Our house will need a paint job some time in the near future so about three weeks ago we started checking out colours.
Do you realize these days there are hundreds and hundreds of colours to choose from with the most ridiculous of names?
What happened to khaki brown, light brown, dark brown, brown?
Oh and the names for black are truly amazing.
It’s black for Pete’s sake!
And I refuse to go down the testpot road.

Many years ago I had splashes of at least thirty testpots on a wall and in the end I went with none of them.

Yesterday I remembered what happened to a dear friend in Wellington when he decided to have his house painted.
He still claims he was mentally scarred from the experience of trying to work out a colour scheme as it took over six months of dithering before he finally made up his mind.
With the colour scheme sorted he rang the Painters and arranged for the job to be done whilst he was overseas on business.

He flew back into Wellington a month later and he was sure he saw a “dazzle” coming from the hills where his house is perched, as the plane descended.
Well he was right.
His house resembled a brightly decorated Xmas tree; a look he wasn’t aiming for at all.
It was bright and hideous with the contrasting trim so bizarre; one was simply lost for words. (To this day, I believe it was the vodka that chose the colours)

The painters must have laughed the whole way through the project.
And they must have been aware that this rich boy would be asking them to repaint as quick as look at you once he saw the abomination that was once his home.

Before my friend had a chance to put his key in the front door lock, his neighbours, who had been tentatively awaiting his return, ambushed him.
He listened to their fears, tears and horror and they to his; as it was obvious he was on their side, the situation was diffused ever so quickly.

Hence to say he gave me a ring and put the ball in my court as he was off overseas again the following week.
The colour scheme I chose still looks fabulous to this very day.

So the million-dollar question is, if I’m so good at choosing a paint scheme for someone else, why then can’t I pick one for our home?

That is the question I shall ponder until I come up with a solution.