Brightening drab City Hall with a splash of pink

Staff members Jessica Rodriguez and D.B. Reiff (right) worked in newly painted office of City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George. Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

The drab concrete of Boston City Hall can be as gray and soul-sucking as a sunless day in January.

Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George decided to brighten the walls of her new office with a splash of color. To be accurate, it was several gallons of “hot lips” pink paint from Benjamin Moore.

Essaibi George, of course, has a thing for “hot lips” pink. It is the color of the logo of her sewing store, the Stitch House on Dorchester Avenue. Last fall she deployed thousands of “hot lips” pink campaign signs in her successful bid for an at-large seat on the City Council. [Disclosure: Essaibi George’s mother has worked for more than two decades as a Boston Globe telephone operator.]

On inauguration day earlier this month, Essaibi George accessorized her black dress with pink high heels. The color just made sense when she was asked about a fresh coat of paint for her new office.

“Why would you go boring and usual?” Essaibi George asked. “I happen to think my pink is cool.”