My Way of Living + Style

“OK, why do we need these again?” He asked for the third time. I explain that finials are there as a decorative element on the curtain rods, and they also [jokingly] help stop the curtains from falling off the end. But who knows, I am certainly no expert, maybe they do. “What are they called again?” “Finials” “Fin-e what's?” “Finials. Why? “Um…, I don’t know. They just are, and so are the ones on the top of the lamp.” “ Let’s move on to the paint for the cupboards, now do you prefer Cookie Dough, or Cloud white?” I ask. “What do you mean, they both look the same to me, you choose.” “Do you want to use the satin, or should we use the semi-gloss?” He remarks something that sounds very much like, “this isn’t a wrench, and I am not interested in it.” He’s a guy, a man, and male, you know, they really don’t love talking about paint colors, or decorating. But then to be fair, I don’t really love talking about oil changes, and battery levels, engine power, or rev’s per minute. But I do try to make sure to find a solution that works for both of us. It’s a far cry from when I grew up, my Dad worked, and my Mom worked the home. So when the decorating spirit hit her, Dad would come home to a sunshine yellow kitchen, and I mean SUNSHINE YELLOW! Good morning star shine. It’s a good thing that their royal blue bedroom was across the house, it might have clashed wonderfully. Although our bathroom was adorned with hot pink flowered wallpaper, like every other friend’s house. Remember the avocado green bathroom fixtures? Or the lavender? I was so jealous of my sister’s lavender striped wallpapered room, with the pale purple walls, because mine was RED! Everywhere red, how on earth did she find a red polyester bedspread? Oh what about the Burnt Orange craze of the seventies. My eyes are still smarting from that glare. The wall to wall carpet that covered the floor, and halfway up the walls of our “Rec Room,” the one with the dark brown squares that deftly hid the giant wolf spiders. Ah the good old days, and now thanks to all the decorating shows, we are fountains of good taste. At least until the next generation declares our favourite colors to be old fashioned.