We just moved into a house built in 1980. Our old house was built in 1978. Though there is a great disparity in the size and perhaps the quality, there are many similarities in style.

One small diversity in color scheme has made a great difference in our transition from one home to the other. The new house is orange.

I don’t like orange, as decorating colors go. It is my least favorite color of 2014. It simply shouts 1970s to me! (Think Fiesta® ware and lava lamps.)

I tried to convince myself it was not really so. Yes, the freestanding fireplace in the master bedroom is most definitely brighter than a sunset but the other oranges are not quite. I am thinking perhaps there is a heat-proof paint to fix the orange enamel on the metal firebox.

The floor tile is an old “Mexican” clay tile of tan tinted with hues of peach. The painted walls range from butternut squash to icy orange sherbet but the accent walls are covered with grass cloth of tan and sage. There is no trace of orange in the stained glass sunflowers framing the front door. The master bath is done in off white and chocolate–no orange.

The breakfast room window coverings look orange from a distance but are actually maroon and gold stripes. The counter tops are gold marbled with brown and the walls are a rich, buttery yellow.

All in all, the effect is nice. But orange. I know it’s retro and maybe it’s popular with people born in the 1980’s. I still don’t care for it.

We’ve lived here a month now, bought white blinds and chocolate blinds and tan rugs and teal accents. Things are toning down. And we’re getting used to orange.

There are other “orange” things in life beside décor. There are jobs we don’t fit and people we don’t sail with, sandpaper neighbors and life situations we must cope with every day. Sometimes we cannot get rid of them. We must simply tone them down, distract ourselves and learn to appreciate orange. Maybe one day we’ll value it enough to say we love it.