The sleep space

When we moved into our house here in Minnesota, Seth put his foot down about one thing: “No painting for an entire year,” he said. What? 

Perhaps he was traumatized from the years of me leaning over to whisper in his ear, “I have the most romantic idea for a date night,” only to find himself on the top rung of a ladder, paint pole in hand. Perhaps he knows that for some people, painting is more addicting than any drug. OnceI get started, I just can’t stop.

In any case, I obliged his wish. It helped that I liked nearly all the paint colors in our house.

Except the master bedroom: burnt orange. Eek! It was like living in Peter-Peter-Pumpkin-Eater’s shell.

Seth, a fresh University of Texas graduate, thought it was a great homage to his recent alma mater. But I had other things in mind. Which is why, one minute after wrapping up Thanksgiving dinner, I wiped my mouth and told the family,”If you’re going to take care of the dishes, there’s a little project I want to work on.”

New paint, new bedspread, new arrangement! (But my hats stay safely on the bed posters. It’s the only place I know they won’t get smashed, or worse, worn by my children.) This room is now my favorite room in the house. It feels so fresh. To be truthful, it isn’t exactly what I had in mind, not completely. I wanted everything to be red and white, but do you know how hard it is to find a red and white quilt that doesn’t require a second mortgage? So I ended up with this bedspread, which is IKEA, and which I still love.

The room’s not entirely finished. I want to make some red and white curtains, and I would love to recover the trunk at the foot of the bed, which is my mom’s hope chest. And then of course there is the master bathroom, which could use a new paint color…okay, stop me now. I’ve tasted the nectar, and there’s no going back.