When I met my wife, I didn’t have much class. I had preferences and my own style that leaned towards grungy, inexpensive and functional. I had been poor my entire life, so having refined tastes or an appreciation for the finer things in life simply was not an option.
My wife, on the other hand, exuded sophistication and elegance. She had traveled the world, graduated from college, dressed well, liked fine foods and had taste.
She opened my eyes to a world I had never experienced before.
This included decorating our homes. From furniture choice, to artwork, to colors, I deferred to her because she had great taste. Over the years, we assembled a collection of antique pieces of furniture, tchotchkes and artwork from various family members, yard sales and the occasional retail store.
When we moved into a new place, she’d painstakingly look at dozens of color choices, paint a bunch samples and then finally choose what colors to paint the house based on the floors and our furnishings. My favorite 3 homes were painted pale yellow inside with white trim that made our homes look magnificent.
I never argued with her about colors. She had an eye for it.
So when I moved into my current home, I was relieved that it had been recently painted pale gray with white trim throughout. I didn’t have to think about colors at all. I liked the grey.
4 years later, I decided to paint my bathrooms. It was the first time in more than 30 years that I chose a paint color on my own.
I ended up choosing a deep, navy blue that I would never have had in our old homes. I saw it on two house exteriors in my neighborhood and liked how it contrasted with white trim.
I wasn’t sure I would like it. Heck, I didn’t even know what I liked.
It turns out that I like it a lot.
I painted my front door the same color after I finished the bathrooms.
Then, this week, a few months later, I decided to paint accent walls in my kitchen and my living room to extend this blue color through these rooms.
I love it.
I am constantly and pleasantly surprised how a fresh coat of paint really brightens up my everyday existence. It’s amazing to me what a few hours and a can of paint does.
Update a month later: Everyday I get a little jolt of pleasure when I look at my accent wall in the kitchen during dinner and the accent wall behind my desk when I’m writing or drawing. It’s amazing how much of an impact half a can of a paint and a few hours of work has brought to my world.