Blank Walls With No Color

When we moved into our current house, the walls of each room were a different color. Granted, the colors, which included some outdated wall treatments, were on the pale side, but color just the same. Because I wanted to make this house our home, we decided that the wall color had to be repainted as part of the renovation and facelift project. In my usual indecisive manner, I told the painters to just paint the walls a clean neutral shade and I could take my time deciding on colors. Now having lived here almost four years, the color is still neutral beige. I just couldn’t bare the brain-strain of having to decide on wall colors only to make a mistake and have to live with some ugly shade of pink. (Been there, done that.)

My taste in room color and decoration, however, is not reflected in the walls I am now viewing. My walls are quiet, even to the point of bland with no excitement. Bright wall color, paintings with details coordinated to reflect a homeowner’s personality are so much more interesting than plain beige. It would seem that my life and personality were a safe cream-colored, not too exciting beige. Blah! No risks, no color, no fun. My inner-self has always screamed to get out.

“My inner-self”? Where did that come from? I suspect I have written this topic onto a different level. So, let’s go with it.

Could it be that our true personality, our inner-person so to speak, can be seen in our choice of wall color and decoration? Take mine for example. Like you see in the picture, my walls are beige or as some paint cans read, cream, eggshell, or ecru. Whatever it is called, it is bland. My wall decorations are also minimally uninteresting. When I watch HGTV’s “Design on a Dime”, I am motivated to use just what I already own to add interest to my walls at hardly any cost. However, I have learned that it takes a certain amount of know-how and willingness to be daring. Like wall color that “pops”, I long to be bold and confident.

Personal willingness that dares us to stand out in a crowd and to charm the people we meet with confident know-how is nothing to some and something to others like me. I watch, with a certain amount of envy, the people who are able to turn a house into an inviting home where everyone wants to congregate.The way their walls are painted the perfect shade to compliment the window treatments, the manner in which each accessory from throw pillows to votives, from paintings to sconces, enhance the overall completeness of a room makes me yearn for that talent. It has also been my observation that those same people receive respect and adoration from many of their peers. Most of the time, their smiles are genuine, and they are in control while appearing to have a life success rate that continues well into their retirement years. The person inside of me wants to be out decorating rooms both physical and metaphorical while influencing others and pursuing life’s successes.

“Blank Walls With No Color” was originally supposed to be exactly what the title implies; my interior walls need of color. However, after considering some of your comments on the title, it made me think about how my choice of wall treatment can be related to how I live my life. I sometimes hide my inner-self out of fear of what others will think. Or I sometimes let my inner-person out when no one else is around. She is a lot of fun, happy and willing to try that pop of color. Unfortunately, it can be self-damaging to have duel personalities. Our habits, behaviors and actions were often learned from our parents, their behaviors and values. When we grow into mature adults, and our own decisions about living begin to differ from those of our parents, it sometimes throws our personalities into a dilemma. How much do I reveal to those I am around? What will they think of me if I do or say something they don’t agree with? Why do I care? I should be able to “paint the way I want to”, shouldn’t I?

This has all been a metaphor and much remains to be seen. For now my interior walls, my inner-self, endure “Safe Beige”. Eventually, perhaps I will paint with boldness, confidence, and self-liking. I think that would call for bright colors. Don’t you?