And, I know it's Thursday, but long weekends and blustery days really blow me off course. I'm just not ready for the gloomy days of November, so every tree-shaking gust had me in a funk.
But like most funks, it passed. In fact, now I can't wait to shove the Halloween costumes back in the trunk so I can put my own Nesting Instincts to work. All it took was five minutes in Quigley's and a fistful of paint swatches.
My home was mostly contractor's white, which is a nice way of saying "too busy to deal with it". While I managed to spruce up the kids' rooms before the hot weather hit, I sat down in the living room the other night, and it felt like the set of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. White furniture, white rug. The white didn't bother me so much when we were outside all summer – but now it seems a bit Nurse Ratched.
So where to begin?
I usually pick up a stack of decorating magazines for inspiration, but I was already married to Edgecomb Gray. Maybe some drama with one dark gray feature wall? Benjamin Moore's Overcoat. Or, Steel Wool. Is gray is my new green? Am I going gray gracefully?
The funny thing about gray, is that there's warm gray (think cocoa), and then there's cool gray (think steel, or flannel pants). I lean towards warm – but the best thing to do, is pick up a bunch of those mini pots and paint squares in a variety of places around the room.
Next, pour a glass of wine and watch how the grays seem to change with the fading natural light. Maybe I just need curtains. Before you know it, candles are lit, and the room doesn't seem so bad after all. Besides, November usually flies by, and with the Christmas tree lights twinkling, the contrast of green and red against a snowy white rug could be rather beautiful.
Maybe there are just too many shades of gray, to ever settle down with just one.
Happy Winds Day.
Meghan
meghanlaing@domus.ns.ca
