A paint by any other name would not smell as sweet

Mr Rose and I have decided to get the kitchen painted.  We've got to have a tiny bit of structural work done and seeing as it will create a bit of mess and the kitchen could do with a fresh lick anyway, it seems like a good time for a refresh. 

So I do what any self-respecting woman does: I create a Pinterest board of possible paint shades.  I order the catalogues of every Posh Paint company I can think of.  I leaf through all of my back copies of Living Etc and Elle Deco. Discuss with friends and relations.  Read Sunday papers about the importance of having muted, heritage colours in a muted, heritage house.  Nod in agreement when people suggest you pay £50 for a small pot of paint.  Wonder how on earth I'll get Mr Rose to let us spend twice of much money for something that does, in all fairness, just go on the walls.  Ponder the possibility of getting the right shade of Posh Paint and then get it mixed and colour matched into cheap paint.   Go back to looking at Fired Earth on Google images and sighing longingly. 

Here is Mr Rose's plan:  24 hours before decorator due to arrive, hop off to Homebase and grab any sort of pale blue shade that looks about right.  Phone Rose to ask what on earth Eggshell is.  Ring her back to ask how many litres we need.  
 

Reader, I had no idea how we would harmoniously deal with these conflicting approaches.

Yesterday we went out for lunch. On our way home we drove through Hampstead.  It was pouring with rain.  The car was chugging up the hill.  I announced that I wouldn't mind just popping into Fired Earth and just have a very instant  look at the paint samples pots. 

Silence filled the car.  Mr Rose was driving and he obviously had in mind the prospect of getting home to a warm, cosy house and reading the entire International Sunday Papers with a large cup of tea, whilst I did something equally erudite – caught up on Glee. 

Somehow I persuaded him to pull into a parking space and just let me run in. 

I raced off into Fired Earth trying not to look like a drowned rat, and trying to look like I totally belong in the expensive shops of Hampstead.  As I entered the shop flustered, my glasses steamed up like a paedo and it took me a moment to calm in the muted, heritage tones that filled the shop.

As I approached the sample pots I spotted this sign.  Reader, it was like the Angel Gabriel came down to me in Hampstead – Fired Earth were selling off their paint in old packaging that was being rebranded at a whopping 75% off.  

 

So a normal, small tin of paint had gone from a frankly ridiculous £50 to a 'cheaper than shitty paint' £12.

BARGAIN CENTRAL.

I grabbed a few sample pots and raced out back to the car to tell Mr Rose the good news.  For Mr Rose loves nothing more than a bargain. 

So – we raced home.  Quickly painted various muted, heritage shades of blue and duck egg onto our walls to see what we liked and ran back out to pick up the chosen paint from the store. 

 

In summary – we saved more than £100 on paint.  I got the ridiculously overpriced paint I wanted.  Mr Rose got the bargain of the century.  We only spent 10 mins discussing which colour to choose and therefore saved ourselves 2 weeks of debate. 

 

Marvellous.  

 

Basically my kitchen will look like this in a few weeks!   Hurrah!

 

 

 

Rose xx