Accents of orange & cerise pink - Spring decor inspiration.

When accents of pink and orange are used in a mainly white room, the mood is warm, fresh and joyful. The grand architecture of this French chateau, with its ornate paneling, soaring ceilings and high shuttered windows, has been giving a young, comtemporary feel with low furniture and vivacious, feminine colour. Comfortable modern sofas and chairs are joined by lots of floor cushions; sitting on the floor in a room like this immediately makes it feel informal and relaxed. The windows are dressed in layers and stripes of various shades of pink, with gauzy voiles filtering the light coloured glass. The pattern is a modern take on printed lace – just right for this charming flirtatious mood.

 “The use of colour here is gloriously tonal – taking pink from palest shell to shocking Schiaparelli, with accents of persimmon and mauve. Colour contrast is provided by the vast expanses of white paneled walls and the oversized white rug that lightens the effect of the wooden floor. Modern combinations of hot pink dahlias, spiky grasses and scented geranium leaves give a freshness and vitality to the room.”

Inspiration by "thinkcolour"

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Interior decor idea: dancing rhythms and vibrate stripes for your living room

Sometimes, it is worth being as bold as you dare to breathe new life into a space. This traditional room, with its old wood paneled doors and black and white tiled floor, could easily look heavy and old-fashioned. Instead, it has been taken to the opposite extreme with a quirky modern mix of bright colour and graphic pattern. A real sense of joy has been brought into the space with vivid stripes, exuberant florals and cheerful clashes bright orange, mauve, pink and canary yellow.

But there id method in the madness, the scheme id held together by a few subtle colour continuities which save it from fragmenting. The geometric floor is one anchoring force; the charcoal colour is repeated in the striped fabric on the sofas and in the floral fabrics and rug, with their scribbly, graphic, almost fifties feel. The use of bright yellow, leapfrogging from the curtains to the floral cushions on the sofa and ottoman, is another. This is a bold look, which works because of severity of the floor and the subtly repeating relationships between the colours – like recurring jazz themes. The flowers – tall stems of alliums or nerines, or papery rounds of ranunculus layered in stripes of colour under water – continue the quirky, graphic style. 

 “The striped fabric is what draws this whole scheme together. Its perfect for this room, as it relates to the severe geometry of the floor and at the same time contains almost all the other colours that are used elsewhere. Using a plain fabric for the seats of the sofa defines its shape and gives a neutral base for the other patterns.”

Inspiration: "thinkcolour" by Tricia Guild
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