SOMETHING THAT REALLY GRINDS MY GEARS (~A RANT POST~)
I have a deep appreciation for old things. Buildings, objects, stories, history…the list goes on and on. So naturally, I am a part of a Facebook group called “This Old Home”. I live in an old home and love old homes, so it makes total sense. In this group, people look for tips and advice on arising issues and upcoming projects within their own four walls.
The problem with this? Literally anyone with access to the internet can share their thoughts and opinions on the matters at hand. The internet is great for a lot of things, but it can also open the door to a lot of negative (and also oblivious and uneducated) feedback.
Case in point, I saw a post today looking for some help regarding choosing an exterior paint color. Within the post I see a reference photo of the home in question. I’m looking at a 150 y/o± white colonial house, with a brick addition. The owners were thinking about choosing a different exterior paint color, possibly a shade of brown. They weren’t even really asking for opinions on the color itself, but rather seeking someone with AI knowledge to create a rendering for them to visualize what that might look like.
The comments…oh, the comments.
“NO! NOT BROWN!”
“Keep the white.”
“If you go brown it will look like a turd, two houses in my neighborhood were recently painted brown and they look like turds.”
“How about blue?”
“White and only white, and add black shutters.”
The more I read, the more frustrated I became. These folks…with no design, color theory, or architectural experience loosing their marbles about BROWN! God forbid…
My first thought was….I like brown. Did I comment that? No I did not.
My next thought was…there is a good way to do brown, and then there is a way that I would not recommend (and I’m not even going to say it’s the WRONG way).
Here’s my theory…we all have our own style. If you want that warm-toned, true brownie brown… yeah, it might look a little poopy to the rest of us…but if that’s what you want, go for it.
Brown is not inherently bad just because it happens to be the color of most normal stool; brown is also the color of soil, animals, shrubs, and other earthly features. When analyzing the color, it can also be many different tones: cool- or grey-toned brown (like taupe), yellow- or green-toned brown (like what I used to paint my living room built-ins: Sherwin Williams Chatroom), or even a purple-toned brown (which is gorgeous imho).
My point is…instead of sharing unhelpful, negative opinions…why don’t we share suggestions on how to do things the right way? If the world was all black and white, we would be bored out of our minds. Color is a good thing, and if someone wants brown, goddamn it I will help you do brown! All color is good color, and despite what we have been led to believe, color plays a very important role in human happiness. Colors do emote emotion you know!
Final point in my rant, consult a professional if you are looking for guidance on how to use color in the way you are looking for, and don’t shy away from using it. In psychological studies, color can directly correlate to the release of happiness hormones, and what better way to make your home yours then to use the colors that YOU want (regardless of what Nancy from Kansas thinks).
Thank you for listening to my rant about why we need color, and please share this post with whoever needs to hear it!
