I lovelovelove purple, but the boyfriend thinks it's too girly for decor in every variation he's seen.

I know it's likely a hopeless cause, but is there any way to gender-neutralize purple?

Aimsly: I think a purple that leans slightly more towards red than blue can be a touch more manly. You can also use it as a highlight or complimentary color instead of the main color... and I
also love it paired with dark browns and mahogany, though that combo will obvs darken a room considerably.

I used Benjamin Moore's black raspberry and I love it!

The beginning:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ext212/4333349660/in/set-72157623316304884/

The end:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ext212/4353420841/in/set-72157623316304884/

I actually decided on doing a purple in my bedroom and my husband is actually very happy with it. Behr has some really beautiful purples with grayish undertones. I was torn between Victorian Iris, Palace Purple and Vintage and ultimately chose Vintage. It looks so clean and crisp with white trim.

I also have a gallon of Behr Raspberry Mousse that I'm not sure what I'd like to do with, but I'm sure I'll find something!

I'm actually using a lot of purple for my dorm room this upcoming semester. Last year was too full of pink and childish colours. This time around, I'm sticking with wine colours--deep violets mixed with browns, earthy greens, and rusts.

Start wearing purple, wearing purple. Start wearing purple for me now!

Really? Purple? I had my bedroom painted purple, when I was 13. I did have very dark purple curtains a couple apartments ago, they went well with buttery walls and our light purple duvet. Maybe I'm already over purple. Weird.

It is great you used the stairway from that movie how to steal a million. I love how the sets in those 1960's movie were decorated.
I have a deep purple area rug that is in combination with buttercream walls. Something exciting and also calming about that color.

I had my whole apartment purple 10 years ago! whereby purple I mean a nice 'dirty' purple grey that was still rather warm, in deeper shades for the hallways and lighter in the main room, with a matching colour of carpet I picked up on sale! Purple is tricky though - there is nothing worse than 'clean' light purple (not a fan of that bathroom above).

I still think it's a great colour but I am rather over it.

I think if I brought it back it would be a rich royal purple in velvets or something like the third pic above - far more masculine and moody!

Purple kitchen cabinets! I love it. That's a very daring step to take, and it paid off. The room would have lacked interest without it.

Here's another purple room that I ADORE: http://designfixation.blogspot.com/2009/12/purple-with-envy.html

oh, i have been in love with that image of that purple kitchen for years! thanks for posting these pictures.

I'm thinking of using some purple in the living room (new apartment). Thanks for the inspiration. I've figured out how I want to decorate every other part of the apartment except the living room. Let's see how it goes.

I think purple with white and gray are great -- and can be gender neutral with no problem. Use accents of stainless steel, silver or chrome and mirrored surfaces for a bit of sparkle. Just stay away from anything pink unless you want to go girly!

My boyfriend actually picked purple for our living room! We live in an old victorian, and ended up using Sherwin Williams Soulmate and Beguiling Mauve, with Pillar White on the trim and ceiling. Soulmate is a beautiful neutral purple with a good amount of grey. I absolutely love it

i am crazy for purple, my bedroom is dusty dark purple, with lighter, but also dusty shade. Now I have five different shades of purple on my guest room/office walls to choose from!
Purple is extremely versatile, it can be soft, cozy, deep and sexy, dusty and calm, vibrant and joyful...

I have the first picture filed in my "look book." It came out of Domino magazine I think, I miss Domino.