Where Bathroom Lighting Color Goes Wrong
I was standing at the bathroom sink at 7:12 on a Tuesday, one eye done, one eye looking distinctly unwell, and I remember thinking, quite calmly, that I looked like…
What Should Bedroom Lighting Color Actually Do?
Casey walked into my room at eleven at night, stopped in the doorway, and went “why does your room look like a Cinnabon.” Which, fair. I had a salt lamp…
The Best Light Color for Showing Off Pictures
I was standing on a dining chair at nine on a Tuesday night with a framed photo of my grandmother’s kitchen table in one hand and a level in the…
Reading Light: The Color That Actually Helps You Read
Everyone treats reading light like it’s a decor afterthought. Pick a lamp that looks nice on the nightstand, screw in whatever bulb came in the multipack from the hardware store,…
Wall Colors for a Bathroom With a Blue Vanity
I used to think bathrooms with colored vanities were a trap. You inherit the thing (a rental, a house you bought with the previous owner’s choices baked in, whatever) and…
Kitchen Wall Colors to Try With Light Gray Cabinets
My sister Marina stood in my kitchen doorway last month, still had her coat on, looked at my walls and said, “Did you paint this yourself, or did the gray…
Area Rug Colors for a Room Full of Gray Furniture
I bought a rug once specifically because it was the exact same gray as my sofa. Not similar. The same. I brought a fabric swatch into the rug store, held…
Picking a Headboard Color Without Overthinking It
I’m on the floor of my own bedroom, knees complaining about it, holding up four paint chips against a stack of quilts I got off a woman clearing her mother’s…
Which Color Bed Frame Should You Pick?
A guy at a lumberyard counter told me black bed frames were “a phase people go through,” like it was a rash. Handed me my lag bolts and everything, totally…
Teal Sofa Pillows That Make the Color Look Planned
I bought my teal sofa four years ago, in a fit of confidence I still can’t fully explain, and for three of those years I dressed it with whatever pillows…