Hot pink has never been one of my favorite colors.
I will concede it has its place, and a splash of pink here and there can make quite a statement. After my daughter was born, our loads of laundry welcomed doses of hot pink to counteract all the blue, khaki, and green my boys so often wore. It was a refreshing and happy change of pace.
But really, when asked to name my favorite color, hot pink has never quite made the cut. I'm always more apt to choose shades of blue and green.
Last summer, however, House Beautiful did a spread on a lovely apartment which included these pictures:
Something feminine and resolutely chic from deep down inside started to sing.
I loved the hot pink wall color against all the white in the foyer, and then seeing it against the stained brown on the chairs made the inspiration wheels start turning in my mind:
"Where, oh where, can I put a dose of hot pink in my house?"
*spoiler warning* I'm afraid this story doesn't have a happy ending.
Well aware that hot pink is not a color to take lightly, especially considering our household which boasts 3 boys and only 2 girls, I knew my choices of application were somewhat limited.
The powder room off our hallway seemed like the perfect choice. Lots of white, quite small...it would be the perfect place for a dose of hot pink. Here is a picture of the powder room before in its tasteful, yet somewhat ho-hum design (the black and white charcoal drawing was one I drew myself in art class last spring...a first for me):
This is the only room in our house that has one of my favorite features, beadboard wainscoting---very likely one of the first "love it" buttons which prompted us to buy this house in the first place.
Did I mention this is also the bathroom in which Mr. Wonderful chooses to spend his time when necessary? This detail will be important later.
:-)
So in late July, while the kids were at summer camp and Greg was fishing, I did the unthinkable. I painted the walls of the powder room Benjamin Moore's Razzle Dazzle.
Whoa.
It had just the effect I was looking for: Bold. Bright. Undeniably stylish. Unabashedly feminine.
But then I panicked. I did love the color, but was it right for our house? Was it okay to have a room make a statement all on its own, with no real connection to the other color schemes in the house? Was I being completely crazy?
And what was Mr. Wonderful going to say??
I fretted until he came home, then waited on pins and needles when he walked out of the newly painted hot pink bathroom the next morning.
Oh, if you could've only seen his face!
Over the years he has been such an amazingly good sport with me and my decorating decisions. He understands its become a passion of mine, a hobby I love, and he respects that. Thankfully he has grown to trust my inspirations over time.
This time, though, he ever so politely asked me to please change the color in the bathroom.
I could tell by the way he asked me that he would not change his mind if and when he was given time to "let it grow" on him. And you know what? I was really okay with that. Because he has never asked me to repaint anything before, in that same way. And I have painted hundreds of things over the course of our marriage.
And I love him. Even if he's not a big fan of pink. Because neither, really, am I.
Although I still concede pink has its place.
Stay tuned next post for the bathroom re-do reveal. Here is a peek:
Hmmm, do you see a slight shade of pink?
:-)
JaimeeLabels: Powder Room
