My sister came up to New Jersey from Florida to visit me last week, and we decided to go back to the old neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY and revisit some of the places we remembered from childhood. I know some readers are already wondering what this has to do with redesign, but read on …

My sister is a photographer and also plays several instruments. It’s always fun when she visits, simply because she (without knowing) helps me to look ‘outside the box’. She has always had a unique perspective on how she looks at life in general, and objects and people in particular.

One day we decided to visit Coney Island … yes, THAT Coney Island. The playground of NY, a somewhat faded gem now, but slowly being restored to its former glory (see www.thefutureofconeyisland.com).

The famed ‘Wonder Wheel’, is a huge Ferris wheel with cars that swing to and fro while the wheel is moving. Still a thrill for me, I must say. While watching my sister snap photos from different angles, it was then I actually noticed all the different colors on the wheel (it lights up at night). Hence my title today Coney Island – Imagination at Play.

As I continued to look around, all the colors I saw became more vivid. The cotton candy was actually shades of pale pink to bright pink. Ketchup is a deep red, and the mustard standing next to it a brownish yellow. So I ask you, what color is a hot dog? My Benjamin-Moore color deck has enough colors that I’m sure I could find one that fits it. The color of the Astroland Sign… well, that must be a vibrant ‘sky’ blue. The sunset that day was several different shades, and oh how I’d wish I’d brought my color deck with me.

So my thought is this: Take another look at your living room, or dining room, or bedroom — but this time from a different perspective. Really LOOK at the room. What colors do you see? What colors can you envision? Let your imagination play and see what happens! The ‘old’ colors from years ago can certainly be re-vamped and used again, but in a slightly different way.

Still stuck? The first 5 readers who send me a photo and question, I will be happy to suggest color choices.

Now, go play!

Ginger