I knew it was going to be hard to pick a color.
While I've done my fair share of paint-color-picking, I've never been in the position of having to get two children to agree on a color.
It is not the easiest thing ever.
Sonia and Zoe, having never been responsible for picking out paint colors before, were naturally drawn to some very loud, saturated shades of blue.
That is NOT MY THING AT ALL, but since I try really, really hard to let my kids have a big say in decorating their spaces, we trotted off to Home Depot yesterday and brought home three bright blue samples.
I thought they would look sort of...Caribbean. Which is not my thing, but whatever.
Instead, it was worse.
It looked like I slapped painter's tape up all over the walls.
No, just no.
Plus, we could tell that the saturated, dark nature of the colors was going to make their space feel small.
(And this was after I talked them down a shade or two from their initial chosen colors!)
So.
We went back to Home Depot and came home with two shades of light greenish blue, which were a marked improvement.
However, one kid felt that they were really TOO green.
Cue sad trombone, because at this point, I'd already spent half my day on this and gotten nowhere.
So.
We went back to Home Depot for a third time that day.
When we got there, the color machine was being reimaged and updated. Because of course.
I was not having a super good attitude by this time.
I mean, I knew it was silly to get upset about this because hello, it's a very first world problem.
"Waaah! I'm having to get in my car multiple times to drive to a nice, modern store where I will get small jars of custom mixed paint to use in a not-at-all-necessary-for-survival project in my safe, insulated, heated, and cooled home. My life is obviously full of pain."
But even after I thought about that, I still felt crabby.
(Keepin' it real, here.)
Anyhoo, we bought two additional cans of sample paint, this time in a more turquoise shade.
So now we are down to two paint colors, and neither kiddo wants to budge at the moment.
Colors are difficult to represent accurately, especially when you take photos at the end of the day, but here you go.
This one is Aspiring Blue, which is a slightly gray/green shade, and is more subtle.
And the other is this turquoise color, which is more saturated.
Actually, a better contrast between the two is here. Look to the right of the fish tank...the lower color there is the Aspiring Blue, while the one right above is is the turquoise.
While none of us other four household members would pick any of these colors, Mr. FG, Joshua, Lisey and I all prefer the more subtle shade.
So, now we have to figure out what to do. The two colors obviously do not match well enough for a compromise (two walls in one, two walls in the other!), so I think we have to just make a decision.
The problem is that one kid wants BRIGHT AND COLORFUL and the other thinks that a more subtle color will be more classy and sophisticated.
I do think that the subtle shade is something that they would still love in their teen years, and since ⅚ of us prefer it, I'm inclined to go with that. Also, it looks far more colorful and fun when it's not right next to the bright turquoise.
Aaaand it matches the rest of the house better.
But I do feel bad for the ⅙ of us who likes the turquoise so I hesitate to make a decision.
Oof.
So, um, I guess stay tuned to find out what happens!
Here are two ideas. One is that you can go with the lighter shade and do an accent wall in a really saturated bright color--we've done that in our house. Or, you could go with the lighter shade and let the other daughter pick a bright accent piece for the room--like a big picture with fabulous color. 🙂
That was my idea, too....can the compromiser have her vote on new comforter/quilt/duvet cover? Or curtains. Or accent pillow/lamp shade/rug....lots of less painful and less permanent ways to get some bright colors into her life. Says the woman with the turquoise living room/orange kitchen house.
My impression is that you still have some of the sample. Could you paint something else with it, like a chair or some picture frames, which would allow that kid to have her color without it being on the walls?
Similar to the above-- let the outvoted one choose some other decor to feel represented, but let her come up with some ideas of which types of decor she wants to choose. Maybe a chair wouldn't mean much to her but curtains would, ffor example. Good luck!
I was thinking the same as the above comments. Painting mostly the lighter shade and making some accents. Like frames, shelves, maybe make a pillow or blanket. A denim rag quilt would be a good idea. You might be able to find someone w old jeans...and pickup a couple teal/turquoise/green jeans from a thrift store.
The fourth color from the left looks like a combination of the other two colors. Maybe ask what they think about that color to compromise. That color is similar to my room...I was going for a beach feel. I have to say that it IS a bit bright for me. I had brought home the sample from Sherwin Williams and loved it but once it was on all four walls it was bright! Good luck.
Have you tired mixing those two colors together to see what it looks like, and if they're both more inclined to like it?
That's what I was thinking...mix them together and see what comes out : )
How about telling them you're going to paint the room dove gray (or some other color you like and they'd hate) unless they agree on a color?
Ooh, dove gray with turquoise accents would be beautiful!
Don't tempt me...
It's a serious suggestion - give them an unwelcome alternative to encourage some cooperation. Even if what they agree to is flipping a coin.
Or maybe they'd like dove gray with turq. accents.
You could also just sit on it for a week. With all those colors on the wall, maybe they'll come around to a compromise naturally if there's no pressure to pick immediately?
I hoped overnight would do the trick but nope. This morning they still both strongly like their color. 😉
I like them both, but I can see how using one as an accent wall is NOT going to work. I'll echo the crowd and say to let she-who-is-outvoted pick some accent colors or pieces. OR put a deadline on this color and let she-who-is-outvoted pick the next one. "We are going for color A right now, but in two years we will repaint again and go with the color of your choice." (Because every room needs a makeover every two years :p jk)
All of this reminds me of my "purple" childhood room. Remember it? The color I let my mom talk me into was so awful I covered it with posters so it could not be seen. Glad you are giving your girls more time and voice in the decision!
I have always been one of the "colorful" people and the rest of the world is not. Explain that in the long-term, subtle colors are best because you have more freedom with decorations - wall hangings, shelves, accents that won't clash with the main wall color. Freedom of expression.
Liking the 5th one from the door. Good luck with your choice....
We had this problem with our two daughters. One wanted purple, and one wanted pink.
We ended up doing both colors like this:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/300193131388813169/
It was a happy compromise. 🙂
That is very cool! I like that. 🙂
We're about to redo one of the kids' bedrooms to combine it for the baby and the 5-year-old. I know the 5-year-old wants a bunk bed, and he isn't going to get it (because he likes to jump off furniture). I think I'm not even going to let him know that it's possible to choose paint colors, because then the whole room will be army green camo!
Wow, you've got waaaaaay more patience than me!! First, I HATE to paint and, second, I am not one to go back and forth at the store, so my kid would have had to pick right there, at the store, and too bad so sad if once home it's not the right shade. I guess my kids won't be too happy the day they decide they want their rooms painted, oops!
Go for you for being so patient!
Maybe go opposite on the color wheel for a contrasting color, and then let them decorate in their blue and green colors?
I have been the sibling that got outvoted and it isn't fun. Wall color is a pretty big deal because its not like you're going to paint it again any time soon.
So, I'm guessing it's Zoe who wants the loud color, and Sonia who wants the more subtle color? 😉
What a predicament! Being on the losing end of the choice would be no fun. 🙁 Can she get to choose the bedding as that will be the other star of the room color-wise?
You have lots of good suggestions. I was wondering if you could paint the inside of the closet the turquoise color or if there is another small area of the house where you could let your turquoise girl enjoy her color selection--maybe the space under the basement stairs .... like you, I have a small house and I have to be creative in my thought processes. If you choose the closet, I would also suggest letting her pick out wall stickers and put them up any which way she chooses in the closet so she feels like she has a voice in the decision. Although I admit, if I were to do it, I would go with William B's dove gray idea ...
Another idea: is there another space you could paint the other color, such as closet or bathroom?
Sorry, Kris, about apparently stealing your comment. I didn't reread the comments before posting.
Great minds think alike .... 😉
There are four walls in the room. Let each girl have a wall. From here the colors look pretty good together. The rest of the room could be neutral. Otherwise, I like what Melissa did from that pintrest photo. It would be a bit more work but worth it in the end. You could also do that with just one wall and keep the other three neutral. Just a thought.
I have re-thought my response. You will find yourself in a "who is the winner and who is the loser" scenario and I would avoid that--I would pick a neutral color and incorporate both girl's color choices as accents. The hard feelings that could potentially come out of this will last a loooong time.
I agree - or maybe pick a neutral color and do stripes around the room in both colors? My daughter did that in one of her apartments and it actually looked pretty good.
This is a great idea. You want to encourage compromise with siblings. Setting up a winner/loser dynamic with something as longstanding as wall color is going to show up in their fights from now until forever.
There's always rock, paper, scissors! 🙂 Good luck!
I vote for trying to combine the two colors.
Or..............would the girls be up for a blog reader poll and agree that whatever color the readers pick wins??
Two of my grandchildren had this problem. One wanted GREEN the other blue. Their mother and I went to the paint store and picked swatches of both colors, finding ones that would be compatible. We limited the choices to 3, then asked the kids which combined 2 they liked. You could take the 2 colors the girls have selected then see if you find a replacement for one that is similar, but will not clash with the other. My grandkids did make a choice. Bold green and deep sea blue, 2 adjacent walls each. Looks great.
If you aren't going to pick both colors then I don't think you can pick either. It's not fair to either child. I don't see why you wouldn't though, it's their room so what if it's ugly--pretty sure my master bedroom is painted very close to those two colors by the way. My mom thought it was hideous when we were painting but I finished it with black and white accents and it's very French. Personally, what I would do is paint the walls a white and use the two colors to paint a variety of overlapping squares around the room. Then you get in both colors in a fun way but your aesthetic sense isn't bothered.
I agree. Since they share the room, it's not fair for one to get their color and not the other regardless of what the rest of the household wants. I would simply tell them that if they can't agree on a color (or you agree to paint in two different colors) that you won't paint the room at all. I know you've already painted some in there, but they can just live with that for a while and then maybe they'll reach a compromise.
I went through this last fall with my son. He wanted his room grey and it was really hard to find a good shade. So many of the shades looked purple. I planned on spending a 3 day weekend painting and instead it took the weekend to find a color.
And that's what's frustrating, right? When your expectations don't like up with reality.
I did expect to have to try a few colors, because I almost always do. But I did not expect it to be this much of a hassle.
Three walls of dove gray. One wall of tall alternating stripes 😉
I think giving kids choices over their lives as they grow up is very important and training for life. But the choices have to be real. If you tell them to choose but then you adjudicate then there will be a winner and a loser and the loser will lose trust in you and in the process of these so-called choices.
The winner may end up feeling smug and lord it over the other one. Who knows, but this is a false choice. Also, while 5/6 in the house like, the truth is the colour is for their room and that is 1/2 like it and 1/2 don't like it.
I would encourage you to get them to look at a different colour altogether. They can't agree on a blue shade, so ok is there another colour they both like they can find a shade they agree on? Maybe they'll end up with yellow or gray. Who knows, but right you're at an impasse. And if you are giving them a choice, them move through and find a different solution. Don't try harder, try differently is what I say.
Rather than grey as commented earlier, you could also consider telling them that if they can't agree on a colour, then it will be white or whatever neutral colour you have in the common areas of the house and they can choose decorations.
Another idea: go to the ReStore and choose a paint from what is available. I find sometimes that unfettered choice is too much, it's easier to choose among a few options.
All this to say, since you already started with a process, rather than focus on the product (finished walls), think of the process and you'll likely to find something that works. Good luck!
Yes. I tried to remind myself that I didn't waste my whole day yesterday, I was just, um, finding out what wasn't going to work.
It helped a teensy weensy bit.
When asked about the 10,000 tries and still no lightbulb, Thomas Edison replied“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Yep. I found 7 colors that won't work. =P
Only 9,993 to go!
Let's just say I'm not as patient as Thomas Edison. 😉
I agree with Carla's analysis. Wall colour is usually a big deal for kids (even big kids, ahem), and there has to be a fairer way to get past the disagreement than having one win and one lose!
Yes. The more I think about it, the more I agree with this train of thought. So, I have a new plan in place for tomorrow to work out a compromise and we shall see how it flies!
I think it's unfair for one child to be the winner and one a loser. I say one wall of cream or a neutral and one walk each of each color. Just because one is the only child who likes bright colors doesn't mean she should be the one to compromise. Aso, a shared room does not mean matching things. For years my sister and I shared a room, with different bedspreads and such and it worked fine....well, even.
So my second suggestion is neutral walls that allow each girl to choose her own color and accents. Realizing that one may choose tye dye spread and one may choose black for all you know.
You are waaaaay more relaxed (aka nice) than I was as a mother. Really! And the driving back and forth? That is sooo not me. It will take you a week to figure this out. It would take me (as a NON shopper) a month. You're a great mom. Keep up the great work!!!!
I am sososososososo not a shopper. Which is why this was making me crabby. I hate going out, I hate shopping, and this felt very unnecessary. I'm not a maximizer, so if it's close enough, I just go with it!
You could do a coin toss, 2 out of three wins. In this case I would choose to paint a neutral white to solve the problem and then let each girl pick "her" color for her bedspread, chair and so on.
You could use the more subtle color on the walls but get new bedding for the "loser" in her choice of bright and bold, or as others said, in a piece of furniture, picture, rug or something that is more color adventurous. My husband and I have this problem, I love color but have toned it down for him and added color punch with accessories.
Going with the pink and purple picture from another commenter, how about a neutral on top and then the two different colors below the chair rail on two walls each? Maybe then the brighter color would not be as bright.
LOL. This story is just so adorable. I love your writing style and your summary of the way this is a first world problem. Looks like you have already received plenty of great suggestions on how to resolve this issue! But in defense of the dark blue! - it looks like painter's tape because you painted it in a line the width of painter's tape exactly where you would PUT painter's tape. You did not set that color up for success. 😉 That is to say nothing of the other problems associated with the darker colors... 🙂
I'd agree with you except that the larger sections on the wall also looked like painter's tape! It wasn't just that narrow strip. 😉
I'm torn. I like brights, so I'm definitely with the 1/6, not the 5/6 here, but I think you have a lose/lose situation brewing. I suggest the following options:
1. Take the two disputed colors off the table. Make them pick a new, different color. Try peachy orange or sunny yellow.
2. Paint the whole room a nice neutral, pale grey or tan. Then go to the fabric store and let each girl choose some fabric to hang on the wall. Just tack it to the wall and let it hang down. Let each girl choose a fabric they love then hang behind their beds where they can enjoy their own individual pop of color am pattern.
3. Paint the room the color that the 5/6 like and let the 1/6 live in a pup tent so she won't have to look at it. J/K!!
4. Point out to them that it's technically your house, so if they can agree, then you will pick. Learning to live with disappointment and the consequences of your choices or lack there of is not a bad lesson to learn, either.
Here's a fun idea for your walls using fabric! http://missmustardseed.com/2014/06/old-army-wives-trick-starching-fabric-walls/
Do both colors!! I did diagonal striped walls with those two colors when I was in high school (the stripe was a raspberry and so was the inside of my closet). I alternated the light color and the dark color on top. It took a lot of work and loved it (still do). Maybe have 2 walls one color and 2 the other. They don't look like they clash to me. If they don't agree I would not pick one color over the other.
Choose a completely different agreed upon color(s) and go with that. If one picks a blue and the other picks a more neutral or something like that too. I love accent walls! This is the time for them to be wild and creative before they grow up and have to fit a certain mold.
If you do both colors than neither loses and neither color is too overwhelming.
I think I would lose my mind if I tried to paint stripes. I am SO not a detail person, and that would probably make me completely lose patience with this project! Ha.
This is a hard one! I remember years ago my daughter chose pink and green for her room
Maybe they can compromise on the color right above the fish tank. To me, it looks like a
combination of the turquoise and the blue green. Then they can use their own color accents
on their own side of the room.
Interesting. We redid a bathroom and my daughter chose a very saturated blue-green color for the room but it works! The contrast to the white cabinets and fixture is very nice. It doesn't make the bathroom seem too small at all.
What about finding a shade in between the two? Or painting two walls one color and two walls the other color--they seem pretty compatible. Or how about adding a chair rail and painting stripes (sorry!) up to the rail with a neutral color above?
I painted my bathroom a VERY saturated blue color. Everyone thought that I was crazy. I haven't had a chance to paint my cabinet white yet, but my accents are all white and yellow (rubber ducky theme). It really does make up for the saturated color, and it looks great!
Well, I know someone else has probably already said this, but when she gets her own house, she will be able to paint the walls ANY color she wants. OR, you could just leave like it is until they agree...
And I told her that when older siblings move out, she'll probably get her own room (and her own paint color choice too!)
Is there something else that they can agree on? I recently painted my daughter's room. I wanted a color that could be girly enough for her, and still neutral enough to transition it into a boy's room in a couple of years if we choose. So I picked a reasonably neutral looking blue, and put up butterfly and flower wall stickers all over. It looks great, and it won't be expensive or time consuming to switch it to something new if she wants it or we choose to move her brother in there in a couple of years.
So what about choosing a theme of some sort, you pick the wall color (I'd scrap blue all together if you think that there would be an eventual fight over who actually "won" the color argument), and let them go to town on other aspects of decoration.
Forgive me for not reading the first 50 comments before making mine. Did you consider giving the 1/6 a furniture piece in turquoise?
I haven't offered up that option yet...but we do have a nightstand I could paint that color.
I'd suggest painting the walls the lighter colour and then painting the door to their room the bright colour. Or you could paint the bed the brighter blue 🙂
Our neighbours just repainted their house with grey walls and it looks really awesome. I saw someone mentioned that idea. If you then did the furniture in the shades of blue, the room will stay neutral and modern and the furniture will be fun and youthful. If you choose the shades of blue from the same strip, you know they will be complimentary in the room.
All the best! Attempting to paint my kids' furniture these holidays.
My soon to be 18 year old daughter selected a very loud shade of blue for her bedroom 5 years ago- I never liked it and thought it made her room feel like an ugly cave. This past spring she fell in love with a lavender bedspread which obviously wouldn't look great with the blue walls so we agreed to paint (although her Dad wasn't thrilled with this decision). She selected a gray paint and we painted her room- the gray looks awesome with her black platform bed and bookshelves. I can't imagine trying to get 2 girls to agree on a color- best of luck to you!!
I really, really love the way gray makes a neutral background for whatever else you want to put in the room. I painted Joshua's room gray last summer at his request and it just looks great!
We're going through the same thing right now. (My 2 are teenagers on top of it). Got them to agree on a blue-gray theme and sent the one off to camp for 4 weeks! The one at home chose 2 colors with my guidance and we got samples and surprisingly we liked the darker one. That will make the one at camp happy. The key now is having it completely finished before she gets back.
I agree that you can't have the "loser" hating her bedroom for the next five years. I am all for mixing the two paints together. If it's too crazy a color, tell them to live with it for a year. Then if they they choose another color TOGETHER you will consider it.. When they are older they will realize this isn't a life-changing decision. But they will always remember how it went down and who got what she wanted and who didn't.