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How one decorating decision taught me that creating a home is about so much more than paint.
Have you ever looked back at a decorating decision and thought, What on earth was I thinking?
I know I have.
Some decorating choices make us laugh years later. Others become expensive lessons we’d rather forget. But every once in a while, a decision you question ends up teaching you something much bigger than you ever expected.
For me, it started with painting almost my entire home grey.
When I bought my home twelve years ago, it felt like the beginning of an exciting new chapter. It was bright, filled with natural light, and for the first time in a long time, I had the opportunity to create a home that reflected my own style.
Like many new builds, I had a short window to choose my finishes before construction moved ahead. There wasn’t much time to second-guess anything.
The standard wall colour was a warm builder beige with green undertones. It reminded me so much of the house I had just left that I knew I wanted something different.
At the time, grey interiors were everywhere.
While waiting for my home to be completed, I was renting a place that had the most beautiful soft grey walls. I absolutely loved them. The colour felt calm, fresh, and timeless. Every day I walked through that home convinced I had found the perfect paint colour.
So when it came time to make my selections, choosing grey felt easy.
I wasn’t blindly following a trend.
I understood paint undertones, and I had already lived with this colour. It seemed like a safe choice.
I paired it with darker flooring, upgraded my backsplash, and couldn’t wait to move in.
For a while…
I thought I had made the perfect decision.
Then winter arrived.
The Colour I Was Certain I Couldn’t Go Wrong With
I don’t think there’s a single homeowner who hasn’t stood in front of a wall of paint samples wondering if they’re making the right decision.
Paint seems simple until it’s covering every wall in your home.
At the time, though, I didn’t have that uncertainty.
In fact, I felt quite confident.
I’d already lived with this exact shade of grey in the rental I stayed in while waiting for my home to be built. Morning light, afternoon light, evening light—it always looked beautiful. It felt warm without being beige, modern without feeling cold, and neutral enough that I thought it would work with almost anything.
Looking back, I realize I wasn’t choosing a paint colour.
I was trying to recreate a feeling.
That rental felt peaceful during a season of change in my life. Every time I walked through the front door, the space felt calm and welcoming. Without even realizing it, I wanted to bring that same feeling into my new home.
So when it came time to choose my finishes, I never questioned it.
Grey walls.
Dark flooring.
A beautiful backsplash.
I could already picture how everything would come together.
Like most new builds, I had a limited amount of time to make my selections. Once those decisions were made, there wasn’t much turning back. If you’ve ever built a home, you know how quickly those deadlines arrive.
There wasn’t time to live with paint samples taped to the wall for weeks or watch how the colour changed throughout the day.
I trusted my instincts.
And honestly, I don’t regret that.
Because even now, I don’t think choosing grey was a mistake.
What I underestimated was something far more important.
A paint colour doesn’t live on a sample card.
It lives with your flooring.
Your furniture.
Your windows.
The direction your home faces.
The amount of natural light you receive.
Even the seasons.
The exact same paint can look completely different from one home to the next.
That’s something no paint chip can ever tell you.
I didn’t know it yet…
but my home was about to teach me that lesson.
What This Home Taught Me
Sometimes we’re not really choosing a paint colour.
We’re choosing the feeling we hope our home will give us.
The challenge is remembering that every home tells that story a little differently.
Winter Had Other Plans
When I first moved in, I loved everything about my new home.
The rooms were bright, the layout was exactly what I wanted, and all of the choices I’d made finally came together. After months of waiting, it felt wonderful to unpack boxes, arrange furniture, and slowly make the space my own.
Then the seasons changed.
As the days became shorter and our rainy West Coast weather settled in, I started noticing something I hadn’t expected.
The grey looked…different.
Not bad.
Just different.
On bright summer days, the walls felt light, airy, and exactly as I’d imagined. But during the darker months, especially on those long stretches of cloudy weather we know so well here in British Columbia, the colour became heavier.
Every once in a while, I even caught a hint of purple in the walls.
Not all the time.
Just enough to make me stop and think,
“Wait…have they always looked like that?”
It’s funny how a paint colour can make you question your own memory.
I’d walk into the room one day and think it looked beautiful.
The next day, under completely different lighting, I’d wonder if I’d chosen the wrong colour altogether.
At first, I assumed it was just me.
Maybe I was overthinking it.
Maybe I’d simply stared at the walls for too long.
But the more I paid attention, the more I realized something important.
The paint hadn’t changed.
The light had.
And because my home received different light throughout the year, the walls changed right along with it.
That realization taught me something I wish I’d understood years earlier.
Paint isn’t a colour.
It’s a relationship.
It responds to everything around it.
The amount of natural light.
The direction your windows face.
Your flooring.
Your furniture.
The colours beside it.
Even the weather outside.
That’s why the exact same paint can look completely different in two homes—or even in the same room from one season to the next.
I remember standing in my living room more than once wondering if I should repaint.
It seemed like the obvious solution.
After all, if I wasn’t completely happy with the walls, changing the paint would fix everything…
Wouldn’t it?
As it turns out…
my walls weren’t really the problem.
I just didn’t know it yet.
Instead of buying gallons of paint, I started looking at ways to warm up the room with lighting, mirrors, and natural textures.
What This Home Taught Me
Before you blame the paint, spend some time understanding your home.
A colour that feels perfect in July may look completely different in January, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve made the wrong choice.
Sometimes your home simply needs time—and a few thoughtful changes—to find its balance.
I Almost Repainted… Until One Simple Question Changed My Mind
For quite a while, I was convinced repainting would eventually make its way onto my never-ending list of home projects.
Not immediately.
But someday.
Whenever I looked at the room during those darker winter months, I’d catch myself thinking,
“Maybe one day I’ll repaint these walls.”
It seemed like the obvious solution.
After all, if the paint wasn’t making me completely happy, surely changing the colour would fix everything.
Then something unexpected happened.
One evening, a group of friends were visiting, and we were chatting about decorating—as we often do.
I had recently added new sconces above my fireplace and was excited to show them how they looked.
Somewhere in the conversation, I casually mentioned that I’d been thinking about repainting the living room.
One friend looked at me for a second and simply said,
“Why? It looks great.”
That was it.
One simple question.
No decorating lecture.
No design advice.
Just genuine confusion.
I remember looking around my own living room through her eyes.
The room felt warm.
The fireplace was cozy.
The artwork reflected light around the room.
The lamps softened the darker corners.
The textures added warmth.
Suddenly I realized something that had never occurred to me before.
Maybe I had been so focused on the walls that I’d stopped seeing the room.
It’s funny how easily we can become fixated on one thing we wish were different.
Meanwhile, everyone else is simply enjoying the space exactly as it is.
That conversation stayed with me.
Not because my friend told me what to do.
Because she helped me ask a different question.
Instead of asking,
“What’s wrong with my walls?”
I started asking,
“What does this room need?”
Those are two very different questions.
One looks for something to replace.
The other looks for something to improve.
And that shift changed the way I decorated from that day forward.
I stopped seeing repainting as the only answer.
Instead, I began layering.
Adding.
Adjusting.
Living with the room long enough to understand what it was asking for.
Looking back now, I honestly think repainting would have been the easy solution.
Learning how to work with what I already had taught me far more.
What This Home Taught Me
Sometimes the biggest decorating breakthrough isn’t changing your home.
It’s changing the question you’re asking.
Instead of looking for what’s wrong, start looking for what’s missing.
You might be surprised how often the answer isn’t a paintbrush.
Solving the Room, One Story at a Time
Once I stopped focusing on repainting the walls, something unexpected happened.
I started noticing everything else.
Not all at once.
Slowly.
One little change led to another, and before I realized it, I wasn’t trying to fix my living room anymore. I was simply making it feel more like home.
It wasn’t a makeover.
It was an evolution.
And looking back, I’m so glad it happened that way.
The Mirror That Waited for the Right Wall
One of my favourite decorating decisions was completely unplanned.
The large mirror hanging above my fireplace actually came with my bedroom dresser. It was designed to be attached to the back of it, but I knew almost immediately that wasn’t what I wanted.
So I left it in the box.
For years.
Then one Christmas, while decorating my mantel, I decided to lean it above the fireplace just to see what it looked like.
I honestly expected to pack it away again after the holidays.
Instead…
it never moved.
Not only did it make the fireplace feel more substantial, but it reflected so much natural light that the entire room instantly felt brighter. It balanced the space in a way I never could have planned.
If I’d forced myself to use it the way it was intended, I never would have discovered where it truly belonged.
Sometimes decorating isn’t about finding something new.
It’s about seeing something familiar in a completely different way.
Turning Off the “Big Light”
If you ask my family or close friends about me, they’ll probably laugh and tell you I have an obsession with turning off the overhead lights.
Apparently, I even do it when I’m visiting their homes.
I can’t help myself.
I’ve always believed that lamps make a room feel more welcoming than bright ceiling lights.
So instead of repainting my walls, I started adding softer lighting.
A rechargeable table lamp.
A rechargeable floor lamp.
The sconces above my fireplace.
Each one added another layer of warmth.
Especially during those dark winter afternoons when natural light disappeared far too early.
Looking back, I don’t think I needed lighter walls nearly as much as I needed better lighting.
Sometimes it’s amazing how one small change completely alters the way a room feels.
The Dining Table That Almost Didn’t Come Home
My dining table might be the best example of how my decorating philosophy has changed over the years.
When I first moved into my home, I didn’t own a dining table.
Like many people starting over, I was furnishing one room at a time and trying to spend my money wisely.
Then I spotted one in a local big box store.
It was exactly the style I wanted.
There was just one problem.
It had a large scratch across the top.
Most people probably walked right past it.
I didn’t.
Instead, I asked if they could do any better on the price.
To my surprise…
they did.
I honestly think they were just happy someone was willing to take it home.
The scratch turned out to be much less of a problem than I’d imagined.
Most days it disappeared under a table runner.
Sometimes it hid beneath a centrepiece.
When we had company over, a tablecloth covered it completely.
And if all else failed…
there was usually enough food on the table that nobody noticed it anyway.
Funny how the things we worry about most are often the things no one else even sees.
Years later, my style began changing.
The table itself was still solid.
Still practical.
Still full of memories.
But the dark finish no longer felt like me.
Replacing it would have been the easy answer.
Instead, I decided to refinish it.
Finding the right glaze turned into its own little adventure. I searched everywhere before finally stumbling across what was quite possibly the last can sitting on a shelf. Naturally, after finally finding it, I let it sit for weeks before working up the courage to start.
I kept thinking,
“What if I ruin it?”
Eventually, I decided I’d rather regret trying than always wonder what it could have looked like.
The transformation completely surprised me.
When Jason’s daughter saw it, she asked if we’d bought a new dining table.
That might have been the best compliment I could have received.
Not because it looked expensive.
Because I’d almost convinced myself it wasn’t worth saving.
Every one of those little projects taught me something.
Not about decorating.
About patience.
About creativity.
About living with a home long enough to understand what it needs instead of rushing to replace everything that isn’t perfect.
I didn’t create the home I have today in one weekend.
I created it one thoughtful decision at a time.
What This Home Taught Me
The best decorating decisions aren’t always the ones you plan.
Sometimes they’re the ones that happen because you were willing to slow down, look at your home differently, and trust that it didn’t have to be finished all at once.
A Few Similar Pieces I Love:
- Large arched mirror
- Rechargeable lamps
- Decorative books
- Ceramic vases
- Faux greenery
- Candles
- Woven baskets
The Walls Were Never the Most Important Part
When I think back over the last twelve years, I don’t remember my grey walls nearly as much as I remember the people who gathered inside them.
I remember Christmas dinners that somehow lasted long after dessert.
Friends stopping by for what was supposed to be a quick glass of wine that quietly turned into dinner.
A girls brunch around the table.
Birthday celebrations.
Holiday meals.
The kind of evenings where nobody seemed to be in a hurry to leave.
Those are the memories that come flooding back.
Not the paint colour.
Over the years, some of the faces around that table have changed.
Sadly, there are family members and friends who shared meals in this home who are no longer with us.
When I think about them now, I don’t picture my living room wondering if the walls had too much grey or whether the winter light pulled a little purple from the paint.
I remember the conversations.
The laughter.
The stories.
The way this house felt when it was full.
That perspective has changed the way I decorate.
I still love beautiful rooms.
I still notice paint colours, fabrics, lighting, and furniture.
I probably always will.
But now I understand something I didn’t know twelve years ago.
The goal was never to create a perfect room.
It was to create a home where people felt comfortable enough to stay a little longer.
That dining table has become the centre of so many memories.
Sometimes I extend it with nothing more glamorous than a sheet of plywood hidden beneath a tablecloth.
It isn’t fancy.
No one would ever feature it in a magazine.
But somehow there’s always room for one more chair.
One more conversation.
One more memory.
Looking back, I think that’s always been more important than owning the perfect dining table.
Or the perfect paint colour.
In fact…
I’m pretty sure not one person who has ever gathered in my home has walked away saying,
“Her grey walls were beautiful.”
They remembered the meal.
The conversation.
The laughter.
The way they felt while they were there.
And honestly…
I think that’s exactly how it should be.
What This Home Taught Me
For years, I thought decorating was about making everything look beautiful.
Now I believe it’s about making people feel welcome.
The paint.
The furniture.
The lamps.
The artwork.
They’re all part of the story.
But they’re not the story itself.
The story is the life that happens between those walls.
And maybe that’s the biggest decorating lesson my home has ever taught me.
Conclusion
If I could go back twelve years and stand in that design centre with a handful of paint samples, would I still choose grey?
Honestly…
I think I would.
Not because it was the perfect colour.
But because choosing it started a journey I never expected.
It taught me that homes change just as much as the people who live in them.
Styles evolve.
Rooms evolve.
Our priorities evolve.
What once felt like the most important decorating decision eventually became one very small piece of a much bigger story.
Today, when I walk through my home, I don’t see a list of decorating mistakes.
I see Christmases.
Birthday dinners.
Friends gathered around the table.
Projects Jason and I tackled together.
Pieces of furniture that almost didn’t come home.
A mirror that waited years to find the right wall.
Soft lamp light on rainy winter afternoons.
And a home that slowly became ours—not because everything was perfect, but because we allowed it to evolve one thoughtful decision at a time.
So if you’re standing in your own living room wondering whether you’ve made the wrong decorating choice, let me encourage you not to rush for the paintbrush just yet.
Live with your home.
Listen to it.
Notice what it’s asking for.
Sometimes it needs a different wall colour.
Sometimes it simply needs better lighting, softer textures, or a little more time.
Beautiful homes aren’t created in a weekend.
They’re created over years of living, experimenting, changing your mind, making memories, and discovering what truly matters.
As it turns out…
my grey walls were never really the story.
They were simply the beginning of one.
Thank you for reading.
If you’ve ever second-guessed a decorating decision, I hope this story reminds you that our homes don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. Often, the spaces we love most are the ones that grow with us over time.
If you’re looking for a few timeless pieces that help create a warm, welcoming home, you can browse some of my favourite finds here. Warm and collected home finds
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