Purple bedrooms. I have two in our house. One is my work studio. Please forgive the TV on the floor under the turquoise table. I am working on transferring VH to DVD and it is too much trouble to hide the TV.

This is my sewing room/ guest room/office. It is a tiny room so very hard to photo. And I did not bother to try to stage it for this photo. It is what it is. I LOVE purple rooms And Color.

Living room and hallway (soon to be)and master bedroom pale mint green.

I absolutely have no trouble committing to color. I only have trouble committing to WHAT color so I do them all. I do tend to go more turquoise purple greens but in the bathroom I felt everyone needs to wake to rainbows in the bathroom in the morning. And the sun streams in and sparkles on the glass. This is our master bath. And yes it is permanent to the wall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Toilet

I wonder if there is an connection to buying things piecemeal vs all at once. It seems easier to execute a tight color scheme if you coordinate all purchases upfront. Adding a piece here and there over time makes matching more challenging, I think. I don't know if people are more or less likely to buy a whole room's worth of furnishings at the same time now. We have never been able to afford that so all of my stuff is collected over time, by necessity. (Fortunately I like the collected look.)

i guess I just haven't run across people who automatically assume a more specific decision is one they will regret. That's all, Pal. Not a big deal. I cannot imagine making a decision and automatically thinking that I will regret it. If that were the case, I would probably reconsider. I try to make decisions that I won't regret-ha. This is not to say that I haven't regretted a decision now and again...have I told you about my first husband before? hehheh. The marriage comment is a joke I have heard before-at least, I hope it is a joke. I do know I have heard it before. ;)

"If someone doesn't like our colourful throw pillows it's easy and inexpensive to make a quick trip to Home Sense and buy some new ones."

WHY would you replace YOUR pillows just because some one else does not like them? If you like whatever you do stick with it. Some one else does not have to live in your house.

gooster, I'm sorry, but you're still not using the price index correctly. It is a price index for all items purchased in that category. Just leave it at that.

I wonder what it would cost to buy a sofa that would last 30-40 years now? Part of the lack of commitment is that things last for a shorter time these days. How hard would it be to buy a new upholstered piece or new carpet for the red and green room today? Or replace the woven wood blinds? You could always go to GW to be told you must update that room. Get much larger lamps with barrel shades. Forget that ornate frame over the fireplace of your late mother. Buy a simple black frame. We even tell people certain types of granite are passé. This all leads to the fear to commit. ;-P

Voila, I bought the sofa below used for $150 or $175. I'd say it is about 40, maybe 45 years old. I had it reupholstered (at Pal's urging) for about $1650. The cushions were replaced as well. The reupholsterer told me I would probably get another 30 or 40 years out of it.

So, to answer your question, it cost me about $1800 for a couch I expect will last for decades. ;)

"Part of the lack of commitment is that things last for a shorter time these days."

But doesn't it seem quite the opposite would be true?

Those sofas are 40 years old and have been Kelly Green for 40 years. Both are going to new homes and only one of them needs to be reupholstered due to condition. (There is an L-shaped tear in one arm). The fabric on the other is fine after 40 years of moderate use.

(In 2014 dollars these sofas new would probably be $4000/5000 each just for reference)

Okay, so most people spend on a sofa now, what, under $2000? I dunno, I don't buy new furniture.

So let's say this New Sofa lasts 10 years tops. Wouldn't it be Easier to commit to a Red or Purple sofa that needs to be completely replaced in 10 years vs. one that is still in good shape after 40?

I think that the Shorter Lifespan of an item would warrant Less of a feeling of long-term commitment:

Lets extrapolate down:

Say a current sofa lasts TWO years, vs. the older sofa lasting TEN. Wouldn't it make more sense for the older sofa that lasts TEN be the one that is more neutral to Accommodate changing tastes over the long term and to go crazy with something like Purple on a sofa that needs to be replaced in TWO?

Lets really exaggerate a difference:

If you are buying a coat that you expect to last 10+ years wouldn't it make sense to get a camel hair colored coat, and get the skirt that you expect to wear for one or two seasons in a bright plaid rather than the reverse?

This post was edited by palimpsest on Sat, Dec 6, 14 at 20:58

Just for fun, I flipped through a few of the categories on the Christopher Worthland pinterest site and was very surprised to find that, with the exception of the rococo/chinoiserie board, of the ones I looked at, the predominance of neutrals, regardless of style, was quite stunning.

I was looking for something completely different and ran across this sofa. This is the "stocked" fabric-color, perhaps chosen in reference to the Pantone color the year two years ago: I wonder how it sold.

I have just two words: Dust Mites.

I remember the time mom painted the dining room walls cantaloupe. I just hated that room and never wanted to spend time there. Finally my sister and I asked her to repaint it. Then dad said he liked it much better than the previous color. Now it's a light yellow and white. It's the most cheerful room in the house. Everyone loves being in there. I don't. think she'll ever change it now.

I love color but with a family I think it's best to use colors everyone likes or stay neutral by default. I agree that for many people, color brings much needed calm. When I feel stress, I like to be in the green and white part of the garden and listen to the small fountain. The limited palette there is soothing. Nothing's worse than being in a space you hate. I feel sorry for kids or spouses who live in rooms they don't care for.

Sochi, I'm the gal with a Louis the someteenth revival sofa. It was passed down to us by my late husband's grandmother. :) This is the second time I've had it reupholstered. I couldn't bear to paint the wood a garish color, so even though the fabric is paisley, it still works in the yellow and gray room. With an open floor plan and being told you should have "flow" throughout the house, many of the larger rooms are neutral. This is the first house I had done in neutral colors. We moved in two years ago. Don't you think neutral is preached to us these days? Open concepts contribute to the continuum of color.

Hmm okay dahoov, I guess you live in a classified Clean Room and sit and sleep only on hard plastic furniture that gets hosed off after each time you sit on it.

But really, I guess since they make mattress encasements there is no reason an upholsterer could not encase the cushions with the same material underneath the upholstery fabric.

My mother bought the sofa in our library In the early 1960s. It was a floral riot in browns, greens and oranges. Reupholstered in a more sedate floral chintz in the late seventies, and then in a coral tone on tone pindot in the eighties. She gave it to my brother when she and my dad downsized to a condominium, and he gave it to me in the late 1990s when his new wife thought it was too big at eight feet long and not pottery barn-ish enough (too low and arms not oversized). I had a yellow slipcover made for it, and then had it reupholstered five years later in a medium green chenille. It is fifty years old and I would not,replace it unless it was destroyed by fire! Every iteration of this sofa has been a bold color or print. And as for dust mites, it is vacuumed well every month and steam cleaned and sanitized every eight months or so. I am a fanatic about that.

I really think this is an artifact of the housing boom and bust, when people started to see their houses as investments that could be fully appreciated only when they were staged or completely empty during an open house.

Anybody remember those '90s decorating shows on HGTV before it became the real estate channel? None of those hosts decorated in a neutral style. Kitty Bartholemew decoupaged a lion on her kitchen soffit. Matt and Sheri (those bangs!) turned boys' bedrooms into Disney theme parks. The Design in a Dime crew never met a can of white paint. As a matter of fact, I remember the neutral with a pop look being actively disparaged.

It all changed after the decorating shows disappeared and the channel became 24/7 House Hunters.

I think you're right, Marcolo, real estate prepping has no doubt had an influence.

Voila, so you're already a convert! Beautiful sofa. I'm not certain what the cost would be to purchase something of this quality today. About 15 years ago we bought a relatively high quality sofa for about $1,500. Still love it today, it should have at least another decade I would think. Today it would probably cost $1,800 or $1,900. You can certainly get a decent couch for $800-$1,200. Not sure if it would last 40, 60 or 80 years though.

I have a friend who was shocked I would buy a used couch from a stranger. Her fear is bed bugs. I inspected it closely, saw nothing, then stored it in our garage last winter (the coldest winter here in decades). I inspected closely again the spring and of course the upholsterer had the best look of all this summer. We dodged the bullet, but I admit that I may hesitate before doing the same again. But, of course, I shouldn't need another upholstered sofa for decades. :)

"If you are buying a coat that you expect to last 10+ years wouldn't it make sense to get a camel hair colored coat, and get the skirt that you expect to wear for one or two seasons in a bright plaid rather than the reverse?"

I don't make sense. Three year old coat is purple. Ten year old coat is hot pink and I'm relining it now. Twenty five year old coat is a grey Chesterfield.
I didn't buy clothes during the years that you could only buy black and taupe. Instead I continued wearing bright plaid skirts...I still wear them today and I buy the wool fabric at the mill it's woven in.

I have never decorated in neutrals and never will. (Longest number of days on market =9 for any of the 7 homes sold). The commitment the OP refers to is in our warmly colorful house, colors that were chosen 9 yrs ago. Our home was just interviewed for a tv commercial, too.

Swentastic - note that the Labrador Retrievers in the first photo you posted actually match the color scheme of the room. LOL!

shades of idaho - I agree, why would you replace your throw pillows, but it's that trying to be on-trend of neutrals, it's that afraid of making the wrong decision, it's that not fitting in. So "one" decorates in neutrals and then buys things that may have some colour to them but are quickly disposed of and replaced if they are the "wrong" colour

Me, I don't care, my living room throw pillows are from the 80's in jewel tones.

voila - I don't know if that is your room that you posted and I agree that it is preached that in the open-floor plans neutral is "supposed" to be the way to go. My ID at my urging I have to admit, did do some of that but she also said to pick two colours that work together and put them in every room in different ways.

We picked blue and copper. In our sitting room we have a blue chair and a copper hammered bowl, in the kitchen it's a copper backsplash and a valance with the colours of copper in it including blue, in the living room they are in artwork and a lamp. etc. It takes some doing but it can be done. When we recover our chairs, the same colours in some way will be included.

sochi- a girl after my heart. We have a four-piece sectional that is probably close to 100 years old that` came out of someones basement. I have owned it for 40 years, had it recovered once and won't be getting rid of it anytime soon. We have a carpet cleaner who left his number and a painter who did the same thing, just in case we ever want to get rid of it.

This has been a really interesting conversation and I for one am going to further embrace colour, not that I had a problem before.`

"shades of idaho - I agree, why would you replace your throw pillows, but it's that trying to be on-trend of neutrals, it's that afraid of making the wrong decision, it's that not fitting in. So "one" decorates in neutrals and then buys things that may have some colour to them but are quickly disposed of and replaced if they are the "wrong" colour"

So glad to hear you are not afraid of color. I just do not understand the thoughts of NEED to fit in for any one. WHY is my question. Are we all robots that have to do the same thing? It is YOUR home.

I have to admit I gave away my parents sofa they bought used when they were married in 1935. It was time for some one else to enjoy it. Honestly it was too big for this house and I needed some thing smaller and lighter. Made a mistake of buying the love seat I did but will hang onto it until I find some thing better. It is good for me to sleep on and get my legs elevated.

Most of my furniture is antiques or very old vintage. The recliners are new. I know ICK to most here but I like my recliner as much as hubby likes his. My aim is for people to be comfortable here and I have so many people walk in and immediately start commenting on the pretty ,warm and inviting rooms. Nothing matches and my colors are bold and wacky. Our house is filled with love and fun and pretty relaxed.

My husband and I flipped houses for over 20 years. We never cared what the persons decorating sense was or their colors. My gawd we bought a house with LIME green living room dinning room and hallway,orange master bedroom, another bedroom DARK blue and another bedroom mustard. The kitchen was bright yellow. 25 gallons of paint later is was back to a soft white.

I say live in your houses and enjoy them. Forget keeping up with the uppities.Stop the robot insanity be an individual.

Our new green master bedroom which my hubby loves even though it is a little bit OK maybe a lot girly. And YES the edge of the spread is crooked. Shrug I was in a hurry this morning when I made it. There are white painted suitcases for storage under the high bed. And yes that is a purple dog bed on the floor next to the bed and another one out of the photo in the corner.

What a nice discussion!

I came to the home decorating party rather late. I bought my first (and only) home at age 40 and, after years of living in white boxes, couldn't wait to infuse color throughout. I have an old home so, thankfully, no open floor plan and every room is a different color. Every bit of furniture is second-hand and reupholstered as necessary. My favorite pieces are the two banana yellow sofas in the TV room.

I think the answer to your question, Pal, has roots that branch off in many different directions. This is a very "share" oriented society now so unlike in my younger days, if I didn't know you intimately enough to be invited to your home, I had no idea what kind of decor you had. Now, I know the complete layout of people's homes that I've never met. For an alarming number of people, life has become one big "Like" button so if not enough people like what they buy (or propose to buy), it must be changed. Equally alarming, what most people like is what they've been told to like -- gray or beige walls, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, vanities with double sinks, white "Shaker" cabinets, etc.

Another possibility is that people have so much going on in their lives that their homes are merely a backdrop. So much time is spent outside of the home that people aren't willing to invest the time to figure out what they really like and then go about finding it. Entertaining at home has devolved into inviting your nearest and dearest friends and family over to, hopefully, make them completely envious of your newest product, home improvement, etc.

Lastly, decorating with such commitment requires skill, either of the homeowner or the designer. As others have pointed out, people can still go wrong with a neutral scheme so using such strong colors in a way that really works and achieves that timeless look is no small feat and most homeowners are simply not up to the challenge.

I suppose you could say I'm a little different than most. While others hear ringing in their ears, I hear a pan flute. And I'm okay with that. I decorate for what I like and I'm not the least bit afraid of being different. My home is my sanctuary and I've decorated it in a way that makes me happy. The idea of designing my home to look like a commercial space is ridiculous to me. I have colorful rooms and colorful furniture with small accents that can easily be changed to meet the seasons. I will say that I am much more likely to go bold with furniture than I am with paint but that is simply because of my extreme aversion to the task of painting!

Sapphire 69 I think we could be very comfortable in each others home.

Another thing I thought of is Our furniture has been collected over my life time. From the time I moved away from my parents home. Mostly cool finds ,to me, at yard sales and thrift stores. I rarely bought because I needed a piece. I bought it because I LOVED the piece and then had to figure out where to fit it into our house.

Speaking of vintage sofas, can't you see this one reupholstered in a great color? $75??

Here is a link that might be useful: CL vintage sofa

This Jack Lenor Larsen fabric is still produced, or in production again:

I don't remember violently colored decorating schemes to be the norm growing up. I DO remember more than a decade of "attack of the beige people." now it's attack of the gray people, I suppose.

I like a neutral backdrop and to add color as I go. seems easier and more logical to me. (shrugs)

I agree, I don't think Jack Lenor Larson was the norm, it was too expensive to be the norm. But I do think it was more the norm to have things that looked "Finished" because they were an actual scheme.

I don't care what the actual color is, even if it's beige--one can commit to some sort of scheme with that.. I think a lot of things are done piecemeal now, with No Real Scheme or Intended outcome. I just feel a lot of things look half done. And looking half done forever isn't the same thing as a work in progress.

I feel the piecemeal effect, it is hard to have a vision, much less achieve it and I do think I am relatively skilled so I can imagine how those who aren't feel.

sochi, thanks. I don't think I am a convert. I grew up with a Grandmother who collected interesting and beautiful (to me) antique furniture. I remember her using lye to strip some pieces. When she refinished an old four poster bed for her summer home when I was a little girl, I said "Oh, Grandma, that looks like a bed for a princess.". She willed it to me, so it is still in a guest room. I have had that sofa and a matching chair since the 1980's or maybe 1970's (?). It was covered in a purple-mauve matelassé. After a few years, I had it recovered in tapestry. It was originally covered in tapestry according to old family photos.

blfenton, yes, that is my living room. Most of my rooms can be seen from each other, so I did just what you said. There are many decorating problems with the living room, but for now I am owning it. :)

Pal, I tend to think that location (small Midwest town with limited shopping vs. larger city with designers) and economic status plays a significant part in achieving unique and classic design. My mother's home is still decorated in Ethan Allen hard rock maple and earth tones. The living room still looks exactly like it did when I was young. The Ethan Allen store sold the nicest furniture, in my parent's opinion. There were probably only one or two other stores. You could call this commitment. In truth, she was widowed at the age of 50, and hasn't shopped since. People didn't change their style or furniture often in the past. They bought the best they could afford, and kept it. They were not inundated with magazines and TV shows trying to sell the latest. There was no color of the year, was there? When did that start? It was not uncommon to keep a car for 10 years. Now it is common for many to trade in after 2-3 years. Leasing promoted this. Too many different factions contribute to the answer to your question of commitment. Many of us are comfortable with our belongings and memories, and won't change too much. Elderly people even more so.

SFGate article on colorful bathrooms--some big time commitment to color!

Here is a link that might be useful: SFGate colorful bathroom article

They were not inundated with magazines and TV shows trying to sell the latest.

Ain't that the truth!!!

I have a 2004 Honda CRV that is the perfect car for me, easy to maneuver, yet great for hauling stuff. I take it to my Honda dealer religiously for its checkups. A friend told me it was time to go shopping for a new car. I don't want one. As long as this car stays in good running order, I'll keep it until one of us dies. [I do wish I had one of those cameras showing me what's going on behind me.]

This is the tile in one of my bathrooms. It probably corresponds to Cerulean Blue: I love it, and since we only generally use white bathtowels and mats since they get washed often in hot water, it's not a limiting color.

The original of the others were white wall tile with gold glitter, and a black and gold mosaic floor; and a pink on pink powder room.

I could technically reproduce the black and gold (Daltile still makes all these colors), but I would rather reproduce the pink and I can't. It was a soft pink like Kohler's nearly-discontinued-on-practically everything Innocent Blush.

This is the floor tile we put in our hall bath. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I have always liked the color so continue to find it pleasing to look at. I never saw this as a big-time commitment, but more as choosing what I like. I may be delusional, but I don't think things like this will be a deal breaker for that future hypothetical buyer.

{{gwi:2142255}}

This post was edited by sas95 on Mon, Dec 8, 14 at 12:13

When it's an actual Color, I think it is actually easier to try and find something that blends with it nicely. almost any warmish green would work for towels for example, since they would primarily be seen against white tile. And I think a color like that "grounds" the floor nicely

My sisters bathrooms have neutral (supposedly) beige tile (two types) and countertop, and the walls are beige. They are all slightly different and nothing really goes with all of them (and I am not convinced they even go with each other, it depends on whether the incandescant fixture or the fluorescent fixture is on)

I have been following this post and thinking about it. Ironically, maybe less commitment has come from greater awareness of and interest in decor.

I certainly think the average person is more engaged in and knowledgeable about decor than when I was growing up. Was the red and green palette we are shown in the first post "in", I mean so "in" that you saw it everywhere? Magazines, other people's homes, Iphone cases, dish towels, wrapping paper, Ballard settees, Kitchenaid mixers? (hypothetically, obviously)

Popular interest in decor may have made it more faddish. Toile, ikat, chevron, have been around a very long time. Any of our parents could have chosen them and some may have. But now they get a star turn, and show up everywhere at once. I am not sure if trends were so pervasive before, such that one really took notice and they became very, very "in", which can only be followed by very, very "out".

Things that never become very, very "in" don't quite look "out", either. So the maybe OP's parents weren't worried that it would look "dated" because there really wasn't anything trendy about it to begin with...

Even in the 16 years I have been a homeowner, the pendulum swung from brass, to brushed nickel and ORB, to shiny nickel and chrome, and now, back to brass (albeit the good stuff this time). Of course in some settings, one of those may ALWAYS be the right choice, but in many bathrooms you could use any of them and which one you do use will carbon date your project.

"Things that never become very, very "in" don't quite look "out", either. So the maybe OP's parents weren't worried that it would look "dated" because there really wasn't anything trendy about it to begin with... "

^^^
This.

I am in the final stages of my master bathroom creation and when it is complete, I'm certain there will be some who will mistake it for my "BEFORE" bathroom due to the lack of trendy items.

Yep.

With the original room in question, I don't think the homeowner scoured magazines to get inspiration or find out what was trendy. The rest of the house was based on her taste as translated by a rather elderly interior decorator in a very classic traditional vein, and this more fun room was executed by her successor, who was quite glamorous, drove a Mercedes Roadster, carried the first Vuitton luggage I had ever seen, and I had a huge crush on her. It's still a very traditional room, but in untraditional colors, because it was a basement meant for games and entertainment. I don't think there was anything about the upstairs of the house that screamed 1969, except the shag carpet in the girls' rooms, and not much that screamed 1975 in the basement except an overall "feel" of the period, although it presaged a slightly later 70s look with a slight bit of disco glamour in some of the combinations.

My mother, in 1960, decorated her house in green/rust/copper, very much on trend at the time, I think. Her range was a "copper" (read brown) Frigidaire. Her doorknobs and cabinet hardware were all copper. The living room rug was dark green. The sofa was rust colored (later reupholstered in a rust and green print). She had a thrift store dining room table with slightly mis-matched chairs that she had refinished in antique green. The kitchen cabinets were yellow. Sometime during my childhood the living room was painted a pale green. She had commitment.

I guess I have commitment. Almost all of my upholstered pieces are in shades of blue or green (and the ones that aren't have zebra stripes). My flat was all white when I moved in, but I now have rooms in orchid (I beat Pantone by a couple years on that one), blue, aqua, chocolate, spring green, and purple. I'd like to think that it all looks a little more together than that list makes it sound (though the orchid was chosen by my daughter for her room and the purple was just me being self-indulgent in a small coffin-corner work room)

For those with old furnishings and parts of a room you think are outdated; someone above made a good point that nothing is truly ever totally "in" or "out". You can take an old 50s plaid sofa you loved and everyone thinks "barg" and if you can't reupholster it, you can change things around it to make it look better.

I know someone who is quite poor. I'm talking poorest of the poor. I can't afford to do their house for them and gave them a lot of hand me downs. She just whined about never having anything nice. I think she could take paint and organize things and make it look nice. Back in the day, when I first got married, I had cardboard boxes for side tables because there was only two stores in the rural area I was in and I was new and had nobody to give me hand me downs. One store I couldn't afford and the other had nothing for end tables. So I had boxes. I sprayed them, put placemats and flowers on them. People might laugh, but I kept my house tidy, clean and would dress it up with weeds in glass bottles and other things, for at least the first year. I have fond memories of that and honestly, some people complimented me on my creativity. Later years I upgraded to swap meets and garage sales and now I can afford the best. I still think even back then, I had nothing but I had a lot and it was good!

Cleanliness, tidiness, paint and ingenuity is all you need really. Nobody needs a mansion ;)

I didn't say you shouldn't have furniture or things. Or comfort. LOL I said, no matter where you live, no matter what your budget (even if it's 0), the best thing you can do to lift your spirits and that will be just fine, is having a clean tidy room. Apparently you were either offended somehow by my comment or you're just irritated for some unknown reason. Regardless, it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Clutter is the enemy to me. I have a friend who thinks her house is the best in the world and she keeps it neat and tidy. But it's cluttered with about 5 thousand carousels.... but if that's what floats her boat, that's all that counts and I'm happy for her!

dahoov2: Just remembering my first little rental house with my husband off campus--just a real little shack, with that brown asbestos fake brick siding. We bought an old dresser, and he made a sort-of-sofa with a big foam pad on top. I painted the dresser glossy navy blue, found some navy ground floral print and sewed up a cover for the foam, made curtains and glued the fabric on the insets in the drawers of the dresser. Looked kind of neat. Thanks for bringing up that memory! Yes, we had about two cents to our name.

Reading these last couple posts brought me to think about our first house, we were flat broke and both in college. The house (1930's 1 bedroom) came with a oven, it worked like a charm, but it was Avocado Green. I really wanted a blue and yellow kitchen. I made it work, but not well.

Maybe that's why some of the commitment is goneâ¦.people are afraid that they'll have the Avocado Greens and the Harvest Golds of this generation and be stuck with them, always serving as a "date stamp" when they last updated their house. And who wants that? ;)

1970 was 45 years ago. Forty-five years. Sixty percent of the population wasn't even born yet. Time to let it go.

I think back very fondly to the bedroom I had as a little girl. There was bright red plush carpet, white red and green strawberry print wallpaper with one accent wall of red and white gingham print wallpaper. Mom also covered a desk in that wallpaper. There was a huge walnut wardrobe and a white porcelain and brass chandelier. There was also strawberry print bedding. It was very bright, cheerful and fitting for a little girl. That strawberry wallpaper stayed up until just a few years ago when she replaced the red carpet with hardwood and the paper with chinoiserie birds. My mom has always been one for committing to a wallpaper. It's what I grew up with and as a result, walls without it don't ever look quite finished to me.

I'd like to say I have the same commitment to a bold vision for a room but after seven years of living here, my walls are still creamy white. But at least my furniture isn't afraid to be bold. I have a sectional in aqua velvet. The TV sits on a bright red chinese cabinet. I have a upholstered daybed in teal. The curtains are bright gold. I've got tons of big, bright art and bold print throw cushions. While it isn't a full room statement, it is all definitely beyond a 'pop of color'

I dislike most neutrals quite a bit, other than white, black and wood. Being in rooms that are mostly beige or gray or taupe for too long make me sad. Or even a blue or green room that is too grayed out.

Plus I think the tasteful beiges and grays and the stainless steel appliances will time stamp a room to a particular periods just as much as the harvest golds and avocado green of the seventies.

But my mom loved her green and copper decor until she moved out of the house last year. The green rug was still there (we changed it out for hardwood for the tenant--it was 54 years old, after all). The copper range failed some time ago (the 90's, I think), but she loved it until it died. I don't think she ever saw it as a date stamp.

Yep, it's all what you make of it. You could furnish your house from a garage sale/thrift shop and it look like a magazine if you wanted. It's just trying to do that with what you got. I remember my grandmother was poor and things in her house stand out to me so well now. Smells too. Red Ball cleaner... a glowing cross, and old stove and wringer washing machine. The house was not great but there was something in there charming. Nothing but something.

pal, I simply love your musings. I think actually, you would enjoy a cup of tea at one of the old, un-refurbished but comforting coach-house luncheon rooms that are probably in dire danger of going extinct in our town. Upon entering, there is a distinct first impression of wow this place could use a fluff but then there is also a feeling of comfort. The place has been the same for 30 plus years and seems totally unembarrassed by it. The bold wallpaper, the coral color scheme, the lemony white trim. What a relief from the gray world of decorating today. In a sometimes gray world, it's fun to see some unapologetic color.

Fascinating discussion. My mom used to decorate by consensus and then was never happy with what she did. When posters here ask what color of granite to get, what paint color, etc., and then people respond by basically voting on the choice, I rarely participate because my response will always be for them to get what they want, not what most want.

Sure, come here with questions and ask for ideas. Someone is sure to pop in what a fantastic idea you never thought of. But that's not the same as decorating by consensus. And consensus is usually safe, neutral and bland, from what I've seen.

There's a current discussion in the Kitchen forum about yellow kitchens. The OP is being advised to get a cream with slight yellow tinge to it rather than getting yellow as yellow is too bright, screams too loud, yada yada. Gosh, I loved my yellow kitchen in my first house and am planning on introducing some yellow into my current kitchen which I have decided to paint cream and turquoise. Yeah, turquoise. Yellow goes well with turquoise. And both will play well with the bright orange loveseats in the connecting sitting room. I'm sure I would be advised to go different if I asked so I'm not gonna ask. I love these colors together.

Thanks for sharing that great Jack Larsen fabric, palimpest. It looks like a great fabric for pillows in my kitchen/sitting room combo to help tie things together.

Like Sweat-Tea, I tend to lose interest once something becomes a trend. The problem is that it's so hard to find what you like if it's not the current trend. It means that if a color you like comes back into style, better grab it while you can because Pantone will deem it out of style next year and it will be impossible find again. This happens in both clothes and home decor. At least you can usually find fun paint colors no matter the trend.

Oh, AnnieDeighnaugh, I totally get what you're saying and I've actually used the term "homogenization of America" a lot to describe it. It makes me sad to go on roadtrips and enter town after town that look the same. Usually there is an older part of town that retains it's original charm but you have to seek it out to find it.

Sorry I don't have anything profound to add. I am just so weary of neutrals. Heck, in the winter when everybody else is in brown, tans, greys or blacks, I'm using wearing my bright yellow trenchcoat or my bright orange raincoat. It's already gray and dreary in my local winter climate. I don't understand why people want to add to the dreariness. Anyway, my aversion to what are, to me, gloomy, bland color palettes just made me want to jump into the discussion.

I agree with Marcolo that we're gonna die someday anyway so we might as well live while we're here and, for me, that means bright cheery colors, whether in vogue or not. And if someone doesn't like my decor, I hope they're coming to my home to see me and not to judge my decorating style.

I haven't read all the posts, but I think for many people it is because our lives are very different. Years ago we lived quieter lives and weren't taking in nearly the amount of visual stimulation we are now. We decorated our homes for excitement. Now our lives are chaotic we are bombarded with constant bright shiny neon stimulation and we want our homes to be tranquil. That's my experience anyway. The amount of color and pattern I desire at home has dropped dramatically as my life has become ever more frenzied.