Hop into my time machine. We are setting the dial way back to the 70’s. That was when my family moved from Minnesota to Florida (yes, I came back to Minnesota, 11 years later). I was about to go into 9th grade, and was totally traumatized because I had to leave my BFF behind and start all over. To cushion the blow, my mom let each of us kids decorate our new rooms. We could choose wallpaper for one feature wall and a carpet color. Naturally, I chose bright lime green and yellow for my color scheme. Who wouldn’t? It was the 70’s.
My wallpaper was very glossy and had yellow tulips with lime green leaves on a white background. The carpet? Lime green plush, of course. Those of you who knew me back in the day are now smirking because you are remembering my citrus hued paradise, right?
I had one of those blonde bedroom sets with the bookcase headboard and a long low dresser. This was when ‘antiquing’ furniture was in. Does anyone else remember this technique? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how it worked, but I think you painted a basecoat color (in my case, more lime green) and then added a very streaky antiquing glaze on top. It was all the rage, and I’m sure I was thrilled that my mom was willing to do this to my furniture.
I thought I was going to have to describe the room and hope that you could picture it because I couldn’t find any photos, but then I mentioned it to my friend Annie who was sure she had some somewhere. She dug around and found this!
This, my friends, is Annie herself! Back when we endlessly took ‘super model’ pictures of each other. And yes, if you’re wondering, this is the same Annie that is in the kitchen photo. There is my wallpaper in all its glory, and my ‘antiqued’ headboard. Pay no attention to the Shawn Cassidy poster on the wall. I did not kiss him goodnight every night before bed, I swear. Isn’t my yellow swag light ‘da bomb?
Well, enough nostalgia, flash forward to a week or so ago when I picked up a dresser that is very similar to the one I had back then. A mid-century blonde (dear lord, I could be talking about myself).
I definitely won’t be antiquing it in lime green. But … I am thinking of COLOR. I love what people are doing with tangerine, but am not sure how well it sells.
I also love the retro shades of green. Not quite the 70’s lime green, leaning more towards avocado. One point in favor of this color is the fact that I already have the paint. I used it on ‘the Hannigan’.
Or I could return to my old standby, turquoise. People seem to love it. Heck, I adore most any shade of aqua. But raise your hand if you are sick of seeing me paint stuff turquoise!
I won’t hold it against you if you raised your hand.
No matter what color I pick, I plan to crank the 70’s tunes (maybe even a little Shawn Cassidy) and sing along while I paint it and remember fun times circa 1978, compliments of Annie’s foray into her scrapbooks and several lost hours spent scanning and forwarding pics like this one of me and my dad.
Good times. Thanks for digging these up Annie!
q is for quandie 
Whoa how did you fall asleep in there? Mine was purple not dark with a God awful bedspread but hey very similar furniture. If you lived here the orange would sell in a heartbeat. Clemson University is 40 minutes away and their mascot is a Tiger hence their colors are orange and white. In fact you would most certainly get multiple bids.
People are football fanatics here. But back to your question I like the orange I did my
son and his wife’s living room orange and turquoise now there’s a thought? NOT!
Thinking about who this style of furniture will appeal to. I’d probably the kitchen scale just because of your location. If your were on the east coast the orange would move it’s very Jonathan Adler looking. He was the first to realize he if he tweaked the stuff of this era the current 20-30 something generation would eh can I say “dig it”?
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I went to a Clemson game once, many years ago.. back when Refrigerator Perry played for them, am I remembering that right? I remember those Clemson fans. They are very serious about their orange!
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This brought back so many memories for me – I too had a yellow and lime green bedroom…with a yellow canopy bed!! I had wallpaper on one wall as well…I’ll have to see if my Mom still has pictures of that!
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I would have LOVED to have a canopy bed too!
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Hi!
The picture of Annie in your bedroom is a riot! Talk about a moment in time! Yes, I remember the antiquing fad. My mother “antiqued” everything in the house. That may have been the first time paint came in a kit which was part of its allure, I think. It was so new. Meanwhile, my sisters and I were Modge Podging everything we owned. Looking back, we should have invested in Modge Podge, it is still around and is having a resurgence in popularity. The antiquing fad was a base paint and the second can was nothing different than what is in the hardware stores now, it was a thinner coat in another color that had something in it to lengthen the drying time so it could be manipulated in whatever way the person wanted to do it, thin lines, more in the corners, etc. Thanks for reminding me about that time.
I really love the turquoise, aqua blues you use. Just love that color.in all its different hues.
The orange…I don’t know if it would sell in the Midwest. All last month, I’ve been painting any furniture that has come in linen or grain sack. Business has been slow with this cold winter and I’m just afraid to let my freak flag fly to quote Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
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OK–I know I’m the freak but I LOVE the orange. I wish I didn’t have so much furniture already. I’m actually trying to think where I could put it. it’s AWESOME. Do the orange, do the orange.
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please do the orange! It is beautiful! As is said, step out of the comfort zone!
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I am very tempted to try the orange. I have a very serious aversion to having to repaint stuff that doesn’t sell though, so I hesitate slightly. I’ve got several other pieces that must be done first though, so I have some time to think about it.
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Love the background story…your bedroom was great! Remind me to show you pictures of my first apartment – I pained the cabinets white and all the “inserts” bright orange. I loved it….it was always so cheerful. Times change I guess…now I like orange, but only a muted shade, not the vivacious orange of years ago.
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