I’ve been trying to convince Ellie to move into the guest room for awhile. Our rooms join with a pocket door, which we leave open. I think we’d both sleep better if we weren’t quite so close. (I could do without a little voice calling, “Stop snoring, Mama!”)
Also the guest room is larger with a double bed.
Aaaand… her current room would make a great playroom, which would mean the living room no longer has to be overrun with toys.
(Am I selling you on this idea?)
Ellie is change averse, so she has not been a fan of my plan. But she is a big fan of green. So when I mentioned we could paint the guest room green, she was a little more enthused about the idea of relocating.
But don’t tell Ellie the guest room is already green(ish).
Ellie’s definition of green is G-R-E-E-N. Something like this colour from The Makerista.
My inspiration is slightly softer. In fact, I’ve been planning a green room for a hypothetical little girl long before I ever decided to have a baby, all due to a special gift from my grandma.
My grandmother made all of the girl grandchildren quilts for their weddings (she knit afghans for the boys). The one she gave me is girls with umbrellas–with a green backing.
I thought it would be perfect for Ellie. Though when we unfolded it the other day, her first words were, “That’s not my green.” I also realized that it’s sized for a single bed, not a double. So the quilt will not be the inspiration for Ellie’s new room, though I do hope to use it somewhere.
But, I have another option. An old chenille bedspread from my grandparents’ cottage was folded alongside the quilt. It’s the perfect size for a double bed and it includes a nice dark and saturated yet soft green. Plus Ellie’s first words on seeing it were, “It’s so flowery!”
My Mom has this lamp, which she had in her childhood room, and I think the two would work really well together. (She needs a new shade and some new wiring.)
So now to find a green that is sufficiently saturated for our girl, but sufficiently mellow for Mom.
House & Home tells me that juniper green a “softer, more saturated green” is trending. They cite Webster Green from Benjamin Moore as an example. I think this green would look great (and sufficiently farmy) on our (fake) paneled walls. As long as it’s green enough for Ellie.
The brass-ish bed would contrast with the green, so we could keep that. We’d also keep the dresser that Matt’s parents bought for her nursery. Then it’s what else do we need? Nightstands? A desk? Bookshelf? Some fun, colourful, flowered curtains?
The move is likely a ways off. Moving one room has a domino effect with the rest of the house, as I would need to relocate everything that’s currently in the guest room. Plus then there’s redecorating, and it might take some time to negotiate the final design with my partner/client.
For now, I’m having fun thinking about it. And it was really special to pull out the quilt and the bedspread and share them with our girl.
Home on 129 Acres 
I love green and have it in the bedroom. When I do decide to change the colour, it will likely be a softer green. Trends do change.
It’s nice that there are so many options for us. And we can be inspired or not by trends.
I’d always loved rich colour on walls and so it was my chance to do that for a change. We had a rich red colour on one wall of the kitchen in our previous home. That was balanced by the warm colour of wood wainscotting and lots of natural light. The next woman in the house loved the colour too, said she was keeping it.
I actually love that green from the Makerista. It’s gorgeous and so crisp, not unlike Hale navy (which if memory serves, you have in your room?) I’m not sure the Webster will measure up, if her heart and eyes are filled with the other hue. When I was little, I longed for yellow flowered wallpaper. My dad got some impulsively without consulting me, and it was very much not what I wanted. I longed for soft yellow, maybe with trailing ribbons, very sweet and romantic. The wallpaper he bought had aggressively yellow and orange flowers with black dots in between. I didn’t let him know that I was unhappy, but it was a disappointment for alllll the years it lasted…
I had a thought about your quilt. We had a lovely quilt that was an heirloom from my grandmother I think, but it was quite small. My mum made a border for it that was simply lines of various colours that she pulled from the quilt, and it was just beautiful. I still use it today. I love the quilt your grandmother made, it’s very whimsical and special.
I know how important those ideas can be to children and how the memories (good and bad) can stick with you. Ellie will definitely get a say in her colour. Thanks for your suggestion for the quilt.
Green fans over here. We had a neon green guest room at our old house and miss it very much.
I remember that room…