My current house is modern, with lots of windows and lots of light. The walls were white. It made sense when I first bought and remodeled it. After almost three years, I needed color. Nothing a trip to Lowe’s couldn’t solve.

 

I decided that I would paint one or two walls in four rooms of my house. The 12-foot-high wall in my living room is now a shocking orange-red, and it makes a statement. In my son’s room, a deep bluish-gray lends a bit of sophistication to his boutique hotel-style decor. The rich espresso brown I chose for the master bathroom found its way onto the fireplace in the master bedroom. It looks sleek against the white Caeserstone hearth. I was feeling very proud of myself. I was three for three.

 

The last color was for two walls in my bedroom. I had hoped to pick up some of the colors of the artwork in the room. After I peeled off the last bit of tape, I knew that I hated it. I had hoped for a cheery aqua color but got a depressing hospital greenish-gray.

 

I went back to Lowe’s to try again. In the second go-round I opted for a braver, more vibrant shade of green. I went home and immediately begin painting. That night when I lay down to sleep, I knew I was not satisfied. It was too bright.

 

All along, the color I had been looking for was right in front of me. I had passed my son’s bedroom every day, and there, hanging on his door, is a plaque he made years ago for a school project. It is painted a nice soft greenish color. I announced to my children that I had found the color.

 

My daughter laughed, “Mom, that’s the paint from your bedroom in our old house.” From the beginning she had suggested it, and I wasn’t listening.

 

So it was another trip to Lowe’s for me. The good thing is I’m getting more confident about painting.