Yellow Door
Gutters cleaned, leaves blown, grass cut, appliances repaired, the exterior and most rooms painted. In the 15 years I’ve lived in this house, I’ve maintained it. Still, from the outside, the house was looking drab. That is, when you could see it.
Until recently, mine was a house hidden on a hill gone wild. The euonymus, the ewes, azaleas and witch hazel trees were humongous and unruly, given my infrequent and inexpert pruning.
Pretty? In spring and summer; yes. But neighbors couldn’t see the house from the street and I couldn’t see the street from my house. Unsafe? Very much so. Something had to be done.
The offending euonymus, cut down to size and ready for spring.
For some reason, my eyes lit on the front door. The color was a deep, forest green, fitting for a hobbit’s hovel in Lord of the Rings, and indistinguishable from the foliage during the growing season. Then an idea lit me up like a Christmas tree: I could change my perception of the front façade by changing the color of the front door.
I checked out my neighbor’s entryways and found red, white, green, natural wood colored doors and one so dark that I think it was black. Not for me. I needed to shake up the energy and make the house visible for the first time in over a decade.
You may be one of those people for whom choosing a color is as easy as opening your eyes in the morning. I am not. Maybe I overthink the process. To me, a color has to be pretty and mean something good, too.
For direction, I turned to the Internet, that endless source of both trash and treasure. Of course, I found answers.
It turns out that everyone from paint manufacturers to psychics has assigned meanings to colors. House Beautiful magazine did a special pullout section on it. (http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/color-meaning)
According to the magazine: Orange expands your thinking. Blue encourages efficiency. Green increases wealth. Red fortifies you.
Shades of the same colors can also have different meanings. Light blue, for example, gives a sense of peace. Deep red inspires passion. Those first descriptions didn’t exactly float my boat, so I kept looking.
At Color Wheel Pro: A software program to create color schemes, I found what I was looking for (http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html). Yellow, the site says, is associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy. Bingo!
Spring’s still creeping up on us. Trees and bushes are just beginning to foliate. Now, although my hill is still looking very bare, you can see my front door from almost a mile away.
Nice. I always loved your house.
Thanks for your comment Karen. I hope you’ll continue to read and comment.
Really enjoying your blog!
Delightful, thoughtful and insightful. Love your blogs and your energy, Gaynelle. I learn something new every time. Keep writing! P.S. Would love to see that yellow door! 🙂
Sheila, thank you. The first photo in the blog, with the multicolored wreath, is the actual door.
Joy, happiness, intellect, and energy…sounds like YOU, Gaynelle! Love your new blog.
Thanks for your comments Kathy. This is a lot of fun!
Love this piece! Maintaining a house is no “joke”. Lots of hard work…but joyous when done the way you describe. Continue the posts ………..and I will continue to read!
These blogs are so cool. I love your house. It is so comfortable. Can’t wait to see the outdoor changes.
Thank you Jakki. You’re quite the expert as well!
your “yellow” choice is already making me smile and I haven’t even seen your door. Good choice and good reason for it.
Thanks Yvonne. You know all about making a home warm and welcoming. I’ve seen you in action!
Girl, I know how you feel about color. Every plant that I grow the color is the deciding factor. How does it please my eye. Yesterday I decided that yellow will be my leading color in my garden this year. It always pleases me to see yellow flowers . I love the wreath. Spring has come to Memphis. My tulip magnolia tree is in full bloom, the azaleas are in bud and all kinds of trees r in bloom. Hope you enjoy your yard this year.
Juanita. Sometimes you forget things. I forgot how yellow makes me smile. I know that with a green thumb like yours, you’re going to be smiling a lot.