"I think it looks a little dull." Oh DO you, DH?? Do you REALLY! ffs

[SagaNorensLeatherTrousers]

Goddamnit.

So, DH and I have just bought a fixer-upper mid-terrace that needs a lot of TLC.

Since Day 1, DH has said he's stepping back when it comes to decorating. Ha bloody ha! They always say that, don't they?

So I have put a lot, and I mean A LOT of thought into colour schemes. Something warm, inviting, will not box in our tiny lounge, incorporates his style, my style, furniture we can't yet afford to replace, the dark wooden floors I really, really want (and persuaded him to save up for instead of the 1970's cheapo carpet he had in mind ), etc. etc.

I've spent hours on Pinterest, Houzz, and home decor blogs trying to get inspiration and insight into what we could paint our walls to turn it into the living room from which dreams are made.

I finally narrowed it down to some lovely, wispy grey Dulux colours and picked up the strips today to excitedly show DH.

His verdict? Dull.

Dull. Dull. Dull.

So, 'What did you have in mind, then?' I ask through gritted teeth. He doesn't "really know."

I explain going bold will shrink the room. Going neutral (beige, cream, taupe) is not us.

He agrees.

I show him Pinterest boards with my inspiration rooms pinned on. Bold pops of colour, floor pillows, walls with grey that look lush and fill me with glee.

Oh Christ I can't even be bothered to finish this rant. Basically he's back-peddled but the word DULL is ringing in my ears.

Back to the drawing board. Has anyone looked at grey paints lately and seen something with a blueish hue to it? I'm thinking if I can find a jazzed up grey it might conjure up a little enthusiasm on DH's behalf.

Hmm...maybe a pretty pear green would be nice.

I know myself and I worry that with a stronger colour on the wall, I will get too matchy-matchy trying to tie it all in. I am very much a beginner at this. Which is entirely obvious I am sure.

I would hate to end up with something like this :

Little Greene is officially IN the running. There are 3 stockists near me! Yes!

Feel your pain OP. While my DP has had it successfully hammered into his brain over 16 years that he does need to do an equal share of the housework, he will NEVER do DIY or house maintenance. I do it (or arrange it), and my reward for that is that I make a lot of the decisions. When presented with something he will often make this INFURIATING sound that is a bit like "eeerr..." mixed with "meh" and means 'hmm I'm not sure about that" but of course he does not have any better ideas. It makes me FUME.

I have learned to pre-empt it now, I say "Here is the colour I have picked, if you don't like it please tell me what you DO like or else we're going with this, and please don't make THAT noise."

Yes Lady!! It's alright to not like something but please, please tell me what YOU DO INDEED LIKE INSTEAD.

"I don't really know."

Oh, well that's helpful. Shall we go through every colour in the history of mankind, then?

BTW for your room I would either go bright - e.g. a moroccan-ish burnt orange, can make smallish rooms very vibrant and cosy - or grey, but a warm grey not a bluish one, and not at all dark.

Ha. DH mainly does "errr-meh" in our house too. With a cautious "it's a bit dark" thrown in occasionally.
And a weary sigh when I go ahead and do what I want anyway. And then decide it looks shit and change it

I'm re-focusing on green. Thoughts?

Our front room in this house was that colour when we moved in, but it didn't have a good effect - the kind of mossiness of it made it feel like being in a cave, which you don't want woth a small room (though it looks nice in that pic).

Brighter green?

I do like the brighter greens, actually. I do NOT want sage, moss, etc. I like Little Greene's Lemon Tree.

Also my mum and my SIL are Shabby Chic Goddesses so they are both hating anything I'm coming up with right now. Hahahaha!

I love green and off white. Pale shell like pinks are very easy surprisingly and look good with grey. I do like grey but it has to be right. Ultimately though go with what you love . I have been living with elephants breath though and am not keen on it so may be biased!

Drab but everyone likes it

I'm having trouble finding THE green I have in my mind. Not sage. But not yellow. Not too bright. Like biting into a nice juicy pear. Something that will look beautifully crisp next to white trim but not cartoony. Something that will go with pops of yellow, orange, red. Help? noddy?

Def nicer at the back with south facing light

I do find EB drab, actually, noddy so I'm with you on that. It's got a little too much brown in it for my liking.

Yes it looks better there!

Well, I love grey, but other options are:

beigey-pink, or just pink pink. I used F&B Dutch Pink for a room once, and really loved it. it looks good in natural light and good (though completely different) in artificial light. I love the colour of raw plaster, if you could get that in a paint colour it would be fab.

sunny pale yellow (not cream, a definite yellow) is a good option.

There is a paint called Candle by Marston and Langinger which looks great with white and pink/chocolate brown

Thank you, I've just ordered a colour card from them.

I had this when choosing paint with my dad. Not helped by the fact he's colour blind
I wanted white, he suggested magnolia and everything else he pulled out was a "hint of tobacco stain/pus yellow/vile peach"
Thankfully the decorator (who wasn't colour blind) found me dulux white cotton which isn't blinding white but no tinge to it
I feel your pain

Noisy wooden floors in a terraced house? Why do you want your neighbours to hate you? (Bitter...)

Am I mad to like F and B's Cooking Apple Green?

I love it!

It looks interesting. Depending on the light it looks like it can go from sagey to yellowy, when looking at images of it. Hmmm...

He actually contemplated keeping the "feature wall" of smoke-stained, old fashioned floral wallpaper because the previous owner "spent a lot on it."
And you are offended by his view that your carefully chosen scheme is "dull"............................ get on with it and stop doubting yourself. Clearly he lives in a taste free zone!