When I was five, my parents let me choose the colors for my bedroom. A month later I had purple walls and a pink ceiling that could be seen from the street. Color is such a mood enhancer, don't you think? In search of inspiration, I asked Cup of Jo readers to share their bold rooms at home…
“I live in one of the cloudiest cities in the US and knew color would brighten up our kitchen [both photos above]. I decided to paint the walls arsenic green, the Bond Street cupboards in blue, our freestanding Rangwali pantry in pink and the stairs in a shade of yellow inspired by the Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare, Ireland.” – Averil, Grand Rapids, Michigan
“For our bathroom, I wanted something fun. So I got a gallon of peach and pink paint, a sample size of green, and a pint of black paint I had left over from something else, and we painted strawberries. My engineer friend mentioned after a visit to my house that I had forgotten the stem of a single strawberry and searched for days to find it. My favorite colors are natural the one my son made.” – Britt, Portland, Oregon
“I painted this window in my guest room a bright yellow and the walls a softer shade. Even on the grayest English days, I poke my head through the door for an instant injection of happiness.” —Jess, Kent, England
“I got divorced a few years ago, and when my kids aren't here, I often spend time painting, wallpapering, or installing a tile backsplash (because I own a wet saw now?!). I painted a few rooms pink. I know I could have done this when a man lived here, but there's something sweet about doing it in my time as a strong single woman.” – Chrissie, Salem, Massachusetts
“I mixed two shades of blue to get the perfect color for my living room.” -Shelby, Peoria, Illinois
“I'm a therapist and I try to make my background neutral enough to not be distracting, but interesting enough for my clients to see something besides my face. I longed for a bold space, so I chose the warm, magical library of my dreams. My Millennial clients often comment on the deep plum blue and say it was the color of their high school bedroom. It was the color too my bedroom at college, so it’s a nice connecting point.” –Allison, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
“My 10-year-old daughter wanted a green bedroom. I had doubts, but we balanced it out with pink, including this tiger wallpaper, and now I love it.” — Christa, Santa Rosa, California
“Before I bought this house, I always lived in rental apartments with cream or beige walls. “Art teacher chic” was my goal for our new living room. I thought there was pretty low stakes in painting – all you need is time and the cost of the paint – so if the color was hideous we could paint over it. My mom definitely gave me a look when she saw the paint in the paint can, but she ended up really liking it too.” — Page, Northville, Michigan
“I let my kids choose the color of their shared room and they chose a very light blue. I was nervous, but all the furniture and artwork stands out so much. The room feels cheerful during the day and cozy at night.” –Jessica, New York City
Thoughts? Do you have colorful walls at home?
PS Colorful house tours in Connecticut, Brooklyn, New York State and Sweden. Plus, those gorgeous NYC bookshelves!