did was a simple yellow and white stripe! Somehow I don't think this one will get the buy in from hubby...

Another one I really like...shocking pink! Love the pops of bright green in there...maybe I should rethink the shade of green I'm fixated on for the behemoth and reconsider something more bold... probably another tough sell to hubby but you know what...with 3 ladies in the house (both of my girls are drawn to all things pink) I think he will be outnumbered!

What do I love about this one? That tonal stencil effect on the walls is fantastic! May be a little too burlesque-boudoir looking for a room where we'll be eating a meal (albeit only twice a year).

 Bold pink and brown with touches of ivory...I'm in love! Not sure how to apply this look to the dining room but will file this one away for the upstairs office...just as soon as the baby comes out of her crib. I've got a few years to go on that one but never the less...it's never too early to start planning.

Notice a trend with my inspirational pictures? None of them are dining spaces...as a matter of fact I was completely unsuccessful in finding even one inspirational dining room image to work from so maybe mine will be the first if I go this route.

In reading up about the use of pink as a wall color I did learn a couple of things #1 Steer clear of gloss finishes when painting in shades of pink. Better to go with matte, flat or even chalky finish to prevent the finish from looking too much like a piece of candy and #2 Bolder pinks are very energizing. They bubble with life and energy so they should be used in moderation. I think I'll interview a few more color schemes this week and hopefully make some decisions by the end of the week. All of the energy I've gotten from the images of pink rooms is making me tired.  More decisions and the clock is ticking....