Heya! Thanks for joining the chat today. I'm home with my little guy and his yuck case of pneumonia. Let's get to talking to cheer me up, k? The topic: color. Specifically the colors we live with and the colors that scream, "this is my abode."

From every window in my house, a static perma-gray landscape can be seen. Living in Northern Indiana, I'm used to at least five months of monochrome. I deal with it by putting a whole lot of color in the interior. Remember the show Trading Spaces? Where they'd take over a neighbor's room and make it a new funky color or glue flowers to the walls - all in a super short period of time? Well, I used to be all about that show especially all the bright hues they'd add to any old dull space.

In the last two years, I've transitioned our main living spaces into more neutral tones to allow just bits of color to be more of the focal. Our once monarch orange kitchen (it was lovely, I promise) is now a classic khaki. And for the most part I'm happy with these more calming neutrals (my house has moved out of the 90s). But there are two rooms whose color I think I "need" to both cheer me and calm me.

Our dining room: For the last decade it's been this ladybug red color, not too bright, not too deep. To me it's the perfect shade of red lipstick and with the wood moulding to frame it in, the saturated tone whispers sit down, stay a long while, and eat, eat, eat.

Our bedroom: I've never had a green room in any house/condo/aptmt I've lived in, and I wanted to give it a try. I found a swatch called "rejuvenation", and I knew I wanted that in my sleepy, cozy, dreamy space. And I adore it. It feels fresh and warm at the same time, and I now identify this color as part of me.

So tell me what colors must you have around your living space? I'm not talking about your favorite colors necessarily, but what feels good for you to live in - that you'd take to another living space just because it's part of you?

Or am I just crazy color lady?

I'm okay with that.

xoxo, MJ