Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Easter Colors

Easter has the best colors.


And oh how I love color!

Sometimes I don't realize how color saturated our house is until I am in another home, like this one.
And then I come home and I look around and I think, "wow.  Our house is bright."
We have a turquoise front door.
We have a red kitchen floor.
And turquoise counter tops.
Our living room has a bright green wall and orange chairs.
There are turquoise frames on the walls.
We have a bright yellow lamp.
And an orange one.


We love color.
Our house probably makes some people nervous.
But I wouldn't have it any other way
Because all the color in my home makes me happy.
It energizes me.
It inspires me.
I suppose it could also feel chaotic and overwhelming.
Perhaps that is why I am so careful about clutter.
I balance the bright colors in our home by keeping clutter to a minimum.
I think without that balance I would not find my home a place that felt relaxing.


But it is.
I love walking in the door and feeling that sense of calm wash over me.
I'm home.
If every surface is covered in clutter, then I don't feel that way.
And I don't just mean that pile of junk mail that needs sorting. (I actually sort it the moment it comes in the house and chuck it right away.  Cause I'm serious about clutter like that)
That kind of clutter makes anyone nervous.
I'm talking about visual clutter.
I edit down the items atop my shelves and dressers often.
Too many things, even the things you love best, can be too much.



Besides controlling the visual clutter, another way we've used color in a controlled way is with our wall color.
Most of the walls in the house are paler versions of the bright colors we use as accents everywhere else.
We used a very pale green in the public rooms and hallways.
In the bedrooms we used a slightly brighter turquoise.
Those 2 colors are used often in the rest of the house.
So the backdrop of those same colors, in a less bright version, makes sense.
I know every design article says you should have white walls and just add shots of color with your accessories.
But I'm here to tell you that you can have color on your walls and color on your things.
You just have to be smart about it.



All these bright Easter pictures got me thinking about color.
These are some of my favorite pictures from the myriad I took at Easter
You can see the rest and read all the stories on my other blog, Lilly and the Brothers.
My kids got an insane amount of candy.
And they organized it all.
They are so my kids.




So, what colors are your favorites?
Do you find color to be overwhelming or invigorating?
And speaking of color, this is one of my favorite color blogs.
Mr. Bazaar really understands the power of color.
He always inspires me.
I know it's a bit late, but Happy Easter!
Love from,
Greta
PS. I just redid my Facebook page for this blog.  I'd love it if you head over there and give it a like.
Also, if you want to see all the colors in our house, take our house tour.  You can find it here.
Thanks!

3 comments:

hennymats said...

Good to have you back! So maybe we need more style posts on how to edit down and avoid a cuttered look. I know I could use some help here... How do you make it look personal but not cluttered and not bare either?

Cailan said...

This makes me want to take a tour of your home again...perhaps i just will :) But, oh my, that cabin is dreamy. I would never imagine a cabin for rent could be so lovely.

Cailan said...

Alright, just did re-take the tour, and my favorite is Every Room. It is a happy house, indeed. But goodness, I feel very confused lately about what my own tastes are - am I for color or for neutrals???? I blame pinterest. ;)