I often wonder what the husbands think about being surrounded by pink, florals, and pastels. What about children, especially boy children who love nothing more than catching frogs and playing in the woods...how do you keep that white so white?
My husband is a hunter and outdoors person all the way, but he enjoys our Victorian/Shabby Chic home... I think the most important thing to remember is that our homes are meant to be enjoyed, they are not a trophy to shine and look at. If men (and children) are allowed to be themselves and have "space", then I think they will appreciate the feminine touch in their homes. ~Kristy
In this day and age, fabrics and paints and other finishes are practical even when they are white. Unless a person lives on a farm and tracks in mud from the path straight inside the door, white or any pastel will do just as well as brown or black. Most homes these days have porches or steps leading from concrete pathways, where a person will not track in dirt. Most people park their cars in the garage and enter the house from a door, that leads to the kitchen, which cuts down on the traffic on the living room carpet. I think whatever color makes you happy is what you should use. A homemaker spends most of her time in the home and needs to be surrounded by things and colors that make her smile and things that have meaning and things she enjoys, including colors and carpets. Practical can also be beautiful, thanks to modern carpets and such.
I posted pictures of my daughter's apartment a few entries back, and showed that she used a lot of white. she has four boys and a husband. It doesn't seem to make any difference in practicality. Her former residence had browns and showed just as much wear and tear. When I posted this, no one commented on the fact there was so much white. What I have found is that living in an area where it is dark in winter, or in any place that has a lot of overcast days, those light colors are a lot more cheerful than brown pannelling and dark brown floors. Things always havwe to be replaced after a few years so it is nice to have what you like and then plan on re-doing it or replacing it later if it wears out.
I thought a couple comments my husband made many years back about my decorating tastes would fit in here nicely. My dream was always to have a Victorian styled home, but my decorating tastes run toward cottage style. I was trying to pick out some chairs and couldn't find anything that was just EXACTLY what I had in mind. I was looking for floral upholstery in beautiful shades of pinks, yellows, blues, greens and reds on a white background. They just didn't have any upholstery fabrics in those colors. They all seemed muted or faded or way too dark. The person at the furniture store made a comment about "What about your husband's tastes?" My husband replied, "I think people underestimate that men also like to look at beautiful things. Flowers are beautiful. Clear colors in a bright room are beautiful. Why wouldn't I like something like that?" I felt vindicated by that in front of a salesperson who just wanted to make me accept that what I was looking for couldn't be had.
When we left the store I asked him if I was decorating too "femininely" and he said no. He commented that if he had a den he probably would do it in dark colors if left to his own devices, but said that he had come to appreciate lots of light in a room and preferred, over time, the colors that I liked to use. His bachelor pad had been very dark and he never opened a curtain or a shade. He said he had been taught the value of getting light into a room. He normally is the first person up in our house and now opens the window curtains or puts our shades up first thing in the morning. He loves to have the rooms all full of sunshine.
He used to think white paint in our rooms would be filthy with fingerprints when our babies were mostly small. I kept smudges wiped down regularly and always used washable paints. Now I like some color on my walls and am gradually moving away from all white walls. My tastes change and I am glad he lets me pretty well do what I want.
I remember when we sold our first little cottage home, he was very proud when the realtor told him that a neighbor across the street who also had their home for sale had asked about the state of our home since we had "so many children." The realtor said she just had a really snotty tone and it had raised his hackles as he was representing our house. She wanted to know just how "clean" a house with "way too many children" could be. The realtor said he told her that our home interior was painted white except for the little girl's room (It actually was white too, but the ceiling was pink, which cast a beautiful pink blush onto the walls) and he told my husband that he had told her our home was immaculate. He said she seemed disappointed somehow. :)
Of course, I can't usually sustain immaculate because we do have many children, but when our homes have been up for sale I tried much harder to make sure they were pristine. Each home we sold did so in less than a week and usually with multiple offers. All the comments about the colors and decorating were positive. My husband told me that shows that MOST people appreciate beauty too. He said "There is no specific definition, but you sure do know it when you see it."
I agree that there are now ways to keep even whites and light colors looking bright and clean. When I decorate and things look very pretty, I make much more effort to keep them that way and so do the children and my husband. We all really appreciate a clean, bright home.
My husband has always said the house and decor was my area which I have done in my taste and he enjoys it. In our bedroom however, we both have a side. My side is more victorian/antique while on his side he has added his favorites, golf, John Wayne, and sports memorabilia. Our room may not show up in a home and garden magazine but we are both happy and my husband is very pleased.
7 comments:
I often wonder what the husbands think about being surrounded by pink, florals, and pastels. What about children, especially boy children who love nothing more than catching frogs and playing in the woods...how do you keep that white so white?
It's a lovely home, though.
My husband is a hunter and outdoors person all the way, but he enjoys our Victorian/Shabby Chic home... I think the most important thing to remember is that our homes are meant to be enjoyed, they are not a trophy to shine and look at. If men (and children) are allowed to be themselves and have "space", then I think they will appreciate the feminine touch in their homes. ~Kristy
Delightful websites. I especially enjoyed the cottage tour. But I agree with Paula: white is charming, but isn't always practical!
In this day and age, fabrics and paints and other finishes are practical even when they are white. Unless a person lives on a farm and tracks in mud from the path straight inside the door, white or any pastel will do just as well as brown or black. Most homes these days have porches or steps leading from concrete pathways, where a person will not track in dirt. Most people park their cars in the garage and enter the house from a door, that leads to the kitchen, which cuts down on the traffic on the living room carpet. I think whatever color makes you happy is what you should use. A homemaker spends most of her time in the home and needs to be surrounded by things and colors that make her smile and things that have meaning and things she enjoys, including colors and carpets. Practical can also be beautiful, thanks to modern carpets and such.
I posted pictures of my daughter's apartment a few entries back, and showed that she used a lot of white. she has four boys and a husband. It doesn't seem to make any difference in practicality. Her former residence had browns and showed just as much wear and tear. When I posted this, no one commented on the fact there was so much white. What I have found is that living in an area where it is dark in winter, or in any place that has a lot of overcast days, those light colors are a lot more cheerful than brown pannelling and dark brown floors. Things always havwe to be replaced after a few years so it is nice to have what you like and then plan on re-doing it or replacing it later if it wears out.
I thought a couple comments my husband made many years back about my decorating tastes would fit in here nicely. My dream was always to have a Victorian styled home, but my decorating tastes run toward cottage style. I was trying to pick out some chairs and couldn't find anything that was just EXACTLY what I had in mind. I was looking for floral upholstery in beautiful shades of pinks, yellows, blues, greens and reds on a white background. They just didn't have any upholstery fabrics in those colors. They all seemed muted or faded or way too dark. The person at the furniture store made a comment about "What about your husband's tastes?" My husband replied, "I think people underestimate that men also like to look at beautiful things. Flowers are beautiful. Clear colors in a bright room are beautiful. Why wouldn't I like something like that?" I felt vindicated by that in front of a salesperson who just wanted to make me accept that what I was looking for couldn't be had.
When we left the store I asked him if I was decorating too "femininely" and he said no. He commented that if he had a den he probably would do it in dark colors if left to his own devices, but said that he had come to appreciate lots of light in a room and preferred, over time, the colors that I liked to use. His bachelor pad had been very dark and he never opened a curtain or a shade. He said he had been taught the value of getting light into a room. He normally is the first person up in our house and now opens the window curtains or puts our shades up first thing in the morning. He loves to have the rooms all full of sunshine.
He used to think white paint in our rooms would be filthy with fingerprints when our babies were mostly small. I kept smudges wiped down regularly and always used washable paints. Now I like some color on my walls and am gradually moving away from all white walls. My tastes change and I am glad he lets me pretty well do what I want.
I remember when we sold our first little cottage home, he was very proud when the realtor told him that a neighbor across the street who also had their home for sale had asked about the state of our home since we had "so many children." The realtor said she just had a really snotty tone and it had raised his hackles as he was representing our house. She wanted to know just how "clean" a house with "way too many children" could be. The realtor said he told her that our home interior was painted white except for the little girl's room (It actually was white too, but the ceiling was pink, which cast a beautiful pink blush onto the walls) and he told my husband that he had told her our home was immaculate. He said she seemed disappointed somehow. :)
Of course, I can't usually sustain immaculate because we do have many children, but when our homes have been up for sale I tried much harder to make sure they were pristine. Each home we sold did so in less than a week and usually with multiple offers. All the comments about the colors and decorating were positive. My husband told me that shows that MOST people appreciate beauty too. He said "There is no specific definition, but you sure do know it when you see it."
I agree that there are now ways to keep even whites and light colors looking bright and clean. When I decorate and things look very pretty, I make much more effort to keep them that way and so do the children and my husband. We all really appreciate a clean, bright home.
Warmly,
Kimberline
The old painted cottage site is just beautiful!
My husband has always said the house and decor was my area which I have done in my taste and he enjoys it. In our bedroom however, we both have a side. My side is more victorian/antique while on his side he has added his favorites, golf, John Wayne, and sports memorabilia. Our room may not show up in a home and garden magazine but we are both happy and my husband is very pleased.
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