Wild And Reckless

Room makeover in progress! To catch up on the project, read:

Ready, Set, Go!

Inspiration And Perspiration
Baby Blues
Fresh Paint
What About Polka Dots?
Making Progress
The Undisputed Truth
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Multi-Tasking Mania
Dirty Jobs
Spray Paint: Part 1
No Turning Back
Judging Books By Their Covers
Home Tour: Peace And Harmony

* * * * *

Choosing paint colors, for me, is a lot like deciding on a flavor of ice cream at Baskin-Robbins.

Step One: Embrace all the options. Consider the delicious possibilities of each and every one, and revel in their amazingness.

Step Two: Winnow. Yes, there is a lot to love, but a room/stomach can only handle so much, so it's important to let go of the choices that are anything less than ideal.

Step Three: Make a leap of faith. Let's face it, with paint as well as ice cream, there is no one perfect answer. Once the choices have been narrowed down to an irresistible handful, even the most analytical, logic-driven negotiator must yield to pure instinct. Go with your gut, be bold, and once you decide, don't look back.

In picking out the wall color for my office remodel, I'm almost ready to leap. Today, I went to IKEA to pay a visit to the sofa of my dreams, so that I could compare my short list of paint chips to the available couch colors.

^ Here she is, little Miss Karlstad. Clean lines, modern vibe, and available in about eight different fabrics. While the showroom model was sporting the classic white, which always works for me, I have taken a particular shine to an earthy little textured number called Lindö beige.

^ A quick sort through my fistful of neutral paint samples brought me to a conclusion: Mushroom Bisque and Baja both look fine with this fabric.

Hmm. Interesting. I've been drawn to that Mushroom Bisque since the day I stood in front of the paint chip rack at Home Depot and pulled out thirty or forty different cards. Dear gut, please take note of this fact for future reference.

Thus satisfied that my paint selection process is steadily steaming toward a satisfying conclusion, I proceeded to window shop for other items on my office makeover wish list.

 ^ I found some out-of-the-box options for a low, desk-side home for my printer, router and other unsightly devices. The first two are TV tables which fit the bill for being low, long and fairly narrow. The two-drawer chest is meant to be a bedside table, but if I set two of them side by side, I would solve my digital problems and score four nice drawers to boot. 

^ According to my current plan, one corner of my remodeled room will be open and available for a new storage piece. I'm imagining something with big, bold color. I've seen that black unit in the top photo many a time on Pinterest, spray painted in flamboyant glory. The yellow and red options are gorgeous too, though I'm tempted to go with the rather simple glass case in the photo below. Several of my Malaysian friends have these in their homes, filled with prize possessions, and I would love to have one of these for my treasures, too.

^ These chairs have haunted me for years. That grid of nine circular holes kills me, and I love the bright red just as much as the natural wood. One thing is settled for sure, though...I definitely want the swivel base.

^ Cute industrial-chic work lamp, I want you. But seriously, you are a little drab. How do you feel about some spray paint to spice up our relationship?

^ I have to say, I'm pretty proud of how I controlled myself during this bout of window shopping. I looked, but I came home empty-handed. No new purchases until I finish the hard work - that's my redecorating rule and I'm sticking to it.

Also, I disciplined myself to only drool over items that are actually on my official wish list. Determined to work my plan and stay on task, I don't want to be distracted by all the other lovelies that the world has to offer.

But then there's this darling turquoise metal cart. How ridiculously adorable is that?! It would be such a fun partner to my little turquoise inspiration tables; obviously, I have a weakness for aqua metal. Not sure how I would use it or what would fit inside, but still, every decorating instinct in my body is screaming that I should have this, so I'm listening and considering how to respond.

And just for fun, I did a little research to find out if Baskin-Robbins makes a turquoise ice cream. Maybe that would somehow help me make my decision.

Turns out that they do. It's called, "Wild and Reckless."

I'm pretty sure that cart is going to be mine.