Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Last SlideNext Slide
What goes around comes around in fashion and home decor so it’s no surprise that one popular color from the 1980s seems to be making a comeback these days: pink.
Just in time for spring, pink and blush-colored home decor is blooming, from light pink sofas and accent chairs to pillows and accessories.
AllModern, an online retailer that is a division of Wayfair.com, offers a wide variety of pink-hued chairs, fuzzy pillows and ottomans.
And believe or not, pink can also act as a neutral wall color.
“It’s a good backdrop for the strong colors like navy blues, purples and some greens,” said interior designer Linda Shears of Linda Shears Design in Troy, a local color expert. “Black (against a light pink wall) is knockout.”
Put a light hue with pink or blush undertones in — such as Sherwin-Williams’ Faint Coral or Intimate White or Behr’s Pink Bliss, Mellow Pink or Warm Blush — and “the room will just glow,” says Shears.
“Pink walls tend to amplify themselves in a room so I am suggesting just the slightest hint of the blush undertone to discourage the ‘bubblegum’ effect,” said Shears.
Pink and pastels
Interior Designer Michael Smith Boyd of Atlanta-based Michael Smith Boyd noticed not just pink, but pastels in general are making their way back into home decor as a trend-spotter for the 2019 Winter/Spring Style Report at the High Point Market, ground-zero for the furniture industry in the United States.
“In at least three showrooms I noticed an explosion of pastel, a la Miami Vice and Golden Girls,” wrote Boyd in his trend report. “In the Bradley showroom in particular, I was moved by the over-scaled furniture with light wood finishes and pastel upholstery. It was a refreshing change of pace that still felt like luxury, and yet somehow familiar.”
Designers say home trends start on the runway so it was no surprise to see several celebrities wearing both light and bold pink gowns at last month’s Academy Awards, from actress Angela Bassett to country crooner Kacey Musgraves. Even “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa wore a blush-toned suit.
Boyd, the interior, said he welcomes the lighter hues, but there’s a limit.
“I say bring on the dreamy pastels in rich velvets and textures, but skip the badly printed patterns from kitchen drapes past,” he wrote in his trends report.
Predicting pink
Color authority Pantone may have been one of the first to predict pink’s comeback.
In 2016, it named Rose Quartz, a light pink hue, its Color of the Year. Millenial Pink, a slightly darker, almost bubble-gum pink, arrived on the design radar shortly after Rose Quartz, though Shears believes it never really took hold.
Not everyone can even believe that pink is back.
Shears gave a presentation at last month’s Novi Home Show when she mentioned pink is a new “in” color. The audience couldn’t believe it.
“They looked at me like I was nuts,” she said.
But there’s really no room — other than the kitchen — that Shears doesn’t think that a light pink could be used in. It works in bedrooms and living rooms.
A pink sofa was the starting point for a home office designed by Greensboro, North Carolina-based Vivid Interiors.
With a quick turnaround time — they had three weeks to finish — principals Gina Hicks and Laura Mensch used the sofa as their “springboard” for the rest of the design. They tied in the pink by covering the ceilings and backs of built-in bookshelves with a pale pink Thibaut Vinyl faux alligator wallcovering.
Hicks said it’s not common that they get to use so much pink in one space, “but it’s amazing when we can!”
Even if you’re ready to totally go pink, Shears says an easy way to infuse a little pink into your decor — if you have a neutral sofa in the living room, for example — is with pink in your accessories or art.
So if you’re looking for an alternative to white walls, pick something with a blush or pink undertone. Or try a little pink in your decor with pink accessories, textiles or art. We could also use a little more glow this spring — even our homes.
Twitter: @mfeighan
Read or Share this story: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/home-garden/2019/03/28/pretty-pink-home-decor/3239581002/
