Readers' Poll, or obsessive compulsive episode--you decide!

So you've probably read how I've been painting / nesting / whatever you want to call it. Because the whole apartment is a light gray and the carpet in the hall is dark blue, at first I tried painting this entry hall wall a dark gunmetal blue/gray. Of course, it didn't come out gunmetal gray, but a bright cobalt blue. It looked good, but it wasn't what I wanted, and I didn't think it would 'go' with the rest of the colors. Under peer pressure, I decided to repaint the wall red, which would add excitement, yet combine with both the blue carpet and the existing gray. So I painted. Again. And this is what I got. It looks okay in the photo, but it is really more rusty than a true red. I don't think it goes with the gray at all. Here is a photo of the living room, just beyond the reddish wall. I guess the rug sort of brings the rusty color in, but I just don't know what to think.

Here is a photo of the two colors together: you can see with the flash the more orange nature of the red hall wall. Just to the left is the living room, and you can see a tiny bit of the dark dining room (also light gray). What do you think of the two colors together?


Today I also painted my bedroom a cafe-au-lait color, which looks really cozy. My question is this: Should I have carried the color all the way up to the ceiling? You can't really tell, but there is a piece of molding just where the white begins. The gray paint stops there in all the other rooms. I know I need a headboard and some art and stuff, but it looks okay with the rug. And probably even with the rusty-red, but what about with the gray? It's far enough away not to matter, but does the upper part of the wall look funny?


So thanks for all the help. I think maybe I'm obsessing. I don't want to paint anymore, but I think I'm going to have to! Just to get a true red (maybe the color of the pillow shams?), and maybe the top part of the bedroom walls. Help me, because I obviously can't help myself!


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Man-About-Town (and at home)

I had a great weekend, if I may rub it in a little. Saturday was nice, and sunny, and I had two delightful companions to keep me company. I was dog sitting for a friend/coworker while she went to Taxco for a day of shopping. They are two tiny little Chihuahuas: the white one is named Chicle, and the black one is named Lola. They have color-coded collars, with diamelles spelling their names. They were fun, but I was a bit embarrassed taking them to the park. Luckily I'm secure in my manhood to do that. I had to carry Lola in her dog-carrier (okay, it's a purse) because she gets nervous walking around cars, people, other dogs, trees, and just about anything else. But I have to say, if I had to worry about everything stepping on me, I'd be a little nervous too.

The doggies helped me paint as well, (which is more than I can say for my pal Jeff). They stepped in the paint and left little paw prints, but Jeff just sort of sat on the sofa. The hall was a boring white color, but since it is dark and long I had a long interior monologue about what color to paint it. This is the before picture. See, it's long and dark. But I decided to be bold, and paint it a gunmetal gray/blue color. I thought it would draw together the gray in the other rooms, the navy blue carpet, and the blue lamps and accessories that came with the apartment. Good plan, right?

So, I hiked myself down to the paint store, and took a good 40 minutes choosing just the perfect shade. The paint store guy thought that I could do it with two gallons (this, of course, after I explained to him that the hallway was smaller than the store, but bigger than a breadbox. Did I have any measurements, or any idea of how many square meters? NO!) So I bought three gallons just in case. You know, three gallons of paint don't seem so much when you carry them from Home Depot to your car in the parking lot. But after a few blocks walking, they got really heavy! I had to stop for a cappuccino on the way back.

But I made it, and with no help from Jeff, started to paint. I had originally planned to do the whole hallway, but one wall seemed sufficient to add color and interest. Plus I was tired of it.

But as I was painting it became clear (as it usually does), that the color I chose was not the color on the walls. I reserved judgment until the second coat, just to be fair, but then I ended up with this:

It's waaay more blue than I wanted. But, the wall looks much better not white, and I did a pretty good job of it, if I do say so myself. But what else could I do? Maybe later I'll get another gallon of a darker color and put it on top, but for now I'm done with painting.

And it only took 1/2 of a gallon! So if you like the color, let me know and I'll hook you up.

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