On Wall Coloring

I was visiting with my friend today, and I just LOVE her apartment. She lives in a wonderful condo on the Oakland hills, with a magnificent view of the whole Bay, Bridge to Bridge. However, the thing I absolutely ADORE among all others is the fact she painted her living room walls RED. They are fantastic, rich, I always feel like I can try and lick them, and they'll taste like cherries and wine... not like I would actually lick my friend's walls, but you get the idea. In any case, I was complimenting her color choice and complaining because my husband has vetoed my wall color palette, which included a “brothel red” wall in the bedroom, at least a red wall in the living room, and an entirely blood-red dining room. I DO think I used adjectives like "stubborn", "boring" and “unimaginative”.

What I am actually blogging on today is what she said to me afterwards: "My husband knows better than to put up a fight with me over house décor- he knows he needs to pick his battles". Simple, lapidary, effective- this is the reason she's one of my best friends!

Not all husbands necessarily know how to do that, and although I think mine is quite skilled, he is still learning certain things. For example he knows how to tolerate my back-seat driving without yelling at me (like I would), and he knows better than to move things around the kitchens in spaces that have not been pre-approved by Her Majesty Royal Pain In the Butt (yes, that’s me). But house décor is still something he cannot let go. He is not persuaded that watching “Trading Spaces” and “Flip That House” is entitling me to be Chief Decoration Officer at home. He is not even persuaded that I DO hold the position of Chief Styling Officer, too, after watching way too many episodes of “What Not To Wear”- although he does wear the things I buy him, and doesn’t complain too much about the things I will not allow him to wear. (Yes, TLC is my favorite channel). So, he is still trying to battle me on the grounds of home furnishing. As my friend has wisely stated, he has not mastered the technique of choosing his battles. Yet.