POP OF COLOR AT THE CABIN

The following post was written as part of a 31-day writing challenge sponsored by The Nester in October of 2013.

I have been swooning over all white décor for some years now, and figured that the cabin would give me an opportunity to create a space that was pure and clean and uncomplicated--you know, white with a touch of greenery like they do in Sweden.   

Well, that did not last too long.  I just can't help being drawn to color.  Try as I might, you will soon see that I have failed to be true to my design direction.  My second slip off of the wagon--we will talk about the first in a later post--happened when I walked into a design and decorating store in Knoxville called Fig and Company and met the best sales person ever, Julie.  They really should give her a raise.

It is the coolest store, and not just because it is located across the street from the new Anthropologie.  Jammed packed with painted furniture--oh, how I love painted furniture--and affordable accessories, I was almost giddy with delight walking through there.  And they carry the best chocolate ever.

Julie noticed me swooning and caressing the furniture and enthusiastically introduced me to a brand of paint by Amy Howard.  It comes in all kinds of yummy colors and will stick to anything with no prep--even marble.  I fell hard for Massey Hill.  Maybe it was because autumn was just around the corner, and it has always been my favorite season or maybe it was because the rebel in me just needed some attention.  Either way, I just could not pay $28 for the color white.  

And I needed to buy that paint because as luck would have it, my husband, Sanford Michael, found some skinny wood cabinets that I was working on turning into a dresser in the master bedroom.  If that isn't laughable.  I should really say in the 7'x9' room in which we sleep. 

I started painting the cabinets white in keeping with my awesome theme, but soon realized that the paint was just not going to stick well to the shiny surface.  Actually, my husband told me that it wouldn't, but I started to paint them anyway because I was not going to leave them looking like kitchen cabinets even if he liked them that way. 

Thank you, Julie and Amy Howard.

I admit that I felt sick to my stomach when the first coat of paint went on.  With all the white, it seemed to glow.  Glowing was not what I was going for.  I was pretty certain that I would be spending $28 on the color white the next time I was in Knoxville.  But then Kelly and my sister-in-law, Marie, convinced me to give it a chance.  So I have.

I think that the cabinets turned dresser is a clever solution for a cozy space, and I love clever as much as, if not more than, fall.  And that color does bring a smile to my face.  As a matter of fact, the whole room just makes me smile.  But we will talk about that later as well.

Day 11:  A pop of color makes me smile.

An overview of all 31 days can be found here.

Like the Little Cabin on the Trail on Facebook.