Home has never been more important to our mental health than it is right now. For me, home is the place I can escape from the worries and fears of the unknown. And I guess the way I’ve been dealing with that stress lately is throwing myself into projects that scare me so much I forget about the real issues in the world for just a moment or two.
As I’ve mentioned before, this home was love at first sight for both Joe and me, and preserving its inherent quirk and charm has helped center us on the roadmap for all our design decisions. This design process has been mildly scary and definitely overwhelming at times, and on occasion, I’ve felt like I was out of my element, but I think that challenge is also what’s excited me most. One of the spaces where I’ve felt that design overwhelm most heavily is in our family room.
Without further ado, let’s move into the paint color reveal we’ve been waiting to show you for more than a month.
That’s right, what used to be the yellow room is now…the GREEN room. Or the yellow-green room. Or the Churlish Green room, if you want to get technical. Allow me to explain how we came to this color for our beloved family room.
The Process of Picking This Paint Color
Working in the world that I do and seeing so much decor on a daily basis, I think I got really burnt out by thinking about what colors in this home would appeal to the majority of our readers. Perhaps when you try to please everyone, you lose track of your individuality (what a wild concept…).
I’ve always been a curious person, willing to try just about anything. So why did I feel so inclined to play it safe at home, when I I already knew I don’t get much joy from a design unless I’m taking at least a bit of a risk?
I’ve always been a curious person, willing to try just about anything. So why did I feel so inclined to play it safe at home, when I I already knew I don’t get much joy from a design unless I’m taking at least a bit of a risk?
That framework is ultimately what led us to the color we chose for the yellow room: Churlish Green by Farrow & Ball. It’s a little risky but also deeply classic and familiar; decidedly green but with a heavy-handed dose of yellow to it; earthy without being too muddy; subdued enough to hold space for bolder accent colors.
We started off by adding the color to the walls only. We lived with that look for a little while, but ultimately the contrasting ceiling made the room feel smaller, so we decided to paint it green too (pictured below). We lived with that look for about two weeks, eventually deciding that the white trim in contrast with the green room felt a bit dated. So we followed suit with the rest of the house and painted the trim the same color, like the peach room, but in a full gloss finish. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error (and time) before you get to your final result!
How I Stopped Second-Guessing My Choice
When I showed our design consultant, Anne McDonald, the swatch amongst a sea of greens, she was a bit shocked. I had originally chosen Churlish Green as the color for our cabinets, and she called it “a bit out of left field” considering it was not quite yellow but not quite green at the same time. Would it look muddy? Would it play well with other colors? With other materials? With the tone of our flooring? We decided to test out a sample, and when we put it on the wall and started to look at the decor we were going to use within the room, we both grew to love the color in the space.
And then a little later on, when I got cold feet, Anne pointed out that I’d kept coming back to that swatch, over and over again. She said I shouldn’t discount that it continued to speak to me.
I kept coming back to this yellow-green color because it reminded me of being outside. It reminded me of being in Oxford in the spring. It reminded me of juicy ripe pairs, of melon, of the smell of cyprus lemon. It was emotionally and visually interesting, even if the idea of putting it all over one of the larger rooms in our home scared me.
When I reflected on it, I realized I kept coming back to this yellow-green color because it reminded me of being outside. It reminded me of being in Oxford in the spring. It reminded me of juicy ripe pairs, of melon, of the smell of cyprus lemon. It was emotionally and visually interesting, even if the idea of putting it all over one of the larger rooms in our home scared me.
It’s distinctly ours. An exciting color to play with. And a challenge I’m excited to take on.
Our Upcoming Design Plans for This Space
Joe and I have made all the decor decisions in this home ourselves, with a bit of help from Anne. Now that the room is painted, our next step is to finalize the design structure. We’ll be working on the layout of the room and deciding the direction we want to go in terms of the larger design of the space.
This space ultimately acts as our family room, and that’s the perspective from which all of our design decisions will be made. This room is where we relax, watch T.V., and do puzzles. It’s where we unwind at the end of the day, and I want the furnishings and decor to be a reflection of that.
Looking at the space, we decided we needed a really big sectional, and we’ll be purchasing a big velvet green sofa as the primary seating option. We’ll bring in a giant rug in a bright tomato red that will have a lot of energy and that will play up the color in the room. It’s unexpected, but these elements should work really well together. We’ll also bring in a giant light fixture in a natural material as the focal point at the top of the room.
And I know what you may be thinking, but I promise the design won’t feel “Christmas-y.” The green has so many yellow tones and the rug will have a lot of orange and brown in it, so the colors will feel different than those traditionally associated with the holiday.
Because we’ll be using it so widely, green will act as our “neutral” in this space, and we’ll still add pops of color on top of it. I think it’ll ultimately be a really beautiful design.
We kept this reveal a secret because it was such a personal choice. In other rooms we’ve designed, I’ve had a really clear vision of what I wanted. In this room, I felt like there were five different options that would have each been beautiful in their own way. I love imagining it in lavender. In light dusty blue. In a lovely warm cream.
In the end, if you take away anything from following this journey, I hope it’s that using color in such a bold way will always feel a little scary. It requires you to take a leap of faith, trust your vision, and see it through to the end.
In the end, if you take away anything from following this journey, I hope it’s that using color in such a bold way will always feel a little scary at first. It requires you to take a leap of faith, trust your vision, and see it through to the end.
We’re in the messy middle of this renovation, specifically when it comes to this room. I’m excited to be embracing the notion of following my heart, even if it takes me to unexpected paint color choices. After all, the heart wants what the heart wants!
Kate Arends
Kate is currently learning to play the Ukulele, much to the despair of her husband, kids, and dog. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.
