I took the color from a greeting card sent to me by my sister. It is gorgeous (on a 4 x 6 inch space). Covering four walls with it, in a room where food is meant to be ingested...not so much.
But alas....Seth LOVES the color. In fact he has fallen in love with all things purple, and at the mention of painting over the dining room he falls to the floor, dejected, in a puddle of tears. He looks at me with a glare that says, “Clearly....you can’t possibly think it isn’t the prettiest shade ever and clearly...you are just plain mean.” We've bought the can of white paint to cover it up. It sits in the corner of the dining room. New rollers and brushes, ready to go. Months go by and there it sits.
In The Secret Life Of Bees, the main characters all live together in a big bright pink house out in the country. The matriarch, when asked about the color, tells the questioner that one of the women in the house ( a sweet dear woman who marches to the beat of her own drum) LOVES the pink. Feeding her soul is more important than convention. It is more important than worrying about what other people will think.
I have to admit. While the color is a bit intense, it's not really that I I personally hate it so much. It is my fear of what others might think.
Am I too indulgent, letting the three year old dictate the color of the dining room? I've tossed this around, but I don't think so. Seth is more important than what other people may think. Maybe someday when he's in a situation holding the power, he'll remember to consider others.
It's been over a year. Surly he can’t love purple forever? I’ll be alert and hijack his “next” favorite color. I'll find a nice muted shade of it to cover the walls. I don’t even care what color it turns out to be?
Besides, as you can see....it's not like we really eat in there.
14 comments:
I have TWO purple rooms in my house, actually, a little tamer color, periwinkle, but nonetheless. The important thing is this color speaks to Seth. There seems to be a "thing" going on with him and that color, totally different than a child wanting their way. I don't think the problem is the room color, I think the problem is the clashing of the red hutch! PAINT THE HUTCH, not the room.
Ha! I keep wondering why we drag this hutch from place to place when we never EVER use the china in it anyway?
When I was a kid, I got to choose the colors for my bedroom--the first time I had a room of my own. I chose Pepto Bismol pink with moonstone gray woodwork. Actually, it was kind of nice.
For future reference, there are always accent walls. Maybe you would paint one wall of this room at a time?
so sweet. seth is fortunate to have you. it's temporary and the gift you give him will be lasting. there are enough things in life that we have to override our children on. it's good when we find a fence item like this and let it fall to their side once in a while. maybe you can encourage him to "show" it to guests, and even take some credit for the decision to keep it!
at least his favourite colour isn't, like, neon yellow
Not that I would ever dare assume to know a person's taste, but a quick glance at the room gave me some ideas to, as in the infamous words of Project Runway's Tim Gunn, "make it work."
I agree, the hutch color is awkward. I would stain/paint it a darker chocolate brown. In my opinion, the window dressings need to be way more dramatic for this wall color, which, done right, is a fantastic color. I suggest sexy sheer white crushed voile panels that go to the floor with a bold outer panel over that of a rich textured jewel-toned fabric. Bold modern art canvases with big splashes of midnight blue, violet, gold and emerald green would dress up the walls more than the little tiny wall art you have currently. Set the table with deep indigo tone on tone linens, white porcelain or even light moss green tableware and cobalt blue glassware. A tall potted tropical plant/tree in the corner and fresh cut flowers--think deep burgundy dahlia's or or purple iris or lisianthus--on the table would add life as well as drama. Consider spray painting the chandelier a dark pewter metallic color or matte black.
Just some thoughts. This beautiful bold wall color deserves complementary accesories to make it work.
Another thought is to paint one or two of the opposing walls white, leaving the purple as accent walls.
Whew. I just virtually staged your dining room. That was fun.
Wow....I'm getting the vision!
There is nothing more powerful, in my experience, than letting my children choose certain "grown up" things (like the color of the walls) and letting them feel validated and important as part of the family. Often, as they grow up, they start to understand the ramifications of their choices, but they always thank me for letting them make choices and learn their own lessons. It's not hurting anyone, so let Seth have his color. We never eat in our dining room, either, it seems far too grown up to me.
I like go mama's idea. Leave one or 2 walls purple for accent colors. But if purple is important to Seth, then by golly, give him purple. If he won't compromise, leave it alone. Obviously, for reasons you may never understand, he needs those walls to be purple.
Allowing a child to have some say in the decor of the family home is not the same as letting him drive the bus ;^)
That IS a pretty hot color, but ya know what, I like it. I'm not sure how I would feel if I saw it every day, (hard to predict) but I do like it from this perspective.
I liked eating in Seth's purple dining room.
Love and hugs
Gramma Annie
I actually like what I can see from the picture. It is different but nice!!
This colour reminds me of the lavender-ish coloured shoes with silver buckles that I had when I was five. They were just so beautiful and I loved the sound that they made when I danced on the cobbles. I didn't think I would be allowed to have them, as they were so different from all the other shoes.
I reminded my mum about these shoes and she said that she was glad that I loved them, as they were very expensive for everyday wear. They had thin soles and didn't last long and it was not a "sensible" purchase.
I have enjoyed that colour for thirty-five years: even though it's not a colour I would wear now, nor decorate with. It was not a colour I ever sought out or wore as a child. It was just there one day in a pair of shoes....
...I don't know what you ended up doing with the dining room, but I hope you kept the colour. Possibly you accessorised but didn't use as an "accent wall"? Maybe Seth likes the fact that it is abundant, rather than limited? Maybe it is the extravagance of the colour that appeals and the rest of the room was made extravagant?
Before you ever move home maybe you would paint a large canvas with just that colour, so that Seth can take it with him. Although I think he will carry it long in his memory.
Sorry for being anonymous, I don't have a website or google identity. Wishing you the best, Selby
Thanks Selby. We kept the room purple, but wound up painting it before our recent move.
I like your idea about a purple canvas. Maybe Seth and I can do that together, and hang it in his new room.
Thanks for stopping!
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