So, you’ve been reading and now know that I took the plunge this past month (actually, the process started back in June, but that’s just splitting hairs) and purchased a home.  We signed the closing papers this past Friday, me with a mix of sheer exuberance and excitement mixed with equal parts trepidation and commitment-phobia.

Friday night, though, I slept very well.  It was good to get the whole legal part of it past me so that I could move on.  I’ve already blogged about how, as soon as I knew I was serious about buying property, began the creative process and built a color palette that I wanted to use to feng shui the place.  (is feng shui a verb?  I guess it is now…)

Yesterday, I awoke with a renewed sense of purpose.  I own the place.  I can do whatever I want (within reason) to it.  I took the dogs so that they could be introduced to their new home before we moved all the furniture in.  They like to absorb all the smells first and basically begin making it their own.

The previous owner, a sweet “little old lady” type (she reminded me of ‘Granny’ from the Tweety & Sylvester cartoons!) took excellent care of the place after her husband passed away (she’s 74).  I believe that all she did all day was clean and garden.

Back Patio

However, it’s funny the things you notice once the furniture and the occupants are all moved out.  For instance, the current color scheme.

Pink.  Many shades of pink, like dusty rose, and pale pink.  I’m not kidding.

Pink!

I’m not a big fan of the color.  At the closing, she asked me if I was going to paint, and it was all I could do to keep from gagging at the thought of leaving the place pink.  I’m more of an earth-tone guy myself.  Pastels are so nineteen-eighty!

Here is the palette I’ll be working with:

Cinnamon Accent

The accent wall, which is an extension of the hallway, will be Cinnamon, a mellow, rich, brown that will set off the White Oak that I plan to use as the base color throughout.  I have several art prints that will contrast this wall very nicely, and which I’ll get into more detail about a bit later.

I’m considering using this color also for the wall in the entryway, which is the Dusty Rose color in the second photo.

White Oak

The kitchen will also be White Oak, but one of the more hidden walls will really blaze with this color:

Emperor's Gold

I wanted to capture the color of autumn, so the accents throughout the living room (including the artwork) will match this vibrant hue, and which I think will be very eye-catching against that warm brown.

On the plain white wall, I will hang this print in a clear frame:

Oranges

For the bedroom, I wanted cool colors, and blue has always been my favorite.  Specifically French Blue.

French Blue

The accent colors for this will be Navy Blue, Sage Green, and Buttercream Yellow.  I already have all the accent colors assembled.  Again, the base color will be White Oak.  The accented blue walls will contrast nicely with the Cinnamon as well, which will be visible through the doorway.

For the bathroom, I’ve chosen one of my favorite shades of green:

Peapod Green

For this space, I will experiment with a little texturing trick I learned from one of my aunts.  In her house, she painted the walls in an eggshell finish, but then added wide vertical stripes (in the identical color) in a flat paint finish.  This gives the illusion of texture, but also gives the walls more height.  I may also use this technique on the Cinnamon wall, but don’t want to overload the senses with too much design.  I want my furniture and accent items to do that. Since I already have a frog theme going in my bath, this color will add nicely to it and make a nice backdrop.

Now you know what I’ll be doing with my weekends for the next several weeks.  We officially move at the end of the month, and I want to have the walls completed before the first box gets transported.