Decisions, Decisions

Let's take a break from the messy stuff outside and talk about a dilemma that's been plaguing me for a while.

That dilemma is... what direction do I go in for the home office? I honestly can't decide which colour scheme to choose.

So far, all we've done is to paint the walls grey.

Now I need to start thinking about curtains to put up.

And I'm of two minds.

For those who follow me on Pinterest, you may have seen that I've been heading very much in the way of a black and white colour scheme for the room, with pops of Kelly Green.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via pour on Pinterest

But at the same time, I've been kind of leaning towards a completely different alternative, that involves this kind of curtain fabric.

Terrain Bloom Seedpod

When we first painted the room grey I imagined colourful pink/purple/orange curtains to brighten the room up and give it some liveliness, but then I fell in love with the idea of Kelly Green highlights. The two things aren't really in any way compatible.

So now I have no idea what to choose. I can't think about a rug or curtains until I know what direction I'm going in, and I can't decide!

This has brought me to a step I never thought I'd get to. Mood-boards.

I've never been much of a mood-board girl. I've always found them a little bit hard to relate to. But I've reached a point now where I need to see how the various elements in a room will look.Who knew, but your imagination will only get you so far, and it's really helpful to bring everything together into a little collage of images to see what effect a particular element is likely to have on the rest of the elements in a room before making a start!

So I've spent a bit of time playing around in Photoshop this evening (actually Gimp, because it's free and Photoshop isn't), and come up with this.

It's my prospective Kelly Green crossed with classic black and white office, and I really like it. It's got class, wide striped black and white curtains, a crisp white desk (with the proposed addition of turned timber legs), a bold black and white rug, a Kelly Green industrial-look pendant and even a Kelly Green painted chair.

That chair I actually found on Ebay recently for $30. I love it.

But the Kelly Green is not my only option. I'm also leaning in this completely different direction.

That panel on the left is that potential curtain fabric, and I'm also loving the other fabric options for framed bits and pieces on the wall and a little cushion for the chair. And don't get me started on the rug options! That orange and white one in the picture is pretty fabulous, although I don't like my chances of getting it here Downunder.

So now the big question is.... which one do I choose?

Aside from the white things (and grey wall colour) that remain common to both options, everything else is entirely different. And I still don't know what to choose! So I can't really get anything for this room until I make a decision either way, because the two alternatives are so very different.

I'm waiting to see what Tom thinks of the two options, so I'm hoping his opinion will tip me over the edge, one way or the other. But then if he doesn't care I have no idea what to do! I think I'm leaning very slightly towards the pink/purple/orange option because the fabric options are pretty cool and it's fun and happy, but the black/white/green option is much less commitment. Remove the furniture, and it's completely colour neutral. For a house that we're not planning on staying in forever, that might be a good idea.

Any thoughts?