Wow Lisa, I remember your room from waaay back! Arranging around your grandmother's painting(s). Haven't read all the threads, just jumped into one of my favorite colors! : ) Maybe I can sell you my Smokey Amethyst : )

Anyway, not sure how deep you're wanting the color. A real purple would surely pull a lot of light from your rooms. Here are a couple of lighter types and then a darker one. You might be able to paint the back of your bookcases plum to get the purple and then go lighter on the wall.

I would most definitely do what you love! and personally I think it looks great : ) Not un-grown up to me.

Soft white woodwork:

Creamier woodwork (came out a bit yellow):

Plum-backed bookcases and different tone to the lavendar and a bit lighter:

Same color, with woodwork painted off-white:

Dark:

Dark with creamy woodwork:

Did you try googling purple room and hitting Images, Lisa? There are lots of purple rooms pictured. Most are bedrooms, but a few are living rooms. It could help to give you an idea, at least of some of the different shades and how they look.

I think if there's quite a bit of red in the purple it can look lively, but if there's not much red and it tends toward grey, it would deffinitely be cool -- and possibly gloomy.

Over the years I've noticed firsthand that when surrounded by warmer colors people tend to open up and get chatty. When surrounded by cooler tones, people can tend to clam up and things can get more awkward. That's just my observation, for what it's worth.

I was going to toss in my purple bathroom but forgot it was in the gallery and Lynn already linked to that. ;)

I thought the purple would close it in (our smallest bath and it has no window), but it didn't. It's been that color for 4 or 5 years and I'm ready for a change, but I've enjoyed it while it's there ;D With the color I chose I thought I'd have trouble with accent colors but I found that a nice range of colors work with in including creams, taupes, whites, olives, grays and buttery golds.

It's only paint, as pesky said, if it makes you smile, go for it!

I really like that smokey amethyst!

"If you want purple go for it. If you don't like it, just paint it but at least you will know that you tried it". That is my way of thinking. I have had light mauve, eggplant, dark mauve, darker mauve and now I have a green. Each time I painted I was very happy, until I tired of the colour. We just repainted 2006 and I will live with it for awhile. I have a contemporary-country style I guess you would say. Here is a link if you want to see the different colours used.
As for being insane. One year I tried something very strange. It didn't last but it was fun while I was doing it.
Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Purple

I like the smoky amethyst, too! Go for it -- life is too short for white walls or "safe" wall colors (which is why I have a pumpkin accent wall in my dining room --- orange is my favorite color and it makes me happy every day I see it!)

Hi,

I honestly think the curtains are holding you back. Change them out for something less heavy and busy and open them up and use a sheer if you need privacy.

After that I think you can consider purple. I like the wall color now but you can bring purple in in accessories and pillows.

OK I take back some of my cautionary words. I do like the smokey amethyst.. and I think I'd like the darker color even more wih light colored curtains.

I had also thought about suggesting painting the back of the shelves but the room is a little narrow for that. I'd want to see a picture from the door..but I think it might be "too much". However, if you do go with the amethyst or another color,I might consider a neutral color to back the shelves-- perhaps even your mustard/taupe.

Thank you everybody!!! I really, really appreciate it!! I have to tell you, I was so excited about all your answers, that I sat outside our library in the dark and "borrowed" their wireless last night until I was afraid someone was going to come knock on my window :) I haven't had internet set up at home yet and I couldn't wait until this morning to log in :) ....and then this morning I was tied up restoring my office-mates computer. We came in this morning and it just died. Ugh. Windows....

Squirrelheaven, thank you, thank you, thank you. A visual really does help. I do like the Smokey Amethyst (who makes it?). I was perusing the Benjamin Moore colors and I also like the Amethyst Cream (2071-50). Last night in the dark Wild Orchid looked wonderful...but in the light of day I re-thought that :). I love, love, love the dark color you used, but I'm afraid I would really think I lived in a cave then!

Does this look too much like a bedroom? The more I look at it the more it says "bedroom".

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This is a room I saw yesterday....

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I think the suggestions for lightening up the drapes will be good too. I do actually have white sheers behind them, but at night they do nothing for privacy :)

I need to reread all your suggestions, but I'd better get back to work :)

Thanks for your help...I'm open to more :)

Lisa

No, you're not crazy at all. Teacats already mentioned (with some sweet compliments, thank you! although calling me a "designer" is perhaps stretching the truth a wee tad) the living room in my previous house, which was indeed painted with Benjamin Moore Wet Concrete. It was not pastel or twee at all, the tan and gray undertones to it made it a very grown-up color. It behaved surprisingly neutrally with all the colors we threw at it - oranges, blues, greens, yellows, browns, red, you name it! The room was quite dark most of the time, only getting a good amount of natural light for about two hours on sunny afternoons, which was when I tried to take my photos, the rest of the time we kept at least one lamp on all the time. People were always very comfortable in our LR, and I even had people saying "you know, normally I hate purple, but I really like this!" The room was only 12x12 and light colors did jack for making it "look bigger" (an optical illusion to which I seem to be immune) - a midtone really suited it very well.

Trim painted and most of my stuff stripped out for selling:

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Original trim and more stuff :-)

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(The curtains were not really that pink, they never ever photographed properly! They were mostly plum, brown, and green with a little rose on a cream background, but for some reason the rose always really came to the fore in photos. Everyone hated those curtains but me, can't tell you how many times I was told to throw them away and get something boring like beige linen. I'd be using them in this house but they don't fit the windows.)

The color did get richer at night, but the room did not get cavelike. This picture is from when we had the hardwood floors installed, finishing the cleanup at about 9pm:
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Ditto me on actually wanting to see the books and thinking the whole wrapping-in-matching-paper is an "interior designer trick" that is impractical and a bit silly. It reduces books from something useful and interesting to simple space-filler. IMO family photos do not belong in a bedroom unless you are celibate - who wants to be gettin' busy with Aunt Mildred staring at you?? If they're "disallowed" in a living room (a peculiarity some people have) a hallway or stairway is a good place to have a family photo gallery.

Lisa, I am so glad you are inspired to do what you most wanted! I like the happy purple you picked. It's breezy. If it's light enough for your room, I'd give it a shot in terms of getting a sample pot of it. You can always get it lightened later, if the first swatch is too dark.

A home is your home. the usual editing is a good tool to have, but a home should reflect the human(s) who lives inside of it. Not a budget or a decorator or a magazine rule. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but you know, when I see empty rooms like that, I am not impressed by someone's taste. I feel like I am in a furniture store. Anyone with the money to buy those things can do it...whereas true taste comes from the soul, and you gotta have someone you love enough to put out in the darn living room for that!

and a really good book, I might add:-) one that you can find... because it's not covered in paper. (no disrespect to the poster of these suggestions intended, it's more my reaction to a bunch of these rules lately!)

have fun and enjoy. Again, your bedroom was so pretty. Can't wait to see what you do with this room.

An option for the drapery situation, if you want to keep the florals, is to replace the sheers (which do jack for privacy, especially those polyester things) with a semitranslucent linen or cotton that allows filtered light to penetrate but doesn't show your doings to every Tom, Dick, and Ethel coming down the pike. Hang them with extra fullness for additional obscuring. Tie back the florals with a pretty ribbon so it's still there but isn't as overwhelming. Country Curtains carries a bunch of semisheer cottons; if you sew, linen can be had at excellent prices from Fabrics-Store.com. Both sites have free swatches for the asking. If you have an Ikea around, I've heard they have good ones too. No insult to those who love it but I find solid drapes, solid walls, solid (perhaps with a token item in a monochromatic pattern) furniture to be boring, boring, boring. I couldn't stand it.

It may just be my monitor, but the Amethyst Cream strikes me as just a little cutesy. I don't think any color is necessarily tied to any one room, so I don't think it looks like it has to go in a bedroom. If you don't mind painting, though, "it's only paint" and can always be changed. Probably a much smaller investment than buying all new curtains and accessories, as well, since I doubt with even with high quality paint you'd even spend $50 on paint and supplies for the whole room.

If they make you feel comfortable and happy, there is nothing - absolutely NOTHING! - wrong with a cozy, denlike, small room. Not everyone finds the "large, open and airy" atmosphere all that appealing, even though that's what we're pretty much told we're supposed to like, and when the space simply doesn't allow for that the attempt can look a bit ridiculous IMO.

As others have said, a truly grown-up room is one that reflects becoming more comfortable with who you actually are inside rather than doing what you're told and following rules (which is actually more childlike). It takes nerve and a certain level of maturity to put your foot down and say "I'm going to paint my living room purple and that's that!" I bought a couple of furniture sets because I had grown up with the message that that's what a successful adult had - and I HATED them! I discovered that I really did love the eclectic, accumulated-over-time look that I had been indoctrinated to dislike (who knew it would end up being in style, go figure). Especially if you are single and have absolutely no one to please but yourself, this is a great time to go for what you really love.

My friend had Behr color called Pussy Willow in her bathroom. I saw it as a light purple/tan but some people saw it differently.

You might want to take a look at that.

It's Behr (home depot) and it's not on a chip anymore, but they still have the formula and can show you the color on their thing behind the desk.

I'd suggest buying a small sample and then paint a board or something first. It's a great color, but doesn't look the same on a small chip. Not surprisingly!

I suggest you buy black-out cellular blinds or black out shades for privacy under the sheers and put the shades down at night.

Here's the Amethyst Cream. The swatch is under the bookshelves -- likely inaccurate, but that would go up very bright and intense I think. Tough on a room with non-contemporary furnishings : ) I blanked out the drapes with a light neutral as the color didn't mesh with them at all. The last two toned down versions are too bright, also, I think.

Squirrelheaven: Thank you. There's nothing like a visual to make me see the error of my ways :) You are so right, that first one is way too bright...and definitely cutesy! I kinda like the last one though.

The changing of the drapes really seems to help the feeling of the room too. I think the suggestion that I am really missing the light airy feeling I had before was absolutely correct. I'm drawn by dark colors, but I think this place is too small for that.

I'm going to further ruminate on this :) Did you give me the brand for the Smokey Amethyst? I'm going to check out the Wet Cement too. I really like the color in Johnmari's picture of her stairwall.

Does anyone want to come and just change it for me so I don't have to think about it anymore? :)

Thank you everyone for all your input. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into answering all my questions. My friends have heard all they ever want to hear about my decorating and have thrown up their hands in exasperation!

Lisa

Here's the color from the other pic, and a bit lighter as well.

I think the problem is the colors you're picking are bright and cheerful, contemporary, yet your furnishings are traditionally serious and muddy/gray-toned. It just doesn't work, lol. The current drapes are also grayed, so the bright, clear, fresh colors of the paint choices clash.

Your furnishings look in good shape, so I doubt you want to go modern on yourself! I guess you could slipcover in a white duck or something. Lots of light on the furniture vs. the walls would let you go darker. If you try to go more contemporary, I'd take the lace table cloth and drape it on the sofa or chair like a throw. That way you can still enjoy it but it won't date the room.

You can also bring purples into your accessories, esp Artwork. Doesn't have to be on the walls, which can be a lot to work with. You still have the contemporary/traditional clash to think about, though : ) I put an African Violet on the table, for example, which fits right in with what you have : ) Plums and lavendars would probably be toned down enough for your things.

I just mix colors here and don't use the paint programs. I'd try Mari's Wet Cement (or is that BM's :)

HTH! : )

This isn't bad, in a pastel. Then bring more of the purples in with your accessories. Picks up one of the tones in the drapes also. I like it : ) It's fresher and happier than what you have. If it were me, I'd do it : )

I feel if those drapes are staying, then the rose in teh drapes should be picked up on the wall instead with rose accessories.

But she likes purple! : ))

Like those last pastel ones. Then, if Lisa wants to, she can put up some simple linen drapes over a sheer, maybe get some slipcovers (duck was a great idea by Squirrel) and it would be crisp and light! Warm but with a modern clean feeling:-)

I think the antiques would be GREAT with those duck slipcovers and this latest wall color. A very updated eclectic room.

Those pieces look tough to fit though. Ballard's Vintage Chic sofa/slipcovers. You could pull something really nice together with your old vintage pieces. A sheer would really lighten things up, too.

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Squirrel, you're too much! LOVE it! love the white denim or duck and the dark pillows. that dark antique (mahogony?) is great against the purple. It's a really uplifting, clean kind of cottage feeling. did you put that fern in? it's perfect.

I love purple also and I love the last two pictures so much! I would get rid of those drapes and follow the decorating scheme of the two pics Squirrel designed including the slip covers for the sofa and the pillows. I love it!

Decorpas, the armoire is from her album, so hopefully that's actually in her house! She was trying to work with the artwork on a thread a ways back (someone had passed). Doesn't it look great in there : ) Lisa has some great stuff for a look like this.

I do worry about slipcovering the current brown set -- their lines, and actually finding something to fit. The other chair seems to work fine though : ) I'd just update and go for Ballard's Vintage Chic set! (Someone recently posted a sale and said their covers were great. They do look quite nice.) I do just love this type of sofa and style, though : )

Ze violet and fern are from my collection : )

They do seem to custom slipcover sweetly : ) Do you sew?

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that looks sweet,too! I do like Ballard's stuff. Are you thinking it might not fit because of the large roll of the furniture? That's her armoire? Wow! This is a great look! You know, since she likes a bit of cottagey home, (don't hurt me) but on the still taupe chair, she could possibly do a nice pattern-- let me look into a few.

Is this crazy? NO! It is crisp and homey, and even though it doesn't technically have the purple in it, it works...if she likes it (I'm thinking of her bedroom with that pretty embroidered cover).

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I came back to look at what was going on in here (my BF loves purple too). WOW squirrelheaven waves her magic wand again!! I really like the second one too Lisa, in the Amethyst Cream. Is that grayed down a little? I think the contrasting pillows and the African violet make it work.

ROFL now at some of my own comments, and reaction to them, not because I'm offended at all, because I was really trying to go for a more "grown up" style, but what do I know?

I actually have books (LOTS of them, no covers, everywhere), a lace table runner in my kitchen and family photos in the LR. So I can dish it out, but I can't take it, LOL. My furniture is whatever antiques (I use the term loosely) we either garbage picked, or what doesn't work for the rest of the family. LOTS of sentimental things.

My furniture is similar in style and color too, but it's finally falling apart so maybe next year I will get something smaller in scale, which would fit in more rooms. I have a tendency to move stuff around the house, much to my husband's delight, since it may involve him, LOL.

I have a smallish room with a dark pumpkin color on the walls, because I like orange :)

We have a bathroom off the LR (it must've been a closet)that has gray tile floors, and purple seemed the logical choice to ME for the walls and towels (in two different shades), since there are purple flowers around the mirror. Which I have learned here is called Gallery Glass, since its not really stained glass. My point is, dark orange is another accent color that you might consider, but that's going in a whole different direction.

decorpas~Is that fabric? Interesting colorway there. I also bring a little black into most every room, in picture frames or iron pieces, I like how that pattern has a little black in it.

Lisa~I did not mean to suggest that you should change your whole style. I only meant to suggest paring down to the essentials that you really love, and editing the clutter.

You have to really take THAT with a grain of salt, as I can't post anything until I put mine away, LOL.

Oooh I like the white couch so much better! The purple wall color will be pretty!

I think a soft lavender/amethyst/purple would be lovely. I also agree that the drapes should be changed to something lighter, no question. I would go with sheers. Because the room is small, I'd want to keep the window treatment as light as possible.

Thank you everyone!!!! I appreciate the comments and suggestions, and most importantly the encouragement.

I really like the concept of "cottagey". I think that does fit more what I feel like. The lightening up of everything I think will make a big difference. ....especially the curtains! I'm not too sure about the slipcovers. I love the look, but I hate dealing with them. I'm not very naturally neat and tidy and slipcovers tend to accentuate my sloppiness!

Squirrelheaven...you have surely saved me weeks and weeks of work! I love the composite...you are right on the nose, those all are my things...including the paintings from my grandmother. The armoire is a Duncan Phyffe china cabinet (matches the folded down table)...unfortunately it has to stay in the dining room. I have a ton of china waiting to go in it when I finally get this project finished. The dining room will end up probably being the same color since the rooms flow together. So it still works!

I've attached a link to a picture of my china: (sorry, I don't have any of my pics for this!) It's Royal Tettau Dresden Flowers. I never heard the family story, but I suspect it is from the turn of the century, from my grandmother's first marriage. I think I have the ring from her first marriage too. Her second marriage (my grandfather) unfortunately couldn't have afforded German china (or diamonds). :) I think the china is going to look tons better in this room too!

I am looking for some antiquey end tables and maybe a sideboard (for the tv) for that room. Long walls make for difficult furniture arrangements!

Little side story...the crocheted tablecloth? My mom rescued it from the hayloft in our barn. My parents used to board horses and one of their horse owners were letting their grandchildren play Superman with the tablecloth (can you imagine?!!) When the people left and took their horses, the tablecloth got left behind. Mom grabbed it up and set about getting out all the stains and fixing the holes. When Mom died and Dad was having us clean out stuff to make room for his new wife, that was one of the things I grabbed for me :) I have another one from my grandmother that is half done....I think all the squares are made, but they need to be put together. (Actually, it might be a table runner...) It's still packed in a box, but this is the one that I really love.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Like Lisa's China

Prairiegirlz,

LOL! You are so funny...Love your description of your home. I, too, break all rules, even the decorating ones:-)

I love your idea of the black and yes, that is fabric! I like how it brings a crispness and outdoorsy feeling to the room. very cottagey. the fabric is actually from Ballard's by the yard section, but I'm sure a similar look can be found a lot of places!

You made me laugh out loud...thanks!

Lisa,

your room is coming together so well and it is really touching how you're incorporating all of these pieces from your loved ones. I have a whole room that is all my grandma and my mom. I feel so good when I go in there! Of course, it's my sewing room/guest room. I love Squirrel's last few mock ups! can't wait to see what you do.

My favorite color has always been purple........in our last home my LR & BR were both purple. Now my bathroom is purple LOL........only room DH would let me do purple this time!!
Since your furniture is new I figure you might be keeping them so here are a few pic I found while 'googling' : )
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and some other rooms in purple
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HTH

This is a BM color called "Enchanted." This is a bedroom, but you can see how well it works with the brown trim. It look more washed out in these photos than it does IRL.

And here it is in the adjoining master bath next to black tile:

Sorry to see the slipcovers go! Is it skewing or the light color?

This would satisfy me as a purple lover! Rich purple/plum and lavendar/amethyst. Not so cottage-y, but the sofas have the wrong look there. Very nice and homey though : ) No need to put your favorite color on the walls : ) It can be brought in anywhere.

Looking back up, I see 'plum' is not what you like. Which, of course, is scrumptuous with your colors : ) This color seems to be kind of in between a purple and a plum, in my mind. These are from JCP. They're a thermal though, so maybe not the right fabric. A nice thick linen, pulled back in a romantic drape looks very pretty with your old things, I think.

Only thing about moving the crochet tablecloth is the color gets dingy, depending on the color of the white at the window. Looks great up against the purple though! Not so bad with this soft creamy sheer. It would be nice to expose some wood, too. It might be nice draped over the chair is what I was thinking, where the colors blend nicely.

I did repaint the woodwork to a softer, creamy white (not yellow).

that's pretty, squirrel! How close is this color to Eggplant? I saw the color in a house once and it was to die for. Sorry the pic is blurry.

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which brings me back to the ticking

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i'm kinda tricky like that.

yeah, I'm sorry to see the slipcovers go, too-- only because the brown/chocolate is harder to pull into cottage look. I've heard rumors that the newer slipcovers aren't as messy as the old ones, but don't quote me!

Not sure what you're asking, Decorpas, but the powder room looks like a 'light' eggplant to my mind. Eggplant gets so very deep, almost black even. But that's an eggplant type color to me : )

oh, my question wasn't explained-- the girl who owned that house told me she painted it "eggplant" so i was wondering if you thought of the drapes in that color family...Pale (sauteed?) Eggplant? I'm def for it-- it was so pretty IRL! and with the white and green....Yum.

I loved my purple DR. Sure, secretly I never felt that it looked like a 'grown up' room, otoh, secretly I never feel like a grown up :)

It was nearly impossible to photograph and get any sort of real approximation of its actual color, but this crop comes pretty close. It was a BM color that I picked out in the days that I could go to the paint store, spend 10 minutes looking at chips, and have them mix a color and be done with it.

Hi Lisa H,
I'm just chiming in to support you. I love purple, it's my favourite colour in the world. When I owned a house on my own, I painted my bedroom a nice voilet shade. White bedding, glittery silver light fixtures, sprigs of green....that room was my haven from the world. A couple bought my house last summer and the woman also loved purple - my bedroom had cinched the deal for her.

Alas, I have to compromise in my new home, so I'll be planting lots of purple flowers in my garden.

When it comes right down to it, isn't the whole point of decorating to affect how you feel? And if purple makes you happy, then you'll never be satisfied with beige! So I say GO FOR IT. Mira

Well, I am new to all of this, but I will tell you that Color can certainly guide your comfort level in a room..
Purple is a Very Royal Color.. It was once only for Royalty, and if it makes you feel good; then try it. I was looking at Purple too, although I had never thought of it before. I saw a Beautiful home which had sort of creamy Blonde walls with a Sage Green accent wall. The Purple Accents (a Lamp, Curtain with another color, flowers, pillow accents)-the style was very similar to yours. It was very Regal, yet cool and comfy at the same time.

squirrelheaven --------will you please give me a Link to all of your tools online? I love how you create and re-create the rooms. You obviously have a lot of class in your Maybe you can come to my home and help me! I am lost in EVERY room...
I'd appreciate it VERY much..
Thanks

I'm glad to see you are still working on this. I was on vacation last week and we were staying at a cabin in Lake Tahoe. The owner left lots of old decorating magazines around and while browsing through them there were not one, but two articles about decorating with purple. I was sorely temped to tear out the articles for you. Basically, though the focus was mostly in terms of wall color and then accents with pillow cushions, chair covers, etc. I really like the touches of lime green paired with it.

You know what's killing me in this room....the drapes. Not the flowers or the striped or anything else, but that they are off centered in the room. I'd love to see the rod stretch about a foot more over on that blank wall area (which will just make it look like the window is bigger) and it would balance that wall SOOO MUCH better ;)

hi--sorry i'm late to this, but i asked the same question last summer when i was finalizing paint colors for our new construction. i went with the purple and it's my favorite room!! here's a couple pictures. my paint is hyacinth from restoration hardware. good luck!

I haven't had a chance to come back here and say thank you for the extra encouragement. I really appreciate it. I haven't done anything yet, I had a situation pop up and I've had to pour all my extra time into it. A girl who I have been mentoring, her father died over Spring Break. He had been undergoing dialysis since the fall, but it didn't help. His death left basically three orphans, they have a mom, but she doesn't live here. I've stepped up to help the family who is taking over until the mom shows up. Whew, we've been busy.

The person who identified the drapes as the issue in the room...you are 100% correct. The longer I look at them, the more I know that is truly the problem. I've looked a couple of times for a white linen type drape. I think Pottery Barn might have a set. I want to go by and look at them. Whatever color I choose, I think white drapes might be the best choice.

Harrie: Your "Enchanted" paint looks very similar to my bedroom. I do love that color. It was my first room to paint and I still love it. I used "monet inspired" fabric for the drapes and I have a white "iron-style" bed with a white chenille bedspread. It's still the best choice I ever made.

I finally put up the rest of the curtains in the green bedroom. I need to make the bed (oops!) and take a picture of that room too. I love it almost as well. I'm still contemplating painting the rest of the walls green, but until I have a moment to breath, I'm calling that room mostly done.

Lisa

I also say gor for it ...

Here's my lavender bedroom:

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And the outside of my house ...

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I LOVE purple ... but I have kept it out of the rest of the house. Instead I used Cobalt, Teal and turquoise! :>)

Maggiepie, yothat's the best looking purple LR I've ever seen. Very refreshing change. I'll bet you get a lot of compliments on it?

I agree, great shade of purple maggiepie! Very airy! I grabbed a bunch of samples last time I was at RH, hope I grabbed that one ;D

I really like the artwork in your hyacinth living room. Can you tell me where you got the picture of the pussy willows and the one with the people walking with umbrellas and who the artists are?

Thanks!

By the way, I love your living room! One of the top 10 I've ever seen!