The colors of our life

Mary is hosting the Design Time Carnival and looking for inspiration in decorating her new home. Won't you join in and share something inspiring in your home?

When we bought our home four years ago it was a new construction/foreclosure. It really was God's providence that we move here. That is a story for another day, however.

What we had on our hands was a huge house with white walls. Those of you who know us can testify that Sean and I are anything but neutral type people. We LOVE color. We wanted to use color to make the vast open floor plan become more intimate. At the same time we wanted colors that we would not get tired of quickly and seemed natural instead of trendy.

The tricky part is that all the walls and windows on the first floor are visible at the same time. It really is quite open. Coordination was key.

My sister, Vanessa, has an art degree and had a little interior painting business when we moved here. Her advise, "Choose colors that are deeper and brighter than you think you initially are drawn to." We also painted everything in semi gloss which allows us to wipe off just about anything.

Introducing.... our lower level.

Our front room is smaller. We chose this brownish green(can't remember the name) to give the room some interest and depth. It's a color you either love or hate.

This color extends up into the entryway and meets this Khaki color which is our "neutral".

The khaki continues around the outside walls of the living room.

The Khaki wall ends in the corner of the kitchen where it meets a brighter yellow, Applesauce. I saw this light fixture in Southern Living catalog. Snatched it off ebay for a great price. Don't love the arrangement yet, but I'm working on it.

Here's the contrast. It's more subtle at at night.

Our home would not be complete without red walls. The interior walls of the living room are Brick Red.