I Love a Mexican Fiesta as Much as Anyone but. .

When I found my apartment on Craigslist I was instantly attracted to the orange walls in the kitchen, not to mention the fact that it had a pantry, two porches and a china cabinet. It was exactly what I wanted in the neighborhood I wanted at a price that we could afford. The apartment was great, although it needed to be repainted. I painted the two front rooms before we moved in, thinking that I'd get to the bedrooms eventually (I painted them this summer) but that I'd never repaint the kitchen because orange walls are really fun and awesome.

I changed my mind. While the orange was novel and sunny and bright for a while it began to grate on my aesthetic sensibilities. Not only was it like Mexican fiesta all the time (helped by the Mexican oilcloth) but the transition from the soft green middle room to the school-bus yellow kitchen really irked me. Plus I needed a change. Other things in the house (and in my life) had been recently rearranged and it felt like appropriate timing. So in a weekend I went from Velveeta to Benjamin Moore Vanilla Ice cream. Although it comes across as a little bland on film I'm happy with my mini kitchen makeover- the kitchen feels larger, airier and calmer. And with my tablecloth selection and colorful dishes I have no lack of color. Now I'm thinking about repainting the front living room this summer because the white I chose is too close to the color of the white trim. Stay tuned, ha ha!

Before:



After (yes, strangely crooked):