Radiant Orchid - Friend or Foe?

Pantone's colour of the year, as you probably know, is Radiant Orchid.  A much more difficult colour to successfully use in interiors than its predecessors, Tangerine and Emerald, this colour is tricky to source and even tricker to use to good effect.

 

 

The trouble with pastels is they just remind us of girly bedrooms, and that's fine if that's the end result required, but how to use this colour in a living room, kitchen or bloke's home??  The answer is to use in moderation. 

 

 

 

 

This room works and is pleasant, but still rather over-the-top mauve/orchid.  Perhaps if the curtains had been taupe or white the effect would have been rather more sophisticated.

 







This living room by Kelly Wearstler puts the mauvey tones in the rug and anchors the scheme with darker purple/grey shades. Still feminine, but not sickly.

 

 

Here, just the rug and the pendant refer to the orchid tones, and even combined with primary yellow still manage to look sophisticated, thanks to tons of airy white and pared back accessories. 

 

 



A radiant orchid splashback!  Unusual, and because used sparingly, successful.

 

This room manages to be (almost) masculine and yet still use the purple and mauve colour family.  White, grey and natural wood really enhance the orchid tones.

 

Of course, if it all gets too hard, then the easiest way to add a touch of radiant orchid is to use the original and best - flowers!  Nature's way of safely adding colour to our living rooms!

 

Kitchen Cool

A kitchen / dining space that combines warehouse chic and safari style with magnetic results.  We'd like to hang out here! Quite unusual to have a zebra rug (oval shaped no less), provencal style chairs, off beat art and city slick pendant lighting all thrown together in a kitchen area.  But the white walls and cabinets provide a crisp backdrop to these cheeky and eclectic references and the colour family remains consistent throughout. 

• Notice how the overall whiteness and colour splashes are balanced by the natural tones in the chairs, floor and rug. 
• Pendant lights over a dining table helps define a space, add workspace and meal time lighting of course but also direct our gaze upwards increasing the sense of loftiness in a room.
• Don't be afraid to re-purpose and re-home.  The ladder in the kitchen looks great, is unusual and yet very practical for reaching hard to find items.  If you have the ceiling height, try adding a long, painted ladder to your kitchen for extra style points.
• Add the unexpected and give your space the edge. Here, the strangely attractive clown art makes a talking point and adds an extra dimension.

Want to recreate? 
Eco Chic has some suggestions:  check out our Chandeliers and Pendants for dining style; our Valmont dining table would look fab in such a space; browse through our Art section for inspiration and our Rugs offer many funky options for kitchens and beyond.

Art of Living

 

Rooms that are inviting and yet still lived in are an enviable combination. This room manages to be city chic, family friendly, arty bohemian and casual cool all rolled into one.

 

The furniture pieces are all individual yet work together. This always gives a homely yet stylish feel. The pieces reference each other in tonality, however, which is important - otherwise everything can get too jumbled and messy.

Notice how neutral everything is; it is the art, the books and the flowers that give the colourfully carefree and intellectually inviting impression.

 

Like the look? Eco Chic has some suggestions: our Lily sofa is squashy and comfy and comes in any fabric you want; the Lewis upholstered ottoman works beautifully as a coffee table too; a Herringbone rug looks similar to this one; check out our Art offerings for an offbeat statement piece to add life to your living space.