I mentioned a few days ago that we moved a desk into the closet in Benji’s bedroom to give him a little office space of his own. After using it for a bit, we came up with the idea of allowing Benji to paint the space to personalize it a bit more.

Because of my wrist injury, I didn’t go for a big Saturday bike ride like usual. I seized this opportunity to execute the painting plan.

First, Benji and I went to the paint store to pick out his paint. We meticulously wore face masks and (mostly) stayed far from store employees. Benji homed in on the color he wanted almost immediately: Rumba Orange. I had already decided to let him pick any color he wanted, so even though it wasn’t what I would choose, we went with it.

The store employee let Benji in the back area to watch and learn about how his paint was mixed. She carefully explained each step and Benji watched with fascination.

When we got home, after washing hands well, we naturally prepped the closet immediately (in cases where “we” equals “I,” while Benji and Ian did something else). Benji and I were both keen to get started; waiting until I finished taping proved difficult but doable.

I let Benji use the roller, with careful instructions on avoiding edges. Mostly it worked out.

Because he’d picked such a vibrant color, the Benjamin Moore employee recommended that we put two coats on. The first coat dried in a few hours, leaving it abundantly clear that the employee was exactly right. It looked extremely orange, but you could still see unevenness.

I put the second coat on midafternoon and we left to do our other Saturday activities. By evening everything had dried and we could remove the tape and reassemble the little office area.

To be honest, I think Benji’s color choice worked out shockingly well. It looks vibrant and bright but isn’t hideous. It matches the blue and green on the rest of the room and lightens the closet substantially. It’s a bold choice, and I have to admit, it looks good.