Purple is the new black.

Lately I've been having strange feelings. Feelings I thought would just go away, but have stuck around. Feelings that seemed so...unlike me. "Maybe it's the summertime," I thought. Then, "maybe it's the juice cleanse." And before I go any further: no Mom, I'm not pregnant.

I am, it turns out, newly enamored with the color purple, however. The color never used to do it for me, and I'm still really picky about when and how it's used, but in the context of good home design it turns out I'm (almost) totally in! Maybe it's because I had a gorgeous lavender room when I was younger that my aforementioned mother had designed to a T, but whatever the reason, I'm now determined to use some purple in my condo somewhere. In case you aren't convinced, don't worry! I found a billion photos to inspire you to come over to the amaranthine side.

I'll ease you in with this simple girl's room, since we were just talking about my room when I was little.

Design Sponge

A little bit Anthropologie and a lotta bit simple chic, the two lovely purples show that you can effectively blend shades to create a more complex look, even in a spare setting.

A more modern take for a girl/tween room showcases a matching polka dot window valance and bed canopy (as well as a distinctly "Z Gallerie" feel, which I'm mostly ok with, as that store does good things for me).

The black lampshade packs a nice little punch.

Moving into slightly more grown-up territory, this Katie Ridder presses all the right buttons for me.

Good Housekeeping

I know, it's shocking that I would love that. Velvet, birds, disco ball. It's completely over the top, but I love that it's simultaneously dated, modern, ridiculous, and above all: has a sense of humor. I mean, those people aren't going to host anything but the most awesome of dinner parties, and you know it.

For those who are thinking that purple is mostly just for "out there" spaces, I'll introduce you to plum: traditional style.

See? There's something in that spectrum for everyone. How luscious is that wall color??

This guy goes (slightly) traditional plus (eclectic and) funky, and reminds me of our condo, which is probably why I adore it:

Apartment Therapy

Plus that mustard chair is the perfect color play off the lavender paint.

And, last but very certainly not least, this Amanda Nisbet dining room goes completely funky, and LIKES IT.

Sorry, Joseph, but we WILL have something similar one day. (insert maniacal cackle here)