I’ve read that colors subconsciously inspire our moods. No, contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually believe EVERYTHING I read, but I am inclined to go along with this theory because hospitals and schools tend to paint their rooms subdued hues in order to promote a calmer atmosphere. We all know that certain shade of “school cafeteria” green. Still, to this day, if I see that particular shade, a whiff of fish sticks and canned corn overwhelms me. I’m instantly taken back to the days of long fidgety lunch lines, 8oz cartons of milk (complete with floating ice crystals), that big window where we’re supposed to deposit our uneaten lunch and, OMG!, that disgusting water where everybody tossed their silverware, eww! And of course, those cranky (yet endearing) elderly ladies sporting white aprons with stiff wiry hairstyles stuffed in hairnets. I used to wonder if this one lady kept baby birds hidden in there… aahh, the good old days! I haven’t been inside a grade school in a while, so I’m not sure if the new generation of school kids must endure that green or not. I think that shade was chosen for functional purposes rather than for aesthetics. Aesthetically speaking however, colors tend to go in and out of style with decorating. Remember the deep golds and moss greens of the seventies? The country blues and pinks of the eighties? The forest green and burgundys of the nineties? And the earth-tones, although slightly altered from the seventies, have made a comeback this decade. If you ever wonder what’s “in” next, check out the bedding or furniture stores. The throw pillows tell it all. The ones in the clearance section are heading out of popularity (unless they are torn or have stains). I think the only colors that don’t go out of style are those that are void of hue. White and Black. I have yet to see a house or office building with black walls, though I have been to a nightclub with black walls, but that overwhelms me with a whole different whiff of smells. Anyway… our office building here at Stuckey and Company is in the process of a transformation, a “make-over” if you will. After the Thanksgiving break, we returned to a wonderful surprise: an arched window cut in the wall of the kitchen/break room, gorgeous new granite countertops and cherry cabinets and a newly tiled ceramic floor. It really opens the space and is very inviting, not that all the Christmas cookies and holiday treats aren’t enough to lure us to the kitchen. What used to be the classic, sterile white walls that previously greeted us with indifference every day, are now warm and inviting Sherwin Williams # 6073.  I asked everybody what color they thought the new paint is exactly.  I asked them to use some creativity rather than the usual Crayola basics. The general consensus was: Mocha Choca Latte, hot chocolate, wet cement, wet sand… Rachel thought mauve, but later realized she was confusing mauve with taupe (thank Goodness, I thought she may have a touch of color-blindness). She looked up taupe for me on the internet so we could come up with a fancy name for it. It appears that “taupe” comes from the Latin term for European Mole. Somehow, I don’t think that really captures the essence of this particular shade. It’s classy, crisp and warm, and sort of creates a stylish ambiance that you just don’t see in your typical mole. If it was my job to come up with creative names for paint, I’d have to call this one #6073 “Stuckey Mocha” because: a) Stuckey employees are: friendly, honest, dependable and hard working and b) Mocha is a deliciously warm, frothy beverage. That’s a sweet combination in any office building… plus it looks really pretty.