If bright color is in, she’ll stay out

The current rage of hot, vivid, brilliant colors for walls is a trend I can do without no matter what the “in” interior designers dictate (“The Prestigious Palette,” Aug. 26). I’ve spent time recently in a few of those “new” rooms, and frankly, they offend my senses, just as sitting next to a woman in a theater who has drenched herself in a bottle of Chanel makes me want to leave that space.

Purple and turquoise walls become oppressive after a while; blinding yellow and orange walls prompt a headache in short order. Living with vivid or deep blues causes me to become depressed. And as for a shiny, metallic finish on a wall ... well, fugetaboutit!

All I know is, I live in a stressful world from which the only respite often is the quiet, soothing space I call home. My walls still are, and will remain, soft neutrals that do not scream at me nor cause my brain to rebel and send me for the nearest bottle of Tylenol.

We’ll see if the fad holds a year from now and how silly the folks who spent those big bucks to be in fashion feel.

As for me, my cream and taupe home welcomes me every time I walk through the door.

Sylvia Lewis Gunning

Thousand Oaks